[I review these Golden Globe nominated performances: Jeremy Allen White in "Bruce Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere," Rose Byrne in "If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You," Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in "The Smashing Machine," and Eva Victor in "Sorry, Baby"]
Bruce Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (2025)
How Bruce Springsteen's album "Nebraska" came to be.
Then the film shifts to color and it's 1981. Bruce Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White) has just finished his sold-out "River Tour." Exhausted and wanting to lie low for awhile, his manager, Jon Landau (an always wonderful Jeremy Strong), rents Bruce a house in Colts Neck, New Jersey, near where he grew up in Freehold. Bruce buys his first new car, a Chevrolet Camaro, and plays with local bands at the Stone Pony bar where he meets Faye Romano (Odessa Young), an old classmate's younger sister, and a relationship of sorts ensues.
With the full cooperation of The Boss himself, the film continues to use flashbacks in black and white to show Bruce's troubled relationship with his father, Douglas, an alcoholic battling mental health issues and Bruce's traumatic childhood which continued to haunt him.
On the heels of his first top-ten song "Hungry Heart," Bruce is battling depression and his record label is pressuring him for another hit album. Bruce suggests saving money by preparing the demo himself. Influenced by his childhood memories and an increasing depression, Bruce writes a collection of stark, somber songs with a blue-collar perspective. He also sees the film "Badlands" about Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, two teens who went on a crime spree in Nebraska and Wyoming in the 1950's, killing 11 people, which plays into his state of mind and influences him. Recording his new tracks unaccompanied, he makes the risky choice to embrace a raw, acoustic quality.
Meanwhile, living in California Adele calls Bruce for help with Douglas.
After visiting his father, Bruce arrives in New York City to record the new album, reuniting with the E Street Band. They lay down several successful tracks, but Bruce is unhappy with the overall full-band studio sound of the record, so Jon agrees to use Bruce's raw demo as the new record. Using older equipment to re-create the demo tape as a vinyl master recording, the new album "Nebraska" is born.
However, Al Teller (David Krumholtz), the record exec, is not happy with this artistic departure. What? No singles? No tours? No press? Why, Bruce's face isn't even on the cover!
And then Bruce suffers a mental breakdown and contemplates suicide.
Such was the environment where the album "Nebraska" was born."
The price of fame can be high, especially if you have traumas from your youth and issues with depression. This film shares a small, but pivotal time in Springsteen's life, a time when he needed to express himself and his depression, and it shows how pain can turn into art. White as Springsteen does a good job of not only playing Springsteen in this difficult time of his life but showing his love for Faye and Springsteen's love/hate relationship with fame. I mean, think about it. White had never played a guitar or harmonica before and didn't know if he could sing! And the film has lots of music. What he did with this role was an amazing accomplishment.
However, the movie itself is kind of niche. The first half drew me in, but then it started to drag. I mean, a movie about depression can be...well, depressing. This film covers a very small period of Springsteen's life and the making of one album. "Nebraska," which by the way, made it to #3 on the charts and, then, Bruce's next album, "Born in the U.S.A" made him a global superstar. He has produced over 20 studio albums and numerous live albums since then. We are glad he made it through that dark time.
The film, written and directed by Scott Cooper (based on the book by Warren Zanes) has one Golden Globe nomination and that is for White's performance.
So will Jeremy Allen White win the Golden Globe for "Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama?"
Prediction: I say no. Despite a wonderful performance, I think he has too much competition from the other nominees.
Rosy the Reviewer says...if you are a big Springsteen fan, you might love this, but as a movie fan, it didn't do it for me. But see it for Jeremy Allen White's performance. (available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime)
If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You (2025)
Linda (Rose Byrne) is a psychotherapist stretched to her limits while caring for her daughter, who is suffering from a feeding disorder. Her daughter is also enrolled in a day hospital program, which Linda must attend with her. The family's situation takes a turn for the worse when the ceiling in their apartment collapses, flooding the house. The sky is literally falling in Linda's life!
With her husband, Charles (Christian Slater, heard mostly over the phone), a ship's captain, away on an eight-week work trip, Linda is forced to move with her daughter into a shabby motel. When they talk on the phone, he is not supportive. Sharing a motel room with her daughter and her daughter's feeding tube, Linda can't sleep. Sleep-deprived, she spends nights outside the motel, drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, listening to music, and eating junk food. She is befriended by James (ASAP Rocky), her next-door neighbor at the motel and the two try to buy drugs on the dark web. This begs the question - what is your therapist doing when you are not around?
At the same time, Linda has to work and ironically is surrounded by clients in crisis, including Linda who seeks therapy from her own colleague (played by Conan O'Brien as you have never seen him - he can act)! However, he is also not very supportive and becoming increasingly exasperated by her behavior, he eventually declines her as a patient after she repeatedly crosses professional boundaries.
