Last year, when Jeremy Allen White was cast as Bruce Springsteen, I was skeptical, to say the least. For starters, the notion that anyone can sing like The Boss, let alone embody his certain je ne sais quoi—exuberant, emotionally exposed, and especially rough-around-the-edges—doesn’t inspire much confidence. It’s also tough to imagine another man looking quite as good in a pair of jeans. Now that I have seen the first trailer for Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, however, I’m pleased to report that my breakfast this morning was crow.
On Wednesday, the internet got its first look at White as the prolific singer-songwriter and working-class hero. If you haven’t seen it, why not? Go now. If you have, let’s talk about it!
The film focuses on the making of Nebraska, Springsteen’s 1982 album that set him apart from most other commercially successful artists of the time, in part because of its poignant vignettes of working-class and marginalized people. It’s also long been lauded as one of Springsteen’s most intimate, introspective albums. Love him or hate him, it’s prudent of Scott Cooper to have chosen this period of Springsteen’s career and life to place under a microscope.
Plot aside, White looks close enough like Springsteen. Then, he opened his mouth. That his vocals sound so strikingly similar to Springsteen’s is a feat—and I look forward to hearing about how the hell it was achieved in what will surely be a relentless press cycle. Stubborn goosebumps remained on my arms for about a minute after White belts “Born To Run” in the trailer’s last seconds. Don’t get me wrong, I think Timothée Chalamet made a fine Bob Dylan. He got his ego and idiosyncrasies down and managed to irk an audience in all the same ways Dylan might. But if you ask me, I think Springsteen is infinitely tougher to copy without looking like you’re copying him—from the sex appeal to the certain swag to the heart-kidney-and-liver-on-sleeve sensitivity. From what I can see, White’s holding his own.
Then we have the ensemble cast: The inimitable Stephen Graham as Springsteen’s father, Douglas? The criminally underrated Gaby Hoffman as Springsteen’s mother, Adele, and Paul Walter Hauser as Springsteen’s guitar tech, Mike Batlan? The innovator of dramaturgical expression, Jerry Strong, as Springsteen’s manager, Jon Landau? I’m already in the theater.
Calling it now: This was born to run away with multiple Oscars.
