Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Synopsis: On the cusp of global superstardom, New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen struggles to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past as he records the album "Nebraska" in the early 1980s. 

Movie Review: 

"Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere" is directed by Scott Cooper and is based on the book of the same name. It tells the story of how Bruce Springsteen battles depression and mental health issues to create the album "Nebraska." This makes for an intriguing character study about forgiveness, featuring some outstanding performances. As a big fan of his music, I really enjoyed this movie overall.

Jeremy Allen White portrays Bruce Springsteen, the rock and roll icon, delivering an emotional and heartbreaking performance. He captures Springsteen's appearance, movements, and speech, making it one of the best performances of the year for me. I also appreciated that Jeremy did most of his own live singing, which impressed me even more.

Jeremy Strong plays Jon Landau, Bruce's manager and friend, and he also delivers a fantastic performance as someone who never gave up on him and always believed in him. Their friendship is beautifully depicted, showcasing their strong bond.

Stephen Graham plays Douglas Springsteen, Bruce's father, and he gives a powerful and shocking performance as an abusive, alcoholic dad, which is central to the film's emotional core. When Bruce decides to record his musical hits like "Born in the U.S.A," "Glory Days," and "Nebraska," the movie really picks up momentum, making it even more enjoyable.

Odessa Young plays Faye Romano, a young single mother who falls in love with Bruce. She delivers an emotional and heartbreaking performance, truly stealing the show for me. It was also great to see Paul Walter Hauser and Marc Maron, who provided solid performances and added some humor that made the scenes more enjoyable.

While I thought both Odessa Young and Jeremy Allen White had great chemistry, I felt that the romance was a bit forced and that there was too much focus on the love interest, which made the movie feel overly dramatic at times. The film does take a while to get going, especially in the first act. Overall, "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere" is a solid biopic, elevated by an amazing lead performance from Jeremy Allen White. I am giving it a 4/5 stars.

Director: Scott Cooper 

Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Stephen Graham, Odessa Young, David Krumholtz, Gaby Hoffman, Harrison Gilbertson, Grace Gummer, Matthew Pellicanp Jr. and Marc Maron 

Runtime: 120 Minutes