1 00:00:07,133 --> 00:00:10,453 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Teams podcast 2 00:00:10,573 --> 00:00:11,733 Speaker 1: from News Talks at b. 3 00:00:13,493 --> 00:00:32,613 Speaker 2: Start Start Start. Is there anyone here from a small town? 4 00:00:36,053 --> 00:00:38,333 Speaker 2: I shouldn't be so for this is a classic. It's 5 00:00:38,373 --> 00:00:41,973 Speaker 2: an absolute classic. Twenty four minutes to T nine News Talks. 6 00:00:42,013 --> 00:00:44,253 Speaker 2: He'd be that is, of course, Bruce Springsteen and Dancing 7 00:00:44,253 --> 00:00:47,453 Speaker 2: in the Dark. Francesca Rudkin is our film reviewer. She's 8 00:00:47,493 --> 00:00:48,773 Speaker 2: here with us this morning. Killed her. 9 00:00:49,373 --> 00:00:50,013 Speaker 3: Good morning. 10 00:00:50,893 --> 00:00:52,493 Speaker 2: I've been saying things that are going to get me 11 00:00:52,533 --> 00:00:54,333 Speaker 2: in trouble with Bruce Springsteen this morning, which is just 12 00:00:54,373 --> 00:00:56,453 Speaker 2: out of line because I actually do really enjoy his 13 00:00:56,853 --> 00:00:59,253 Speaker 2: music and kind of much you know that he represents, 14 00:01:00,093 --> 00:01:02,853 Speaker 2: and I have been keenly waiting for the release of 15 00:01:02,893 --> 00:01:04,933 Speaker 2: this latest film to see how it would all go down. 16 00:01:05,013 --> 00:01:07,933 Speaker 2: So this is springst being deliver me from nowhere. 17 00:01:08,333 --> 00:01:10,733 Speaker 3: Here's what I want you to understand. This is not 18 00:01:10,893 --> 00:01:14,573 Speaker 3: about either one of us. This is not about the charts. 19 00:01:17,093 --> 00:01:24,653 Speaker 3: This is about Ruth Springsteen, and these are the songs 20 00:01:24,853 --> 00:01:26,293 Speaker 3: that he wants to work on right now. 21 00:01:26,613 --> 00:01:33,613 Speaker 2: So the latest and a bit of a line of 22 00:01:34,053 --> 00:01:35,373 Speaker 2: music called biopics. 23 00:01:35,613 --> 00:01:38,293 Speaker 4: Yeah, it's just thing you should say that actually because 24 00:01:38,373 --> 00:01:40,333 Speaker 4: there wasn't a screening for this film. There was no 25 00:01:40,373 --> 00:01:42,893 Speaker 4: press screening, which is always a little concerning. So on 26 00:01:42,973 --> 00:01:45,573 Speaker 4: Thursday afternoon, I popped up to my local blido and 27 00:01:45,813 --> 00:01:47,693 Speaker 4: I snuck in the win and watched this film. And 28 00:01:47,733 --> 00:01:49,533 Speaker 4: as I was going in, I was texting my son 29 00:01:49,893 --> 00:01:51,293 Speaker 4: and he said, I said I was going to see 30 00:01:51,293 --> 00:01:53,253 Speaker 4: this film, and he text me back to say, can't 31 00:01:53,253 --> 00:01:56,133 Speaker 4: wait to hear about the inevitable three star review all 32 00:01:56,253 --> 00:02:00,773 Speaker 4: music biopics deserve a little about cheeky of him. Yeah, 33 00:02:01,293 --> 00:02:02,693 Speaker 4: but actually he hit the nail on the head. 34 00:02:02,733 --> 00:02:03,333 Speaker 2: You're right, Jack. 35 00:02:03,413 --> 00:02:05,213 Speaker 4: We have a lot of these films and they generally 36 00:02:05,213 --> 00:02:07,853 Speaker 4: do follow the same narrative beat. You have an artist 37 00:02:07,973 --> 00:02:10,173 Speaker 4: overcoming odds and making it. Then there's the dealing with 38 