The difficult part of biopics is we know going in how things ended up. In the case of Bohemian Rhapsody, knowing Freddie's fate added a poignancy to his story. Deliver Me From Nowhere suffers from an opposite fate, knowing Springsteen sold his back catalogue for over half a billion dollars somehow takes away from the struggling artist vibe this movie shoots for.
Disclaimer: I'm a huge Springsteen fan, own his catalogue and have seen him in concert over 15 times starting with the late 70's and last saw him in the 2010's, so my expectation for the performance pieces may be unfairly high.
The first act is ok. Flashbacks to a tough upbringing mixed with faux concert footage that ventures to karaokeish. It's not horrible, but it's not great either. There's also lots of biopic tropes used to advance the story...necessary unless they offer a five hour directors cut.
Throughout the second and third acts we get a smorgasbord of Springsteen's relationships, personal and professional. That's where this film really hits it's stride, diving into how his life at that moment shaped his music. They also did something smart, showing Bruce warts and all rather than deifying the Boss. But ultimately, this angsty take rings hollow because we also know how the actual story up to this point played out. He had already had success, was a huge concert draw, sold lots of albums and had been on the covers of magazines proclaimed "the future of rock".
As the final credits rolled I had been entertained, but not blown away, by this movie. Springsteen fans will like it, non fans not familiar with his story will probably be more entertained.
Three Stars