Bruce Springsteen is one of the greatest rock legends that emerged from the early 80s. His 1975 album, Born to Run put him on the map and set him up for nationwide success. Released on Oct. 24, Scott Cooper’s Springsteen: Deliver me From Nowhere film takes place at the tumultuous period of Springsteen’s life directly after his sold-out tour and the creation of his critically acclaimed record, Nebraska. It depicts the raw conflict between him and his alcoholic father as well as his emotional admission into therapy. 

I love Springsteen so much. I grew up listening to “Glory Days” and “Wreck on the Highway.” So when I heard that this movie was in the works and starring none other than Primetime Emmy Award winning actor Jeremy Allen White, I was full of anticipation. White gives an Oscar-worthy performance despite being given a cliché and lackluster script. Certain scenes tended to drag on with no reason as to why and others went by so quickly that it felt unimportant to even include. It disappointed me how this film tended to bore me given how badly I wanted to like it.

Cooper is known for his dramatic thrillers like The Pale Blue Eye (2022) and Hostiles (2017), so his dark style bleeds into this movie in a confusing way. The film is a stark contrast to similar biopics like A Complete Unknown (2024) and Elvis (2022). It’s gritty, sensitive and almost seems unfinished. That being said, there’s plenty of aspects that I was able to appreciate.

My favorite scenes were when it showed Springsteen actually working on Nebraska. In the new house he rents in his childhood town of Colts Neck, New Jersey, Springsteen flips through channels as he reads Flannery O’Connor’s Night of the Hunter. Eventually, when Badlands (1973) comes on the television, inspiration strikes. Badlands is a dramatic retelling of the real life story of the killing-spree of teenage lovers Charles Starkweather and Carli Anne Fugate in the city of Lincoln. The film frantically montages Springsteen as he begins writing: “I saw her standing on her front lawn/Just a-twirling her baton/Me and her went for a ride, sir/And ten innocent people died.” These are the opening lines of the title track and also exactly how Badlands starts. 

I love how Springsteen: Deliver me From Nowhere demonstrates the connection between the movie and the album as the exchange between Springsteen and his guitar technician, Mike Batlan reads — Batlan: “So, this song got a name?” Springsteen: “I was thinkin’ of calling it Starkweather, but now I’m thinkin’ Nebraska.” It’s simple in its screenplay but layered when the scene calls for it. 

The biggest critique I have for this movie is that there is not a lot of music. Whereas A Complete Unknown includes Bob Dylan’s work every couple of minutes, this film capitalizes off of the silence and doesn’t fill it with anything. This quietness could be viewed as artistic, but to me comes off as lazy. There are a handful of instances of wonderful dialogue, especially with Springsteen and his producer Jon Landau played by the multi-faceted Jeremy Strong as he empathetically navigates Springsteen’s fragile emotional state. But when these impactful moments are undercut with the meaningless romance side-plot and on-the-nose dramatics, it doesn’t settle the same. 

This movie left me with more questions about Springsteen than answers. White, Strong and the ensemble are all phenomenal and compelling actors but their talent can only do the continuity so much justice. Whilst I have a number of complaints, I do recommend seeing Springsteen: Deliver me From Nowhere purely because Nebraska is such a perfect album and the film definitely pushes you to listen to it, even though I believe it doesn’t accurately show how brilliant it is.