Jeremy Allen White plays Bruce Springsteen in this drama about a time in the songwriter’s life when he was crafting his 1982 album Nebraska. He was also coping with his own demons, mostly around his troubled relationship with his father, who’s beautifully played by Stephen Graham. Helping him realize his vision is his devoted manager (Jeremy Strong in the dark mode he does so well). Full (sacrilegious) disclosure: I’ve never been a big Springsteen fan, but White does an effective job of recreating the singer on stage. As for the dramatic moments (and that’s most of the movie), he’s appropriately sullen. Despite all of the strum und drang, the emotions never really catch fire. Co-writer/director Scott Cooper, who nailed this approach for his film “Crazy Heart,” doesn’t manage to make this more than a brooding portrait of an artist at a career high point and a personal low point. 
(2.5 / 5)
