'Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere' Review
Image Source: Rolling Stone
Musical biopics! You know them, you love them, you probably loathe them!
Musical biopics frequently generate widespread excitement or insanely loud groans in a matter of seconds, depending on who you are. If you’re anything like me, you see musical biopics as nothing more than just movies that can either be great, good, or bad. Or maybe you fall into the camp of people who prop musical biopics simply because their favorite artists are the center of the films in question. Or perhaps you’re a film bro who treats musical biopics as a cancer on the very medium of cinema. Either way, you've got thoughts and opinions, I’m sure. Musical biopics are not new, of course, as they've been around long before I was born. Before Timothée Chalamet took on the role of Bob Dylan, Sissy Spacek and Gary Busey earned Oscar nominations for playing Loretta Lynn and Buddy Holly, respectively, way back in the 1970s. Luis Valdez’s La Bamba and Gregory Nava’s Selena are still considered to be the gold standard of the genre, with both films being inducted into the National Film Registry. Just this year, James Mangold directed A Complete Unknown to eight Oscar nominations, including three acting noms, Mangold’s first for directing, and Best Picture. So it’s not all bad, I don’t think.
The modern influx of musical biopics can be traced back to two films: James Mangold’s Walk the Line and Bryan Singer’s Bohemian Rhapsody. Walk the Line set the template that modern musical biopics all follow almost to a tee. Meanwhile, Bohemian Rhapsody, despite its tumultuous production and mixed reviews, was a massive crowd-pleaser and box office smash, which told studios that this studio is worth investing in. Of course, no musical biopics have come close to Bohemian Rhapsody’s $910 million haul. Since then, we’ve had major biopics about Elton John, Whitney Houston, Bob Marley, Aretha Franklin, and Amy Winehouse to varying levels of critical and financial success. Only Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis (sporting a career-making performance for Austin Butler) and the aforementioned A Complete Unknown have achieved similar success in terms of awards, but not box office. Still, Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming film Michael and Sam Mendes’ quadrilogy of films about The Beatles just might. Who knows at this point? With biopics about Madonna (set to be directed by Madonna herself), Linda Ronstadt (with Selena Gomez set to star), Joni Michell (set to be directed by Cameron Crowe), Brittney Spears (set to be directed by Jon M. Chu), The Replacements (set to star Finn Wolfhard), Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie Spector, Kiss, Carol King, and many, many, MANY more, this genre is not going away any time soon. And today, we enter the world of the Boss.
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Image Source: The Hollywood Reporter
There are very few musicians alive who are as influential and beloved as Bruce Springsteen. Over 21 albums spanning 53 years, Springsteen has captured the hearts, minds, and ears of listeners around the world. Some of his albums are widely considered among the best, and Springsteen himself remains a massive touring act. To quote YouTuber ToddInTheShadows, is there anyone who is prouder to be an American than Bruce Springsteen? So naturally, the Boss was going to be the subject of his own musical biopic. Early last year, it was announced that director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart, Black Mass) would direct a film based on the book Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, with Emmy-winner Jeremy Allen White to play Springsteen. While A24 was expected to acquire the project, 20th Century Studios swooped in late in the game. Considering A Complete Unknown was only a Searchlight release, the fact that 20th Century Studios acquired Deliver Me from Nowhere was a sign that Disney expected this movie to be a massive success. Becoming one of my most anticipated movies of the year, I followed this movie insanely closely. I’m not as opposed to musical biopics as others, and with A Complete Unknown tying with Wicked as my favorite movie of last year, I hope the same for Deliver Me from Nowhere. Sadly, it did not reach those heights.
Deliver Me from Nowhere (I am not putting Springsteen in front of it) deserves to be commended for trying to break away from musical biopic tropes, but the film is mostly a disappointment. If it weren’t for Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong’s performances, the movie would be mostly a slog. Scott Cooper’s decision to focus squarely on the making of Nebraska instead of Springsteen’s rise as a musician is a good move. If anything, that’s the creative decision that feels like it had real thought put into it. On the other hand, that’s also the film’s biggest problem. Because the film centers around Springsteen’s creative process behind one of his most emotional albums, it’s often a downer and very slow. If you were captivated by the film’s first trailer, where we saw Jeremy Allen White sing Born to Run to perfection, savor that moment because it’s one of the very few moments of energy and excitement the film has to offer. I don’t NEED musical biopics to be flashy and wall-to-wall fun all the way through. I don’t need every musical biopic to be like Elvis (the rare Baz Luhrmann film I actually liked). However, I do want them to be engaging, and Deliver Me from Nowhere is often not. It’s so focused on breaking away from formula that it frequently forgets to tell a compelling story. Sorry, but if you make a film about BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, I expect something a little more exciting.
