The post Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere review \u2014 Bruce Springsteen goes acoustic in brooding biopic<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>.<\/p>\n Making a biopic about The Boss, Bruce Springsteen,<\/a> is hard because of how vast his career is. Do you want to focus on his early days in Asbury Park before forming the legendary E Street Band? Or the troubled production of his breakthrough, Born to Run<\/a>? The drama between him and Columbia during the production of his angsty Darkness on the Edge of Town is ripe for the picking as well.<\/p>\n Instead, Scott Cooper chose to adapt the making of his 1982 solo acoustic album, Nebraska, with Jeremy Allen White<\/a> playing Springsteen in the biopic.<\/p>\n Based on Warren Zanes\u2019 2023 book of the same name \u2014 which is well worth a page-turning read, even if you see the movie \u2014 Deliver Me from Nowhere<\/a> follows Springsteen\u2019s journey to healing during the making of what remains his darkest album.<\/p>\n In the interest of fairness, yours truly \u2014 a big fan of Springsteen \u2014 was somewhat hesitant when this project was announced. For one, how would the blue-eyed Bear star be able to pull off The Boss?<\/p>\n That fear was put to rest with the first trailer, which showed White singing \u201cBorn to Run\u201d and nailing The Boss\u2019 energy and voice from the early \u201980s. White captures Springsteen\u2019s essence from the No Nukes and River eras with ease when performing \u201cBorn to Run.\u201d<\/p>\n However, there was still some reluctance, due to the hokeyness of some of the lines in the trailer. Nebraska was not a hit album in the traditional sense, but would the filmmakers be bold enough to stand by telling the album\u2019s story in the biopic? While White kills it with \u201cBorn to Run,\u201d would Deliver Me from Nowhere really promote itself without relying on Springsteen\u2019s hits?<\/p>\n It takes a bold filmmaker to stand by Nebraska for a project like this, just as it takes a bold artist to stand by that same album after a string of hit albums most would consider their best (Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, and The River).<\/p>\n A still from Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere courtesy of 20th Century Studios.<\/p>\n Deliver Me from Nowhere begins with Springsteen at the River Tour \u2014 an itinerary that consisted of 140 shows in under a year \u2014 as he begins to look ahead.<\/p>\n Of course, label executives at Columbia are waiting for his next hit album. He finally reached No. 1 with The River, and they\u2019re hoping for more \u201cHungry Heart\u201d-like hits.<\/p>\n Nowadays, with full context, we, the viewer, know that Springsteen ultimately would deliver that with Born in the U.S.A., which was ultimately born out of the Nebraska sessions. However, at the time, Springsteen was at a crossroads.<\/p>\n He moves back into a house full of orange shag carpet in Colts Neck, New Jersey, after his tour. There, he begins playing with new ideas for his forthcoming album.<\/p>\n A still from Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere courtesy of 20th Century Studios.<\/p>\n White transforms into Springsteen in Deliver Me from Nowhere. Thanks to brown contacts and some clever blocking, he really looks like The Boss circa 1978.<\/p>\n The end of a tour means a dark time for Springsteen. This may explain why his tours go on for a while and his concerts exceed three hours.<\/p>\n Instead of taking time off, Springsteen returns to the famous Stone Pony to play with whoever is performing there (including someone who looks just like Greta Van Fleet\u2019s Jake Kiszka).<\/p>\n There\u2019s an emptiness that fills Springsteen in these sequences \u2014 from the aggressive guitar strumming to the blankness in his eyes while driving home from the Stone Pony.<\/p>\n White\u2019s performance goes beyond the gravely singing voice. Deliver Me from Nowhere isn\u2019t a traditional hero\u2019s journey or biopic. It\u2019s not about Springsteen rebounding before a big show or making his breakthrough.<\/p>\n Instead, it\u2019s about the personal healing of a rock star who looks invincible in front of tens of thousands of fans every night. It ends with a powerful scene between White and Stephen Graham, who plays Bruce\u2019s father, Douglas Springsteen.