'Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere' features a star-making Jeremy Allen White performance
Scott Cooper's music biopic isn't perfect, but it gets a lot right.
When you listen to great music, it’s easy to wonder about the story behind the lyrics. What led them towards this pain and/or joy that could help mold such an emotional and relatable track? Behind Bruce Springsteen’s music lived a sad tale of childhood trauma, rock and roll stardom, and a slow road to forgiveness. It seems easy at first, but then you remember it’s your father that needs to be forgiven.
It’s easy to forget that words in the rousing country anthem, Born in the U.S.A. describe a depressing story of a Vietnam vet coming home from the war to a country that doesn’t like or want him around anymore. It’s the effect of war on someone’s soul, especially when they’re suddenly a black sheep. Springsteen’s relationship with his father and how a quick shot to stardom (The River tour zapped him physically and mentally) made Bruce escape to a hideout and craft his own “howling at the moon” album.
That was Nebraska, his 1982 departure that looked like a very bad idea during its inception. It’s that period in time that Scott Cooper’s Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere exists. Once again, choosing a certain time in life instead of telling the whole story is a wise move, and Cooper knows it. The beginning of his film sees a worn-out rock n’ roller creating a puddle of sweat on the ground. Before he can breathe another couple minutes, his manager and friend Jon Landau (a wicked good Jeremy Strong) comes in to ask about post-show press. He needs an escape route instead.
Played with an intuitive ease and intensity at all once by Jeremy Allen White, Springsteen is a lost soul trying to make sense of the world that’s attempting to swallow him during the proposed time of his life. Deliver Me From Nowhere exists between a pair of stardom grenades in The River and the sold-out arena tours that would follow Nebraska and go on forever. I mean, they’re still going on!
Cooper’s film is what James Mangold’s Bob Dylan movie was trying to be, but only one of them ended up in the cool zone. That’s Springsteen’s tale, and it’s due to an unstoppable lead performance. Tackling this particularly intimidating role while being the face of the most popular television shows not named Stranger Things (Hulu’s The Bear) is an impressive feat. It’s the kind of work that signifies that Allen White’s days as a TV guy are numbered.
What he achieves in Deliver Me From Nowhere is full immersion without having to cover his face in prosthetics. Granted, Allen White’s build and height don’t stray too far from The Boss. Of course, the actor lost some of that muscle he gained near the end of Shameless and held onto while playing Carmen Berzatto (we never see the chef work out). From the moment we see him on stage belting out Born to Run and then walking the narrow country roads of Colts Neck, New Jersey in that black leather jacket, he’s that guy.
It’s a transformation that makes the film what it is. Granted, the supporting cast is very strong. Stephen Graham breaks your heart as the father, Gabby Hoffman is wonderful as the mother, and Odessa Young makes a dent as Faye, the first real love of Springsteen’s life. Paul Walter Hauser injects some much-needed comedy.
The movie doesn’t waste a lot of time during its well-spent 112 minutes, and doesn’t shy away from the complicated perfectionist at the heart of its tale. We see Bruce do good, bad, and sometimes extremely hard things. He’s not painted as a hero or perfect, but a guy who used music to heal his soul.
Does the film exchange different tones in its second and third act? Yes. Does it all come off as seamless and perfect? Not at all. Movies are rarely perfect, and that sticks easily to movies about real people. According to The Rolling Stone, Cooper’s movie did stick mostly to the facts. The emotional effect hits a few high points, but none get you more up than the band recording that misunderstood rock anthem in the studio for the first time.
Strong is his usual reliably sharp self. He doesn’t miss these days in crafting a complete character. He instills in Jon a never-say-die attitude in building Bruce’s legend. The interplay and overall chemistry between Allen White and Strong is legit. It’s the best time of the movie.
Deliver Me From Nowhere gives a viewer of an extended glimpse of a legendary artist whose genius came from the darker parts of his heart. Like he did with Crazy Heart, Cooper reveals the endless power of music on human beings and their experiences. Instead of boring us or drowning us in exposition, this movie makes you feel it, warts and all.
See it for Jeremy Allen White alone.