00:02:10,213 --> 00:02:12,573 Speaker 4: the price of fame and losing one selves, and these 39 00:02:12,573 --> 00:02:15,533 Speaker 4: films do have sort of a very familiar narrative beat 40 00:02:15,613 --> 00:02:18,373 Speaker 4: to them. And I think also the other problem with 41 00:02:18,453 --> 00:02:20,573 Speaker 4: films like this is there is a certain point where 42 00:02:20,573 --> 00:02:23,453 Speaker 4: it's actors love to take them on because they often 43 00:02:23,533 --> 00:02:26,653 Speaker 4: win awards for them. But also these films require a 44 00:02:26,653 --> 00:02:30,973 Speaker 4: certain amount of trying to you're partly impersonating someone that 45 00:02:31,013 --> 00:02:33,693 Speaker 4: we know and love, so much, and especially someone who's 46 00:02:33,733 --> 00:02:37,333 Speaker 4: still alive like Bruce, who is just a legend and 47 00:02:38,573 --> 00:02:40,253 Speaker 4: sort of trying to make the character your own and 48 00:02:40,293 --> 00:02:42,733 Speaker 4: take us on a story. So it is very, very tricky. 49 00:02:43,053 --> 00:02:45,253 Speaker 4: Jeremy Allen White, I think does a really good job 50 00:02:45,293 --> 00:02:48,453 Speaker 4: here of being a tortured artist. And I think, look, 51 00:02:48,853 --> 00:02:51,093 Speaker 4: there's only about three or four scenes where you see 52 00:02:51,133 --> 00:02:53,373 Speaker 4: Bruce playing on a stage. This is not like a 53 00:02:53,413 --> 00:02:58,253 Speaker 4: big kind of concert a film at all. But when 54 00:02:58,293 --> 00:03:00,653 Speaker 4: he does perform and the way he performs, he does 55 00:03:00,773 --> 00:03:04,293 Speaker 4: capture all Bruce Springsteen's mannerism. So he does, and they 56 00:03:04,333 --> 00:03:06,213 Speaker 4: start with a shot of him on stage. They kind 57 00:03:06,213 --> 00:03:08,453 Speaker 4: of you draw you in, but because he doesn't really 58 00:03:08,453 --> 00:03:11,333 Speaker 4: look anything like him in things, you can't you're able 59 00:03:11,333 --> 00:03:13,853 Speaker 4: to sort of step back a little bit and go, Okay, 60 00:03:14,173 --> 00:03:17,693 Speaker 4: I'm following the story of this artist, rather than sitting 61 00:03:17,693 --> 00:03:20,653 Speaker 4: there kind of going this is Bruce Ross not you know, 62 00:03:21,093 --> 00:03:23,133 Speaker 4: it's quite good. He doesn't quite look the same. But 63 00:03:23,173 --> 00:03:25,893 Speaker 4: this is a bit like a complete unknown in the 64 00:03:25,973 --> 00:03:29,173 Speaker 4: sense that they've just narrowed down on a very specific 65 00:03:29,293 --> 00:03:34,453 Speaker 4: time in Bruce's long career, and it's set during the 66 00:03:34,453 --> 00:03:39,093 Speaker 4: making of the acoustic album Nebraska So it's nineteen eighty one. 67 00:03:39,133 --> 00:03:41,333 Speaker 4: Springsteen's in his early thirties. He's just come off the 68 00:03:41,413 --> 00:03:44,293 Speaker 4: hugely successful River tour. He's trying to settle back into 69 00:03:44,333 --> 00:03:46,573 Speaker 4: New Jersey. The pressure is on him to make a 70 00:03:46,573 --> 00:03:49,173 Speaker 4: new album to really, you know, profit on this momentum 71 00:03:49,173 --> 00:03:51,933 Speaker 4: that he has. So there's that sort of commercial versus 72 00:03:52,013 --> 00:03:57,093 Speaker 4: artistic theme in here, artist theme in here. He's really 