Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere Dir: Scott Cooper (13th Floor Film Review)

Bruce Springsteen…the Boss? Or dross? Unfortunately this new biopic has me leaning toward the latter.

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Odessa Young, Stephen Graham

No knock on Bruce, mind you. I’m a fan. But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna bow down to the myths and legends built up over the man’s 50+ year career.

And director/writer Scott Cooper is mining those myths for all they’re worth throughout this two-hour trip into Springsteen’s psyche.

Bruce’s 1982 solo album Nebraska is the holy grail here. It’s the stripped-down, lo-fi, self-examining collection of songs Springsteen followed The River with, which was, at that point, his biggest selling album.

So, we have a world-famous rock star…rich, respected and making the music he loves, sullenly walking around the streets of Colt’s Neck, New Jersey, feeling sorry for himself.

It’s a little hard to swallow…and Cooper…particularly his screenplay…doesn’t make it any easier.

The film’s script had my eyes rolling from the get-go.

The characters aren’t given believable lines to work with, instead they sound like they are spouting either highlights from a psychologist’s handbook or a press release.

“I don’t think I can outrun this anymore”, Jeremy Allen White (as Springsteen) groans to his manager Jon Landau (played by Jeremy Strong).

Excuse me Bruce, but weren’t you Born To Run?

Snide comments aside…Springsteen’s dilemma dates back to an abusive father (no laughing matter) and a feeling that he never measured up.

But, you know what? It a fairly common situation and Bruce was in a pretty good place in 1981 compared to a lot of others.

Much…too much…is also made about the fact that Bruce has decided to follow up The River with something less commercial and more personal.

Sure, it will piss off the record company, but who cares? I mean, Dylan had already done the same thing several times over….to the very same label…and artists like Prince and Bowie would continue in that grand tradition.

So, for me, the focus on the Nebraska period is something of a wash. I would have been much more interested in a film that focused on his post-Born In The USA/ Tunnel Of Love Period…but that’s not the film we’re talking about here.

So, apart from the cheesy writing, how does the rest of the film hold up?

Well, the performances are serviceable. Jeremy Allen White is a fine actor, but honestly, I never believed he was Springsteen…he sang like him, but never inhabited him.

Better is Jeremy Strong as Jon Landau. In fact, you might have a better film about him, than Bruce.

The best of the bunch is Australian actor Odessa Young who plays single-mum Faye, Bruce’s love interest. Her’s is a composite character who is doomed to be Bruce’s ex because…well, just because.

The filmmaking itself is OK…maybe a few too many flashbacks…and the music is great.

The one positive I came away with watching this film was how important music can be to someone’s…anyone’s life.

But that’s no great revelation.

And no reason to sit through two hours of clunky dialogue.

Marty Duda

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is in cinemas now