Erica Siaulnski, Staff Writer
From record breaking songs such as, Born in the USA to Hungry Heart it’s easy to say Bruce Springsteen was a staple of the 80s. His large fan base, which only keeps growing, was beyond thrilled when a new movie about his life was announced to be released in October of 2025.
The cast included Jermey Allen White, Odessa Young and Scott Cooper. The plot follows Springsteen on the cusp of exploding fame as he struggles to move past his past and dealing with imposter syndrome while recording the album “Nebraska”. The film is based on the biography by Warren Zane.
The film includes elements of Springsteen’s mental health struggles, and the film also reflects the mood towards mental health during the time period, as well as the differences in the album Nebraska and how it was something “never before done”. It focuses on how detrimental the album could have been to his rising career. The film shines a light onto the less ideal parts of stardom and how difficult stardom can be for young artists. The film also includes rather darker scenes, including part of a less-than-ideal childhood and how that affected Springsteen’s own private life as an adult.
Reviews of the movie remain mostly positive. The movie has a 4.0 rating as of early November. One reviewer wrote, “This movie took me quite by surprise as I assumed it was going to be about Bruce’s rise to stardom. I did not do my research before I saw the film obviously. I didn’t realize it was really going to encapsulate this time In his life, when he struggled the most and turned the corner, but I found it fascinating.” While other critics were upset and disappointed that the movie focused on such as dark and difficult time in Springsteen’s life, others found it inspiring and a great reminder that even people with talent, fame and money also struggle mentally. Overall, the film was met with decent reviews.
Jermy Allen White spoke about the pressure he felt to perform the role. He met Springsteen before the filming of the movie, and the two have kept in touch following the filming. Springsteen himself said that “Scott [the director] did an incredible job of transposing the fundamental nature of the album into film,” he briefly commented on how interesting it was to see one of his own darkest moments on the “big screen,” mentioning how music was his way of coping during this time as well, saying, “I really knew what to do with those three hours on stage. It was the other 21 that were killing me, you know?”
The film seems to really shine light on something larger than fame and fortune but humanity and how important mental health truly is.
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