White's singing is tremendous. I can't forget that it's not actually Bruce singing all the time, but he's so good it barely matters.
I don't know if a viewer unfamiliar with the Nebraska album would appreciate the artistic and emotional journey Bruce goes on here, but as a superfan, it all clicks for me. Not all the songs he wrote in this period are autobiographical, but "Mansion On The Hill" and "My Father's House" certainly point to his depression. The movie double-underlines its points
If you accept that Deliver Me From Nowhere is a biopic of a famous musician, then you can enjoy how good it is. You just have to accept that rock biopics include some tropes. Yes, Bruce's father was scary. Yes, his dad was mean to him. But we didn't have Douglas Springsteen yelling "the wrong boy died!" or "where were you?" like Ray or Walk The Line.
While Odessa Young does a fine job as the possible romantic partner that Bruce is incapable of opening up to, she's so clearly an amalgam it's nearly funny: a single mother/waitress, living with her parents, living a hard-knock life with a good attitude, dishing candid truths that Bruce needs to hear? It's a little on-the-nose.
I decided I wanted to see this movie before the reviews came in, so I didn't read any in advance. I think professional critics resent rock biopics for the inevitable tropes that recur. Do I think the satire Walk Hard made some good points? Yes I do.
Was I worried when a trailer included a cringey monologue fit for Tim Meadows in Walk Hard? Yes, I was.