Scott Cooper's Springsteen Biopic Divides Critics

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, written and directed by Scott Cooper and adapted from Warren Zanes’ book, dramatizes the making of Bruce Springsteen’s stark 1982 album Nebraska and opens in theaters Oct. 24. Jeremy Allen White stars as Springsteen, with Jeremy Strong and Stephen Graham in supporting roles, as the film focuses on Springsteen’s retreat to his New Jersey home, four‑track demos, depression, a fraught relationship with his father, and a strained romance. Springsteen agreed to the project after Cooper framed it as a small, character‑driven slice of life rather than a conventional, career‑spanning biopic. Critics are divided: many praise Cooper’s restraint and the strong performances but say the movie feels inert or drags and fails to make a broad emotional connection beyond devoted fans. Reviewers say the film faithfully captures the period yet also illustrates the limitations of the crowded rock‑biopic form, with pacing and script issues keeping it from fully transcending familiar genre tropes.