Bruce Springsteen is my favorite musician, and it's not particularly close between him and my next favorite band. (I'm not even sure who that would be, maybe Metallica?) He may not be the most technically skilled or the best singer, but he writes the best music, and his skill and energy when playing live is unmatched.
The decision to set a biopic about Bruce Springsteen in 1982 during the
Nebraska sessions is both unusual and quite smart. On the one hand, it pretty solidly goes against the biopic formula, which is often more about the long arc of a person's life, rather than one specific moment. On the other hand,
Nebraska (and
Born in the USA, which was created at basically the same time) represent Springsteen's arguable creative peak.
Nebraska is such an unusual album for an arena rock star, and of course
Born in the USA made him an international superstar. It's a great spot to dive into Springsteen's life. Also,
Nebraska is my favorite Springsteen album, so I'm certainly not going to complain about having an entire movie about how that album was made.
Spoilers to follow. You've been warned.
I really enjoyed this movie for a few reasons, and the big one actually has little to do with Springsteen specifically. The artistic process is heavily highlighted throughout, and it does feel very genuine. Creating art is tough, and I do like how it emphasizes the role of research. Bruce Springsteen didn't birth the idea for Nebraska's title track from nowhere; he saw a movie about the character, got inspired, and went to the library to learn all he could from newspaper clippings about the Starkweather killings so he could craft a more authentic song. As a result, the song "Nebraska" has become the definitive story about that incident. How many people know about the movie these day? A lot less than the song, that's for sure. (It doesn't help that the movie is called Badlands, which is also the name of a famous Springsteen song.)
Also, as a movie about a musician, it would absolutely not do if the music was anything less than perfect. Fortunately, the music is excellent, which goes along with this corollary — Jeremy Allen White is an excellent choice for Bruce Springsteen. His most famous role is on The Bear, a Hulu TV show that I've actually watched (well, I've seen two of the four seasons); he plays a chef who actually feels a bit Springsteen-esque. Same punishing need for affection, same swagger mixed with darkness, same alienation and simultaneous loyalty toward his family. Springsteen was absolutely not a stretch for him, in terms of acting. And in terms of singing, he's able to do a remarkably good facsimile. All the Springsteen songs in the movie, even the ones in the soundtrack, were sung by White, and it is honestly difficult to tell sometimes that it isn't Springsteen himself singing. Some are better than others: Born in the USA is pretty clearly not Springsteen, but I'd have a tough time differentiating if you gave me the movie version of Nebraska and Atlantic City. And I've listened to those songs many, many times.
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| The Stone Pony is a big secondary setting for the movie, for good reason. Courtesy Acroterion |
This is a small thing, but Atlantic City is my favorite song, period, and I really appreciated them saving the full thing for the end credits. It was able to play uninterrupted and without distraction, and it really wrapped up the movie in a fitting manner.
So, what about negatives? The biggest, I think, is length. The movie is nearly 2 hours long, which is too much for the story they're trying to tell. The biggest timesuck is Springsteen's relationship with Faye, a young woman who acts as an amalgamation of the various women Springsteen dated at this time. I understand why they included this, and it is authentic, but the thing about relationships that go nowhere is that ... they go nowhere. It's realistic, but including it in the movie isn't great storytelling. There's no real resolution to the relationship and it doesn't add much depth to Springsteen's character. Everything we get from his interactions with Faye we're able to glean elsewhere in the movie.
Another big thing that isn't necessarily a negative but is an odd choice for a Springsteen biopic is the lack of interaction with the E Street Band. Clarence Clemons, Steven van Zandt, etc are all physically present for the band scenes, but not one of them has a single spoken line. Now, this movie isn't actually about the making of Nebraska and Born in the USA; it's more about Springsteen's internal struggle as he grapples with an outward identity (budding rock superstar) that conflicts with his personal view of himself (just a kid from New Jersey). That story doesn't need the E Street Band. However, they're such a big part of the Springsteen story that keeping them on the sideline is a glaring omission. It's the complete opposite problem to the Faye relationship — that was authentic but bad storytelling, this was good storytelling but completely inauthentic.
So, where does that leave us? Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is not a perfect movie, but it delivers everything I wanted it to. The music is great, the primary story is worthwhile and affecting, and it provides a great look into the artistic process of one of music's greatest storytellers. I'll give it an 8 out of 10.
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