A surprisingly faithful portrait of Bruce Springsteen, starring Jeremy Allen White, digs into Springsteen's psyche and finds plenty of fan-friendly gold.
The biopic, set in the Nebraska era, tells the story of a man making a record in his bedroom, a concept that doesn't sound like a typical Hollywood movie pitch. However, director Scott Cooper stays true to the small-scale nature of this chapter in Springsteen's story.
Jeremy Allen White's portrayal of Bruce Springsteen is helped by his ability to convey the character's paralysis in the face of newfound fame and his complicated relationship with his father. Although his actions are subtle, they are magnetic, particularly in scenes where he performs with the E Street Band and creates the quiet, strange songs of Nebraska.
“Man makes record in bedroom” does not sound like a movie pitch to get Hollywood salivating
Author's summary: A faithful biopic of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska era.