A film about Bruce Springsteen might be difficult to make well. There is almost too much ground to cover, and too many eras (if we can borrow a term seemingly owned by Taylor Swift now). Fitting his entire career into two or three hours wouldn't do the subject justice.
The filmmakers who decided to do Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere had the right thought. Focus on the events surrounding the tone of the icon's best and most beloved albums. Nebraska won't have fans scream-singing along in the theaters like tunes from Born in the U.S.A., but listeners will enjoy the tracks just as much.
Or perhaps when they go see the film, they will love that The Bear's Jeremy Allen White is playing Springsteen. White is a fantastic actor, but he isn't overly well-known if you haven't seen his fantastic series. (You should, though, and what are you waiting for?)
Early reviews of Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere imply the film will be wonderous
Critics appear to like White in the lead role, at least. Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado recently, so professional reviewers got a chance to watch and react to what they saw. For the most part, they liked the movie, especially White.
The Wrap's Steve Pond wrote that the project is "an unusually moving and unusually satisfying rock ’n’ roll movie." He added, "White’s hangdog charisma is just right."
To be honest, that might be one of the best reviews the film gets while also being a perfect synopsis of White as an actor. Sometimes we don't know why we love his characters; we just do. That's the mark of great acting.
The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney was only slightly less glowing in his remarks. White not only plays Bruce Springsteen, but sings the part, too. The actor, according to Rooney, does a superb job of doing so. Rooney writes, "...fans invested in the subject during a transitional moment of artistic and personal catharsis will be rewarded."
That, of course, is the key to making a movie about Nebraska. There is a lot of despair in the music, created by Springsteen in his bedroom in New Jersey on a 4-track. The starkness was intended to be a true solo work from the beginning, but it needed to be. The darkness is allowed to breathe.
Still, once the film is released, expect viewers to go through a cathartic experience. The music might be bleak, but the emotional outcome isn't. It was a great work of art, and maybe Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere will be too.