73 00:03:57,173 --> 00:03:59,653 Speaker 4: just a bit lost. He's burnt out, he's exhausted. He's 74 00:03:59,653 --> 00:04:03,133 Speaker 4: back in his hometown. He's having a lot of He's 75 00:04:03,173 --> 00:04:05,453 Speaker 4: reminded a lot of his childhood, and this, to me, 76 00:04:05,533 --> 00:04:07,173 Speaker 4: is a bit ponderous. In the film, we do a 77 00:04:07,213 --> 00:04:09,933 Speaker 4: lot of flashbacks to his childhood. We see his abusive, 78 00:04:09,933 --> 00:04:11,973 Speaker 4: an alcoholic father, and see the family life, and I 79 00:04:12,013 --> 00:04:13,973 Speaker 4: think there's a bit much of that. It's sort of 80 00:04:14,093 --> 00:04:16,733 Speaker 4: just draw the film down. But we got we got 81 00:04:16,733 --> 00:04:18,853 Speaker 4: the message. We didn't need to spend so much time there. 82 00:04:19,533 --> 00:04:22,213 Speaker 4: And this is all bearing down on him and the 83 00:04:22,493 --> 00:04:26,293 Speaker 4: demon starts sort of arising, and he's making two albums 84 00:04:26,333 --> 00:04:28,253 Speaker 4: and this is something I didn't know. You just played 85 00:04:28,333 --> 00:04:31,853 Speaker 4: Dancing in the Dark off the Born in the USA album, 86 00:04:31,893 --> 00:04:34,333 Speaker 4: released in nineteen ninety four, Recorded at the same time 87 00:04:34,573 --> 00:04:37,733 Speaker 4: as Nebraska, so he was in the studio recording these 88 00:04:37,733 --> 00:04:41,013 Speaker 4: two completely separate albums. He was recording this great Carnor 89 00:04:41,093 --> 00:04:44,653 Speaker 4: rock album, you know, at the same time. He was 90 00:04:44,693 --> 00:04:47,213 Speaker 4: completely obsessed. He didn't want he just wanted to shout 91 00:04:47,213 --> 00:04:49,373 Speaker 4: those songs. He says, I can't deal with those songs, 92 00:04:49,413 --> 00:04:50,613 Speaker 4: and of course the record companies go. 93 00:04:50,813 --> 00:04:53,653 Speaker 2: But there is after Yeah Yeah. 94 00:04:53,613 --> 00:04:57,053 Speaker 4: Album he said, no, I'm obsessed with these songs that 95 00:04:57,133 --> 00:04:59,333 Speaker 4: I have to write as an artist and as a 96 00:04:59,373 --> 00:05:02,733 Speaker 4: person is a song. I have to write these songs 97 00:05:02,933 --> 00:05:05,813 Speaker 4: on the Nebraska album, and when he released it, he said, 98 00:05:05,853 --> 00:05:08,533 Speaker 4: no press, no singles, know nothing, just release it. And 99 00:05:08,573 --> 00:05:10,893 Speaker 4: of course, once again the breaker company's tearing its hair 100 00:05:10,893 --> 00:05:13,813 Speaker 4: out and it went to number three and so so really, 101 00:05:13,933 --> 00:05:16,133 Speaker 4: so the problem with the film is we are following 102 00:05:16,133 --> 00:05:18,773 Speaker 4: a man who is it's a very introbuted film. He 103 00:05:19,013 --> 00:05:22,693 Speaker 4: is sliding into depression. He is losing himself and that's 104 00:05:22,693 --> 00:05:26,413 Speaker 4: something which is you know, hard to capture on screen. 