There’s an electric moment in “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere” while recording “Born in the U.S.A.” where the E Street Band is cooking, the Boss is wailing and you know something special is afoot. It’s also a scene unlike much of the Bruce Springsteen biopic.
Whether that’s a good thing or not might depend on your level of Springsteen fandom. Director Scott Cooper’s musical drama (★★★ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters Oct. 24) centers on the making of the American icon’s 1982 “Nebraska” album, an introspective, albeit downbeat affair compared to his popular anthems like "Glory Days" and “Born to Run.” Jeremy Allen White gamely channels Springsteen in front of a live crowd, though those scenes are few and far between in “Nowhere” – this movie is way more interested in understanding the singer’s troubled inner life than his working-class rock swagger.
Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox
In 1981, fresh off an exhausting yet successful tour and on the cusp of superstardom, Bruce rents a house near his New Jersey hometown to get away from everything. However, it’s impossible to escape from himself. “Hungry Heart” is playing on the radio (which our hero quickly turns off) and when he goes to buy a new car, the salesman tells him he knows who Springsteen is. “That makes one of us,” Bruce quips.