Image Source: Burns Film Center
I like to give directors the spotlight in my reviews, and this one will be no exception. Scott Cooper is a director I've always felt hasn’t met his potential. Ever since his directorial debut with Crazy Heart, Cooper has yet to make anything that tops that film. I really thought Cooper was gonna nail it with this one, but his filmmaking is fine? I don’t want to keep harping on A Complete Unknown comparisons, but it’s hard not to. James Mangold (who earned his first Best Director nomination earlier this year) made sure that the viewer was transported back to the ‘60s and knew that instead of making a two-hour worship session about Bob Dylan, the film was more about Dylan the man. Mangold’s direction wasn’t zany or obvious; it was subtle and intimate. Scott Cooper’s direction aims for the same feel, but it comes off as stagnant. I spent most of the runtime wondering what other directors could’ve done the film, and to be blunt, done it better. As I said above, Scott Cooper is so focused on making this movie “Not your mama’s musical biopic” that everything feels bleak. The few musical sequences here are good, but nothing compared to the concert scenes in A Complete Unknown, the final performance in Elvis, or even the Live Aid sequence in Bohemian Rhapsody, a film I don’t even like. The screenplay doesn’t fare much better, as it’s mostly just musings about how sad Bruce is about his childhood. Not to mention that the romance subplot doesn’t add anything to the overall story and often distracts from the mission at hand. If you’re making a film about the creation of Nebraska, can we at least make it a little bit compelling? A film about the creative process, especially the creative process of Bruce freakin’ Springsteen, should not feel this slow.
If anything, the movie is saved by the strength of the two Jeremys. Jeremy Allen White (who has been killing it the last few years on The Bear) turns in a fantastic performance here. White may not look like The Boss, but physical resemblance is the last thing I care about regarding these kinds of films. Do Austin Butler and Timothée Chalamet look like Elvis and Bob Dylan? Not really. But are they great in those roles? 100%! Jeremy Allen White’s performance is where the film’s more low-key approach actually works in its favor. It could’ve been easy for White to do a cheap impression and not much else. Instead, he actually embodies the heart and soul that make Bruce Springsteen a compelling figure. If there is anything Deliver Me from Nowhere accomplishes, it is making the case for why Jeremy Allen White is a reliable leading man. The same can be said for Jeremy Strong as Jon Landau, who delivers an understated but memorable supporting performance. After his much-deserved surprise Oscar nomination for The Apprentice, Deliver Me from Nowhere continues Strong’s winning streak as a great supporting player on the big screen. Strong’s Landau provides the film with much-needed heart and soul. Despite his limited screentime, Strong makes an impression that makes me wish the movie were about Jon Landau AND Bruce Springsteen in equal measure. As Jeremy Strong prepares to play Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin’s upcoming The Social Reckoning, his winning streak will likely continue if this film is anything to go by.
Image Source: Forbes
I wouldn’t call Deliver Me from Nowhere a bad film. The strength of the two Jeremys, the sound design, Masanobu Takayanagi’s cinematography, and Jeremiah Fraites’ musical score make it a competent movie that’s a decent time killer. But the lackluster screenplay, stiff direction, and the unshakeable aura it gives itself credit for being deeper than it really is prevent it from being great. Had this movie been under the direction of a more compelling filmmaker, perhaps Deliver Me from Nowhere could’ve stood a better chance. I won’t rule out enjoying this film on future rewatches once it hits Disney+, but I won’t count on enjoying it as much as Elvis or A Complete Unknown. As we approach the release of Michael and Sam Mendes’ 4-part Beatles epic, we have plenty more chances to see potentially great musical biopics in the near future. Whether or not they’ll stick the landing remains to be seen.
A part of my disappointment could stem from too-high expectations. I went in expecting to love it and be its cheerleader come awards season. That didn’t happen, and that’s on me. I’ll say this much: If you’re a die-hard Springsteen fan, maybe you’ll get more out of this, as I’m only a casual fan. But if you’re looking for a compelling drama, I recommend just watching something else.
Rating: 6/10
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is now playing in theaters everywhere. Rated PG-13
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