105 00:05:26,493 --> 00:05:30,293 Speaker 4: So we really watch him make of record in his bedroom. Now, 106 00:05:30,333 --> 00:05:33,133 Speaker 4: if you loved Rocketman, if you love Bohemian Rhapsody, if 107 00:05:33,173 --> 00:05:36,133 Speaker 4: you like those big, glossy, fun lots of music, kind 108 00:05:36,133 --> 00:05:39,293 Speaker 4: of biopics. This is not for you. This is a 109 00:05:39,453 --> 00:05:42,973 Speaker 4: very sort of small, insular film about a man slipping 110 00:05:42,973 --> 00:05:46,613 Speaker 4: into depression. And it is slow at times, and it 111 00:05:46,693 --> 00:05:49,653 Speaker 4: is ponderous at times. Personally, I quite enjoyed it. I 112 00:05:49,693 --> 00:05:51,373 Speaker 4: was quite happy to sit back and let it happen. 113 00:05:51,493 --> 00:05:54,573 Speaker 4: I love Bruce learned a bit from the movie. But 114 00:05:54,693 --> 00:05:56,533 Speaker 4: the son's right, Jack, It's probably a three out of five. 115 00:05:56,693 --> 00:06:01,693 Speaker 2: Ah, okay. Interesting. So what what is it about these 116 00:06:01,853 --> 00:06:04,533 Speaker 2: musical biopics at the moment, Because, I mean we have 117 00:06:04,613 --> 00:06:08,613 Speaker 2: had so many, right, you had the Bob Marley, you 118 00:06:08,653 --> 00:06:11,733 Speaker 2: had the Amy Winehouse one. Like you say, you had 119 00:06:11,813 --> 00:06:14,453 Speaker 2: the Yeah, I mean there have been heabes. 120 00:06:15,453 --> 00:06:17,453 Speaker 4: Well, we love these stories and they don't They are 121 00:06:17,493 --> 00:06:20,373 Speaker 4: great stories, and we love the music. I think a 122 00:06:20,373 --> 00:06:23,053 Speaker 4: lot of the time we go, you know, I walked 123 00:06:23,053 --> 00:06:27,733 Speaker 4: out like most people will, and you put on Nebraska. Yeah, 124 00:06:27,853 --> 00:06:29,413 Speaker 4: you kind of go. I don't know. I mean, I 125 00:06:29,413 --> 00:06:30,973 Speaker 4: do think that they do tell great stories. 126 00:06:31,013 --> 00:06:33,733 Speaker 2: I just think we're and they probably sell. They're probably 127 00:06:33,773 --> 00:06:36,453 Speaker 2: selling to a bit of nostalgia, you know. Yeah, Yeah, 128 00:06:36,493 --> 00:06:36,973 Speaker 2: And I think. 129 00:06:36,853 --> 00:06:41,893 Speaker 4: We I think we I appreciate what directors Scott Cooper's 130 00:06:41,893 --> 00:06:43,613 Speaker 4: tried to do here. He has tried to do it 131 00:06:43,813 --> 00:06:46,133 Speaker 4: a little bit differently and present it to us a 132 00:06:46,173 --> 00:06:48,333 Speaker 4: story about Bruce in a little bit of a different manner. 133 00:06:48,573 --> 00:06:52,133 Speaker 2: Yeah, ah man, okay, all right, well it sounds sounds interesting. 134 00:06:52,213 --> 00:06:54,453 Speaker 2: But yeah, three out of five? All right? So that 135 00:06:54,573 --> 00:06:58,573 Speaker 2: Springsteen delivered me from nowhere. This is something completely different. 136 00:06:58,693 --> 00:07:00,733 Speaker 2: It's a film called Four Mothers. 137 00:07:01,013 --> 00:07:04,813 Speaker 4: Hello, hi, Edward. We decided to run away to musk 138 00:07:04,853 --> 00:07:07,253 Speaker 4: alone with Pride for three days from ms with you. 139 00:07:08,173 --> 00:07:14,253 Speaker 2: Abandons the Mother Mass belongs Pride of our Things. And 140 00:07:14,293 --> 00:07:17,493 Speaker 2: this is in cinemas later this week as part of 141 00:07:17,533 --> 00:07:19,613 Speaker 2: the British and Irish Film Festival. So tell us about 142 00:07:19,613 --> 00:07:20,173 Speaker 2: Four Mothers. 