Why is “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere” rated PG-13? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “thematic material, some sexuality, strong language, and smoking.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a sex scene with partial nudity, a few kissing scenes, a young boy hitting his father in the back with a baseball bat, a man striking his young son in the head with his hand, many scenes of family members arguing, implications of child abuse, a man in the hospital, discussion of severe depression, discussions of the recording industry, and at least 2 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

---

The story of Bruce Springsteen (Jeremy Allen White and Matthew Anthony Pellicano Jr.) as he created and recorded his album, “Nebraska,” which included the hit “Born in the USA.” Also with Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, Stephen Graham, Odessa Young, David Krumholtz, Gaby Hoffmann, Harrison Sloan Gilbertson, Grace Gummer and Marc Maron. Directed by Scott Cooper. [Running Time: 2:00]

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere SEX/NUDITY 5

 – A man holds a woman from the back around the waist, she turns around to face him and they kiss passionately; the man picks the woman up and the scene shifts to the couple in bed with the man thrusting on top of the woman as they both moan and they kiss; they later lie in bed talking and we see their bare shoulders and the man’s chest.
► A man and a woman kiss passionately and the woman says, “I hope I’m not making a mistake.”
► A man tells a woman, “I’m lost. I’m buried,” and says that he is leaving town. A woman says that the father of her daughter is no longer around. A man picks a woman up at home and they go on a date. A woman asks a man out for a cup of coffee and he declines saying that he’s seeing someone.

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere VIOLENCE/GORE 4

 – A wife yells at her husband and he stands swaying and facing her, moves close to her and their young son hits him in the back with a baseball bat; the man takes the bat and leaves the room (no injuries are shown). A wife yells at her husband and their young son hears the argument and the man’s footsteps up the stairs to his room as the woman yells for the man to leave the boy alone; a later replay of this scene shows the man when he enters the boy’s room and tries to teach him how to punch, slapping the boy’s hands when he uses the wrong hand, and then slapping him in the head and knocking him to the floor.
► A woman calls her adult son and tells him that his father is in trouble and she needs help; she says that he has been arrested and he has been hearing voices. A woman tells a man that he is running away from the things that scare him, including a relationship. A man says that he has a “poison” in his blood, presumably referring to depressive tendencies. A man tells another man that he is not well and needs professional help. A man breaks down in a therapist’s office. A man tells his son that he knows he wasn’t always good. People argue over songs, recordings, and methods of releasing an album in several scenes. A man talks about the pressure to release new albums when an artist is “hot.” We see newspaper headlines that describe a serial killer. A man jokingly says that another man will need an exorcist.
► A man speeds on wet roads and slams on the brakes, spinning the car around and yelling (he does not crash). A man has a panic attack, hyperventilates and collapses; another man helps him. A man tells his adult son to sit on his lap and he winces when he does. A man appears obsessive with how recordings sound even to the dismay of his band members and recording team.
► Several flashback sequences show a man stopping his car in front of his old family home and remembering encounters with his father. A young boy goes to a bar to tell his father that it is time to go home; the man is shown smoking at the bar. A woman waits for a man at an amusement park and when he does not arrive, she calls him and asks where he was but he does not answer and she becomes upset.
► A movie on TV shows a young man shooting a man in the abdomen and killing him (we see the man dead on the floor). A movie in a theater shows a man holding a young boy down on a table and opening a switchblade threatening him with it as a young girl watches and cries. A movie on TV shows a young man setting a house on fire and running away. A man listens to an album entitled “Suicide,” and the singer shrieks. A puddle of sweat is seen on the floor in a man’s dressing room after a performance.
► Several concert venues show crowds of fans screaming and cheering for performers on stage. A woman gives her St. Christopher medallion to a man telling him that it will protect him and help him to go in the right direction.

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere LANGUAGE 5

 – At least 2 F-words, 5 scatological terms, 1 anatomical term, 4 mild obscenities, name-calling (bully, The Boss, disgrace, insane, unorthodox), exclamations (creepin’ me out), 2 religious profanities (GD), 5 religious exclamations (e.g. Jesus, God, thank God, St. Christopher medallion). | profanity glossary |

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere SUBSTANCE USE

 – We hear that a man is on medication, presumably for manic depression. A man smokes and drinks liquor and beer in several scenes. A man is shown smoking cigarettes in numerous scenes inside bars and diners as well as his home, people smoke cigarettes outside a bar, a man smokes a cigarette while driving, and a young man puts a cigarette in his mouth (we do not see him light it).

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Depression, mental health issues, the music industry, momentum, single parenting, pressure to succeed, boundaries, feeling condemned, dreams, creativity, Bruce Springsteen’s album “Nebraska,” “Born in the USA,” Flannery O’Connor, MTV, Jane Fonda fitness, Asbury Park, going home.

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere MESSAGE

 – People aren’t always who you want them to be.