Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (2025) is written & directed by Scott Cooper and based on the book by Warren Zanes. It stars Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Stephen Graham, Odessa Young, Paul Walter Hauser, David Krumholtz, Gaby Hoffmann, Harrison Sloan Gilbertson, Grace Gummer, Marc Maron, Matthew Anthony Pellicano Jr., Jeff Adler, Chris Jaymes, and Bartley Booz. The film follows The Boss during the creation of his 1982 album, Nebraska. Against the wishes of both his fans and his record label, Bruce decides to stall work on his more commercial tracks, many of which would eventually form his legendary album Born in the USA, and instead focus on minimally produced acoustic folk songs centered on his youth. During this time, Bruce attempts to reconcile a rising career and newfound romance with his painful memories of his troubled father (Graham). 

As the titular rockstar, Jeremy Allen White embodies a young boss as well as one could hope without trying to outright imitate the man. He nails the man’s general vibe, but more often than not, I end up seeing the actor rather than the man he’s trying to portray. It doesn’t help that, during the few concert scenes, it almost comes across like Cooper is trying to intentionally hide White’s performance. I sort of appreciate the choice to stray away from an incessant number of concert sequences, but they’re mostly traded for an equal number of scenes where Bruce walks around and looks longingly at something or someone, continuously beating us over the head with the fact that the guy is depressed. It’s equally as repetitive and one-note as the ‘greatest hits’ approach, but now, it doesn’t even have the music fans love to soften the blow. To be fair, the film isn’t completely devoid of the man’s hits. On the one hand, this tendency to hold back on playing too many iconic songs heightens their effect when they are eventually played. On the other hand, I’m not sure the sacrifice is worth the reward.

Dialing in on a specific portion of the artist’s career is usually the optimal way to approach the genre, but this film, unfortunately, makes the mistake of focusing on what’s arguably its subject’s least compelling period. It’s made clear that this was the man’s most personal creation, leading to some of his most personal breakthroughs, but to everyone other than his most committed fans, it’s just a bunch of unoriginal ‘tortured artist’ cliches audiences have experienced countless times before. It’s just a strange choice to make a biopic of a musician as uplifting as The Boss and portray him at a point in his life when he’s pretty much the ultimate buzzkill. 

Thankfully, Bruce’s relationships with his father and trusted manager, Jon Landau, mark high points in the film. Jeremy Strong continues his string of top-notch post-Succession wins, while Stephen Graham proves once again why he’s one of Hollywood’s most underrated veteran actors. These two might even be better than White here, which is a shame, considering the film’s subject. At the very least, no one gives an outright bad performance—just underwhelming at the most. 

Overall, despite the film’s many missteps, I ultimately found myself, a casual Springsteen fan, mostly engaged. The tone is a real downer for some odd reason, but I suppose it’s in line with Scott Cooper’s previous work. It works well for the more rustic, gritty side of The Boss’ music and worldview, but neglects the uplifting side he’s arguably better known (and loved) for. Just like Nebraska, the film feels like a creative risk. Unfortunately, I don’t think the risk fully pays off in the end. That being said, it looks good, doesn’t insult your intelligence, and is generally well-acted. If you’re a Boss fan, give it a shot; the supporting performances are worth it. B-