“Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” provides audiences with an intimate glimpse into the life of rock artist Bruce Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White) during one of his most vulnerable creative periods. The film quickly envelops you into its 1980s New Jersey atmosphere — leaves falling from orange-colored trees, the amber glow of small-town diners and the peppy vibe of the music venues where Springsteen developed his aura.
As director Scott Cooper focuses on the quiet moments between takes and solitary drives down empty forest highways, audiences are reintroduced to Springsteen not as a stadium-filling rock icon, but as an artist wrestling with his fame and trying to make meaning of his identity through music.
The ideal atmosphere for this film to be watched is not at first screenings in movie theaters, but rather in the comfort of your own home. To fully encapsulate the fall vibes of the film, I’d recommend viewing it snuggled in a warm wool blanket with a mug of hot chocolate. Don’t waste your money on an expensive movie theater ticket — wait for it to head to streaming platforms in early 2026.
I went into “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” with hesitations based on a 64% from Rotten Tomatoes and a 6.2/0 from IMDb. But, as a major Springsteen and White fan, I knew that I had to make the commitment to seeing the film during opening weekend. Going into the film, I hadn’t even read the overview, but I was pleasantly surprised that the film was about an aspect of Springsteen that doesn’t always come through when listening to songs like “Born In The U.S.A” or “I’m On Fire.” The actual story of Springsteen attempting to understand his identity through his 1982 album “Nebraska” was emotionally moving and frankly very relatable.
While the film didn’t linger within my heart as the credits rolled and I exited the Regal LA Live theater, I do think that Cooper captured 1980s New Jersey in a way that invoked an almost emotional nostalgia through beautiful cinematography from Masanobu Takayanagi and excellent vintage costume design from Brittany Loar and Kasia Walicka Maimone. While the film explored intriguing themes of identity and artistic struggle in a cinematically aesthetic way, the storytelling felt flat and not something that I’d remember by next month. Besides White’s impressive portrayal of the rock star — allegedly performing and singing in a way that had Springsteen himself fooled — most of the supporting cast faded into the background, and the plot never truly reached the emotional depth that I anticipated.
Even so, I left the theater appreciating beautiful visuals and the knowledge I gained about Springsteen’s background as an artist struggling with depression. I even listened to his “Nebraska” album full volume with my windows rolled down on my drive back home.
Though it struggles to ignite the emotional intensity it promised, “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” is a worthwhile viewing for fans of Springsteen, or anyone fascinated by the story of a musician on the cusp of greatness while trying to maintain authenticity.