<\/p>\n Matthew Anthony Pellicano\u2019s performance should not go unnoticed either. He plays a younger version of Bruce, sharing the bulk of the tense sequences with Graham.<\/p>\n A still from Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere courtesy of 20th Century Studios.<\/p>\n The emotional journey is only half of Deliver Me from Nowhere. The meat of the movie is Springsteen making Nebraska, which was famously recorded on a four-track cassette.<\/p>\n At the time, Nebraska was revolutionary and unprecedented. Nowadays, it appears all pop and rock stars lock themselves away and try to make their own Nebraska (e.g., Taylor Swift\u2019s Folklore\/Evermore and Shawn Mendes\u2019 Shawn).<\/p>\n Some won\u2019t care about the technical aspects of the 1982 album. Cooper makes sure not to drone on about the four-track recorder for the sake of casuals, but it will fascinate any Springsteen fans.<\/p>\n Anyone who has listened to Nebraska knows how bleak it is. After all, Springsteen was inspired by Terrence Malick\u2019s Badlands, which did not<\/i> inspire Springsteen\u2019s song of the same name.<\/p>\n Badlands was loosely based on Charles Starkweather and his murder spree in the \u201950s. Springsteen took the movie and the real-life story to heart, resulting in a shift in the album and title track\u2019s focus.<\/p>\n White has the explosive side of Springsteen\u2019s performances down pat. However, it\u2019s the quieter moments that are more impressive. Nebraska features some howls (\u201cState Trooper\u201d), but it\u2019s a lot of tender singing (\u201cMansion on the Hill\u201d).<\/p>\n He toes the line between impersonation and parody. White\u2019s iteration of The Boss mostly mirrors Springsteen, especially on stage. There are differences, of course, but it never feels like a cheap SNL spoof.<\/p>\n For the most part, White sounds identical to Springsteen. Deliver Me from Nowhere shows Springsteen recording these songs, and if you squint, you\u2019ll believe you\u2019re watching a documentary.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a lot crammed into Deliver Me from Nowhere\u2019s 119-minute runtime. Even then, the movie probably could have been longer. The last few minutes cram a lot into them which would have worked better if they were fleshed out more.<\/p>\n Overall, Cooper does a good job of adapting Zanes\u2019 material. Zanes\u2019 Deliver Me from Nowhere is a page-turner, engrossing readers into the nitty-gritty of making Nebraska.<\/p>\n Cooper\u2019s script falls victim to some biopic conventions, which is inevitable. Deliver Me from Nowhere likes to remind viewers of the stakes of Springsteen making Nebraska. This mostly comes from the mouth of Jeremy Strong\u2019s Jon Landau, Springsteen\u2019s manager.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve seen Strong act, you\u2019ve seen this performance. His self-serious take on Landau may tread familiar waters. It\u2019s at its best when he shares breakfast with Springsteen (Deliver Me from Nowhere spends an exceptional amount of time in diners).<\/p>\n The love story involving Odessa Young\u2019s Faye Romano \u2014 who presumably is a fictionalized account of one or more of Springsteen\u2019s past exes \u2014 serves the story, but even that can sometimes fall on deaf ears.<\/p>\n Still, Cooper\u2019s commitment to telling this personal story is commendable. He didn\u2019t make Deliver Me from Nowhere a jukebox music video a la Bohemian Rhapsody. Most other filmmakers likely would have followed Springsteen\u2019s journey from the Greetings from Asbury Park days to Born in the U.S.A.<\/p>\n A still from Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere courtesy of 20th Century Studios.<\/p>\nWhat is Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere about?<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Jeremy Allen White gives a devastating performance<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Making Nebraska<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Scott Cooper\u2019s script<\/b><\/h2>\n
Should you watch Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere?<\/b><\/h2>\n
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