‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’ review: Jeremy Allen White rocks as The Boss — even if his voice doesn’t

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film evaluate SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE

Working time: 120 minutes. Not but rated. In theaters Oct. 24.

The Bruce Springsteen film “Springsteen: Ship Me From Nowhere” has rather a lot in widespread with final 12 months’s Bob Dylan biopic “A Full Unknown.”

Every eschews a sprawling birth-to-present-day storyline and as a substitute focuses on a consequential chapter within the lifetime of one of many biggest American musicians.

Dylan’s centered on him controversially leaving conventional people behind in favor of electrical.

Springsteen’s, which had its native premiere Sunday within the New York Movie Competition and hits theaters Oct. 24, flips that. After “The River,” he riskily writes and data “Nebraska,” a darkish, private, acoustic people album that's as we speak considered amongst his best.

However there's one large distinction. “A Full Unknown” made Dylan’s life an also-ran to his artwork — sustaining the enigma’s thriller.

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“Ship Me From Nowhere,” the enlightening and entertaining film starring Jeremy Allen White because the Boss, is, against this, all uncooked emotion. Director Scott Cooper’s movie delves into Springsteen’s demons; his struggles with melancholy and complicated relationship together with his dad.

Jeremy Allen White performs The Boss in “Springsteen: Ship Me From Nowhere.” ©twentieth Century Studios/Courtesy Everett Assortment

Near falling aside at 32, the singer-songwriter navigates his small-town New Jersey roots as he stands on the scary precipice of superstardom.

All of these messy substances result in 1982’s “Nebraska.”

And be grateful Cooper was led to White. The actor’s chef-y mixture of sensitivity and masculinity that works so nicely on “The Bear” is precisely proper for Bruce — each as a performer and behind closed doorways. Few might nail him as nicely.

White’s flip is unhappy, confused, stressed and actual. And he doesn’t go overboard schmacting his approach by way of a hokey impersonation.

Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen. ©Searchlight Footage/Courtesy Everett Assortment

“Springsteen: Ship Me From Nowhere” made its New York Movie Competition debut on Sept. 28, 2025. ©Searchlight Footage/Courtesy Everett Assortment

The star, like Timothée Chalamet, additionally does his personal singing right here. That, I’m afraid, was a mistake. The bar for Bruce is a better one to clear than Dylan — the person’s voice was otherworldly in his 30s — and the actor falls nicely wanting it, regardless of attempting very onerous.

The vocal disparity is very noticeable when he’s within the studio with supervisor Jon Landau (Jeremy Sturdy) and the E Road Band recording “Born within the USA.” “The Bear” star’s growl sounds awfully hoarse.

That’s not a dealbreaker, since “Ship Me From Nowhere” isn’t as concert-heavy as, say, “Bohemian Rhapsody” was. And White’s performing makes up for it, when he’s intensely jotting down lyrics like a paranoid maniac alone in his Colts Neck, NJ, bed room, or flying to Los Angeles to tug his father Douglas (Stephen Graham) out of a Chinatown bar.

Bruce Springsteen is helped by way of a tough chapter by his supervisor Jon Landau (Jeremy Sturdy). AP

Jeremy Allen White and Odessa Younger in “Springsteen: Ship Me From Nowhere” AP

Douglas can be abusive, and there are flashbacks to Bruce’s 1957 Freehold childhood that Cooper made black and white for some odd cause.

“Adolescence” star Graham, the world’s repentant dad du jour, is finest not in these sections that flirt with cliche, however within the touching Nineteen Eighties scenes when he makes amends for his previous. Again within the Nineteen Fifties, little Matthew Anthony Pellicano Jr. is crushing because the Boss’ wide-eyed youthful self.

There’s additionally a splash of romance with Faye (Odessa Younger), a waitress who’s a composite of ladies Springsteen dated on the time. Taking her to the Stone Pony and Asbury Park On line casino, we watch Bruce attempt to maintain onto the comforts of residence, at the same time as rabid followers are beginning to shout “I like you, Bruce!” and “Bruce, you suck!” from their vehicles.

“The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White performs Bruce Springsteen within the new movie. AP

Bruce Springsteen performs on the New York Movie Competition premiere of “Springsteen: Ship Me From Nowhere” on Sept. 28, 2025. Getty Pictures for FLC

And, after all, there’s Mr. Scene Stealer — Jeremy Sturdy.

When his HBO triumph “Succession” ended, I didn't count on Sturdy to tackle a succession of transformative character components. That’s the way it’s shaken out. Simply after enjoying Roy Cohn in “The Apprentice,” he’s piled on the quirk once more as Landau.

Sturdy is fun riot because the supervisor dryly explains to report producer Al Teller (David Krumholtz, equally hilarious) what precisely “Nebraska” is — recorded on a cassette tape! — and that it'll don't have any singles, press or live performance tour.

Bruce Springsteen attends the New York Movie Competition alongside the younger actors who play him, Matthew Anthony Pellicano, Jr. (heart) and Jeremy Allen White. Kevin Mazur/Getty Pictures for twentieth Century Studios

Cooper often undermines his rigorously crafted intimacy with pointless thrives, such because the color-drained ’50s components. One other occasion is when Springsteen lastly goes into remedy and tears stream down his face and blaring orchestral music swells. It’s borderline humorous. The efficiency is masterful, but the accompaniment reeks of 1994.

For probably the most half, nevertheless, “Ship Me From Nowhere” is in dialog with the place Springsteen’s thoughts and passions relaxation as we speak, as evidenced by his memoir “Born to Run” and his introspective Broadway present — revisiting the mansion on the hill and returning to his father’s home.