“Springsteen: Deliver me From Nowhere” Has None of the Creativity of Its Subject Matter
In the Bruce Springsteen biopic coming to theaters this weekend, we learn that the musician gave his record label three requirements for the release of his 1982 album “Nebraska.” There would be no tour, he would do no press, and he wouldn’t put his picture on the cover.
The irony, or rather the hypocrisy, is that this movie was originally going to be called simply “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” the title of the book it’s based on. Somewhere during production the movie studio got nervous that the title didn’t make it clear enough who the movie was about. Fearing that might hurt ticket sales, “Springsteen:” was added, and we got a film without any of the artistic integrity it pretends to be about.
I wonder if director Scott Cooper has ever seen the 2007 John C. Reilly comedy “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.” If he had, perhaps he wouldn’t have regurgitated every musical biopic trope that “Walk Hard” parodies. Dewey had to reflect on his entire tragic life every night before he could go on stage. Apparently Bruce also had to before he released “Born in the U.S.A.” This dull, uninspired reflection is what we suffer through for two hours. At least “Walk Hard” had the self respect not to put its flashbacks in black and white, an embarrassing hack move that “Springsteen” indulges throughout.
If this movie wasn’t so boring, you could laugh at the comedic levels of self-seriousness. Just wait until you see the old age makeup on Stephen Graham playing Springsteen’s dad in the latter part of the film. He looks like an Austin Powers villain, and I don’t mean Dr. Evil… I mean the Scottish one. Or maybe the Belgian one. Either way, it’s bad.
Jeremy Allen White is fine in the titular role, but the two times he really gets to let loose are performing songs that aren’t even on “Nebraska.”
“Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” is about the making of a creatively risky work of art, while itself being nothing more than a cash grab to try and profit from the name of a beloved musician. It’s right there in the title.
Rating: 4/10
