Is the Oscar hype warranted for this big-screen boss? I think so

Here, Jeremy Allen White (The Bear) plays Bruce Springsteen and, unlike some of his predecessors in the subgenre, does his own singing. And very impressive he is too. Whether he is nominated for an Oscar remains to be seen, but it would be well deserved and not unexpected (side note: Springsteen has himself won an Oscar, for the song Streets of Philadelphia from Philadelphia).

It's not surprising that Springsteen has become the subject of a biopic - indeed, what took them so long? The 76-year-old Springsteen, known as The Boss, has been a huge concert and recording star for decades, frequently working with his E Street Band. He was a pioneer of heartland rock, writing and performing songs that had something meaningful to say about American life.

Writer-director Scott Cooper's film, based on a book by Warren Zanes, is not intended to be comprehensive: it focuses on the fraught period during the early 1980s when Springsteen, while struggling with his mental health, wrote and recorded his album Nebraska as well as the frequently misunderstood song Born in the USA.

This focus helps - Cooper can go for depth rather than breadth. He doesn't - and probably can't - avoid all the familiar tropes and simplifications of biopics, including a fictional girlfriend, single mother Faye Romano (Odessa Young) , a composite drawn from Springsteen's early relationships. At one point, Springsteen looks at a Paul Schrader movie script he's been offered, Born in the USA, and it's a lightbulb moment.

Given Springsteen was involved with and has endorsed the film, it's not surprising that the portrayal of him is a very sympathetic one. Even so, there's plenty here that's well observed and moving. It's not just a story about a successful singer-songwriter, it's a study of a man in crisis.

Springsteen, after touring with his hit album The River, is burnt out. He's ambivalent about his success and haunted by elements of his past, especially a complicated relationship with his alcoholic, mentally ill father Douglas (Stephen Graham).

There are black-and-white flashbacks to his childhood (young Bruce is played by Matthew Anthony Pellicano). His parents have a volatile marriage and he's much closer to his affectionate mother Adele (Gaby Hoffmann) than his distant, sometimes abusive father. It feels like there has been some soft-pedalling here - things aren't always entirely clear - but the feelings come through.

The record company, understandably, wants more big hits now he's hot but the exhausted, depressed Springsteen returns home to Nebraska and begins a new project of his own. Meeting and developing a relationship with Faye is the one bright spot during a hard time.

Cooper and White do a good job of keeping things interesting while the action is more limited in scope and conveying dark feelings without resorting to gimmicky effects or making things too oppressive to bear. Some might dismiss all this as self-indulgent navel gazing but wealth and fame don't preclude people from having problems and can cause some of their own.

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Away from everyone, Springsteen begins writing more personal - and less obviously commercial - material, recording it acoustically and fairly primitively with a four-track recorder onto a cassette tape. The inspirations include spree murderer Charles Starkweather and the classic Robert Mitchum film The Night of the Hunter (see it!).

These songs aren't met with wild enthusiasm back at the studio but Springsteen is adamant they will become an album. There's a long segment which I found fascinating in which the sound people battle to carry out Springsteen's wishes while making the sound acceptable for commercial release.

While I've enjoyed some of Springsteen's music, I didn't go into the film as a devotee. I came out knowing a bit more about him and appreciating his talent.

White is supported by an excellent cast including Jeremy Strong as Jon Landau, Springsteen's manager and record producer. But as is often the way with these biopics, the subject is very much the star.