Biopics remain among Hollywood’s favorite film genres. With A Complete Unknown recently receiving eight Oscar nominations and Christy looking to secure Sydney Sweeney’s first Oscar nomination, biopics are the path many studios take to earn award recognition. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is the latest music biopic gunning for awards, but instead of telling a generic story of Bruce Springsteen’s life, it tells a sentimental tale of a man’s struggle with depression.

Although the film delves into different periods of Springsteen’s life, including his abusive childhood, it mainly focuses on his time recording “Nebraska”, one of his most personal and popular albums. Portrayed by Jeremy Allen White, the film follows how Bruce’s family, relationships, and personal struggles led him to become one of the world’s biggest music stars.

The film opens similarly to most music biopics, seeing Bruce Springsteen in his element. During a concert attended by hundreds, Bruce is performing perhaps his most famous song, “Born to Run.” The decision to open the film with Bruce’s most popular song was not only to hook the viewer but also to make it a perfect thesis statement for the film as a whole. The song delves into themes of life’s pressure and the pursuit of a better life, with the title “Born to Run” suggesting humanity’s purpose: to be free. The film delves into heavy themes of depression and the struggles of life, making the opening concert sequence a perfect tease for how the film will play out.

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere focuses heavily on the idea behind Bruce Springsteen’s nickname, “The Boss.” Bruce’s creative process behind it has him asking his producers to capture a specific sound and feel for his album, going so far as to use decades-old machinery to realize his vision. Whatever Bruce asked of his producers, whether it was to add an echo effect to his songs or to request no press tour, he received, earning him his iconic nickname.

There is truly no other actor who could’ve captured Bruce Springsteen the way Jeremy Allen White does in the film. White’s background in projects like The Bear absolutely helped him in portraying a man with mental health issues, conveying a more subdued musician in an extremely empathetic and nuanced way. Although Bruce made his fair share of bad decisions, the film did a good job of always making the audience aware of his decision-making, making what could’ve been an unlikable character far more compelling.

Although White’s accent and grounded performance captured Springsteen and all his subtleties, his singing voice is arguably the aspect that best captured Springsteen. White does his own singing for the film, whether at a huge concert venue or lying alone in a bedroom, and it is uncanny how much he sounds like a young Springsteen. If the studio didn’t outright say that White did his own singing, it would be easy to assume that Springsteen’s voice was dubbed onto White, which goes to show how incredible White’s singing is in the film.

The supporting cast may not be acting on the same level as Jeremy Allen White, but they more than serve their place in the film. Jeremy Strong is excellent as Springsteen’s manager, Jon Landau. Unlike most music managers portrayed in films, Jon Landau is extremely patient with Springsteen, focusing less on profits and more on creating music the way that Springsteen wants. Although his character lacks an overall arc, Strong’s performance brings a heartwarming nature to the film that subverts the traditional manager role in music biopics. Odessa Young proves her rising stardom once again as Faye Romano. Similar to Strong, Young brings warmth to her role as Springsteen’s love interest and Haley’s mother. Her scenes bring a drastic, but satisfying, tonal shift to the movie, playing out like a stereotypical rom-com. Faye Romano played an integral role in shaping Springsteen’s spiritual journey by helping him understand the joys of life, and Young lived up to the task with her emotional, lived-in performance.

The film captures anxiety and depression to an extremely effective degree, and some of that is conveyed through the structure. Sequences in the film happen sporadically, jumping between timelines and emotions, which represents Springsteen’s messy psychological state. Springsteen struggled to come to terms with his past, present, and future, creating a foggy haze in his view of his life and happiness that led him to make poor choices. Instead of portraying these themes in a bombastic way that beats the audience over the head, director Scott Cooper presents them in a more grounded, thematically resonant manner that puts the characters first. While other music biopics use a flashy style and structure to convey how big the artists were, Cooper is far more interested in a subtle approach to a beloved figure, making for a more impactful and emotionally potent experience.

Although the messy structure captures Springsteen’s mindset, some aspects of the story needed further development. Jon Landau served the story well, but the film didn’t delve much into what made him the patient, loving manager. There are sequences in the film in which Landau and his wife discuss Springsteen and his mental health, which would’ve been a perfect time to delve into Landau’s psyche, but they end up feeling like exposition dumps. Even though the film is focused solely on Springsteen and his mental state, delving into Landau would’ve given the film an extra layer that could’ve pushed the film to new heights.

One of the quietest music biopics in recent years, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere excels in its drama, truly capturing the iconic figure in a way that allows the audience to understand them to their core. Although the film portrays multiple moments in Springsteen’s life, its focus on his journey making “Nebraska” made for a far more compelling experience than the Wikipedia summary biopics we are used to. It may not be the Oscar contender many were expecting, but it has more than enough compelling filmmaking to make it worth watching.

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is now playing in theaters nationwide.

Rating: 7/10

Oscar Prospects:

Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound, Best Original Song