Things don't look good for Linda in this story of an overwhelmed mother.
This film has one Golden Globe nomination, and it is for Rose Byrne's performance which is a tour de force. She is just remarkable. I have become increasingly impressed with her over the years. I think I first noticed her in "Neighbors," though she had done many roles before that. But I never really thought about her much, and when I did, I remembered her as a sort of "second banana," playing the wife or the friend. Then along came the TV series "Physical" in 2021. She carried that series and was great, but she played a kind of nervous, ditsy woman and it was a bit of a comedy. But in "Platonic" in 2023 I realized what a good actress she is. She exuded a warmth and reality even though, again, the series was a bit of a comedy. I also liked that she actually used her real Aussie accent (in almost all of the roles I remember her for, she had to use an American accent). This is the story of a woman struggling with her life and you would think it would be a slog, but it's mesmerizing and that's because Byrne has the ability to make us care about her.
And the movie, written and directed by Mary Bronstein, is riveting and raw examination of a woman on the edge, mostly because of Byrne but Bronstein's directorial choices are also interesting. The child (Delaney Quinn) is not seen through the course of the film, which I think was a good choice - we just hear her voice - and that helps the viewer focus on the challenges of the mother and not the child (even though I also thought the child's voice was annoying - with that kid I would be freaking out too)!
I only have two complaints.
First of all, I don't get the title at all. I would be interested to know how this film got a green light with that title. But second, and my biggest complaint, which has nothing to do with the movie, really, but is the fact that Byrne is nominated for "Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture - COMEDY OR MUSICAL." What? Did I miss something? This film is NOT a comedy and certainly NOT a musical. What's the deal? Did they want to make sure she won a Golden Globe because there was too much competition in the Drama category?
But that said, will Byrne win Best Performance in her category?
Prediction: She should.
Rosy the Reviewer says...an amazing performance by Byrne (for rent or purchase from Amazon Prime and Apple+)
The Smashing Machine (2025)
A biopic about American former wrestler and mixed martial artist, Mark Kerr.
Mixed martial artists, Mark Kerr, might not be a well-known name today but back in the 1990's and early 2000's, he was a pioneer in the Mixed Martial Arts world. He was a two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship winner, World Heavyweight Tournament Champion, World Vale Tudo Championship tournament winner, and a PRIDE FC competitor. He also had a drug habit and a difficult relationship with his girlfriend, Dawn (who he eventually marries). This film starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Kerr and Emily Blunt as Dawn, covers the ups and downs of Kerr's career and relationships from 1997-2000.
Johnson is nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance in this film and he is barely recognizable, in a good way. I guess I am not used to seeing him with hair. The make-up is first-rate. Though this movie felt like a soap opera at times and didn't really do much for me, I am glad Johnson had a chance to show his dramatic acting chops. But Emily Blunt, who is also nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance, is quite amazing. I would not have known it was she if I hadn't seen her name in the credits. I have seen her play Americans before but never a dippy one! She shows her range by playing a character unlike any she has done before.
Written and directed by Benny Safdie, there is lots of wrestling and punching and kicking with some modern day fighters making their acting debuts, but I couldn't help but wonder what it is about men fighting each other that people enjoy watching. I don't.
So will Johnson win a Golden Globe for "Best Male Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama?" Will Blunt win a Golden Globe for "Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture?"
Prediction: Johnson - probably not. Blunt - I am rooting for her.
Rosy the Reviewer says...if you are a fan of "The Rock" or enjoy mixed martial arts, you might enjoy this, but I didn't, though I give props to Johnson and Blunt. (For rent or purchase on Amazon Prime)
Sorry, Baby (2025)
The aftermath of a sexual assault.
Agnes (Eva Victor) is a literature professor at Fairpoint, a liberal arts college in rural New England. The film flashes back to Agnes in graduate school with her friend, Lydie (Naomi Ackie). Agnes is a favorite of her literature professor, Preston Decker (Louis Cancelmi). Perhaps, too much of a favorite because when Agnes goes to his house to meet with him about her thesis, a Bad Thing happens, a sexual assault that is not seen but later described in detail by Agnes. The film, also written and directed by Victor, explores the emotional ramifications of such an event, and the insensitivity many women experience from others. When a "Bad Thing" happens and life is moving on, how does one move on?
This personifies the "indie film." Independent films are known for artistry, unique stories and niche subjects. They are often passion projects and showcase talent. Check, check, check, check and check. However, they can also be indulgent and, sadly, I felt that with this movie. It covers an important subject - how little support women often get after an assault - but it was a one-note story that played out very slowly with long lingering camera shots that lingered and lingered and lingered.
Victor is nominated for a Golden Globe in the "Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama" category. Will she win?
Prediction: No.
Rosy the Reviewer says...Victor's performance was believable and the topic important, but, sorry, I found the character annoying and the film too slow moving. (Hulu and HBO Max)