143 00:07:20,853 --> 00:07:22,813 Speaker 4: Oh look, this is a real charm of This is 144 00:07:22,933 --> 00:07:26,093 Speaker 4: just hilarious. It's droll. It's a cervic wit. I was 145 00:07:26,213 --> 00:07:28,813 Speaker 4: laughing at loud the minute this film started. It tells 146 00:07:28,813 --> 00:07:31,213 Speaker 4: the story of Edward. He's a thirty something Irish writer. 147 00:07:31,333 --> 00:07:33,533 Speaker 4: He's had huge success at home with the young adult 148 00:07:33,973 --> 00:07:36,013 Speaker 4: novel he's just released and it's about to be launched 149 00:07:36,053 --> 00:07:39,013 Speaker 4: in America and they're anticipating it's going to be huge, 150 00:07:39,013 --> 00:07:41,453 Speaker 4: so they're planning a book tour. He's very excited. The 151 00:07:41,493 --> 00:07:44,373 Speaker 4: only problem is that Edward is the sole caretaker for 152 00:07:44,413 --> 00:07:46,733 Speaker 4: his mother who's had a stroke. Resume can no longer talk, 153 00:07:47,093 --> 00:07:50,013 Speaker 4: and he's very torn between, you know, looking after his 154 00:07:50,133 --> 00:07:52,613 Speaker 4: mother and his career and things. Just as he's trying 155 00:07:52,653 --> 00:07:54,693 Speaker 4: to work all this out, three of his gay friends, 156 00:07:54,813 --> 00:07:57,453 Speaker 4: also exhausted from looking after their mother's, ditch them on 157 00:07:57,613 --> 00:07:59,693 Speaker 4: edwards doorstep and head off to this pride long weekend 158 00:07:59,733 --> 00:08:02,133 Speaker 4: of fun. And it's this really great premise and this 159 00:08:02,293 --> 00:08:04,893 Speaker 4: fabulous setup for this cast. They niggered at each other 160 00:08:04,893 --> 00:08:07,253 Speaker 4: and compete, and Edward's run ragged cater to them, want 161 00:08:07,253 --> 00:08:10,333 Speaker 4: to get into their appointments and things. So it's lots 162 00:08:10,373 --> 00:08:13,893 Speaker 4: of fun. But also it's quite a sweet film about aging, 163 00:08:14,093 --> 00:08:17,733 Speaker 4: about gay adults navigating the relationships with their meddling mothers, 164 00:08:17,893 --> 00:08:20,253 Speaker 4: and it explores grief and lonliness and things. But look 165 00:08:20,453 --> 00:08:25,013 Speaker 4: an absolute delight, great Irish humor coming through here. British 166 00:08:25,013 --> 00:08:26,933 Speaker 4: and Irish Film Festival kicks off on the twenty ninth 167 00:08:26,973 --> 00:08:29,613 Speaker 4: of October. It's going all around the country in the 168 00:08:29,693 --> 00:08:32,013 Speaker 4: nineteenth of November. There's lots to look forward to. 169 00:08:32,213 --> 00:08:35,573 Speaker 2: Oh amazing, Yeah, okay, that sounds really good. So those 170 00:08:35,653 --> 00:08:39,173 Speaker 2: films once again. The first one is, of course, Springsteen 171 00:08:39,253 --> 00:08:42,093 Speaker 2: Delivered Me from Nowhere and Four Mothers is screening as 172 00:08:42,133 --> 00:08:44,173 Speaker 2: part of the British and Irish Film Festival. That's and 173 00:08:44,213 --> 00:08:46,893 Speaker 2: cinemas from Thursday of this week. We have all the 174 00:08:46,933 --> 00:08:49,653 Speaker 2: details for those on the News Talks he'd be website for. 175 00:08:49,693 --> 00:08:52,773 Speaker 1: More from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame. Listen live to 176 00:08:52,853 --> 00:08:55,853 Speaker 1: news Talks he'd be from nine am Saturday, or follow 177 00:08:55,933 --> 00:08:57,493 Speaker 1: the podcast on iHeartRadio.