It’s a miracle that Ozzy Osbourne is still alive. And yes, I realize exactly how much of a cliché that statement is, but it deserves to be repeated. And often. This guy did cereal bowls of cocaine for decades; was so blotto that he bit the head of a live dove (and bat) and was not aware of what he was doing; heard voices telling him to strangle his wife; and spent almost the entirety of his MTV reality show zonked out on pills. But he has amazingly survived all of that and is doing remarkably well, having apparently cleaned up for good.
God Bless Ozzy Osbourne is an absorbing look at exactly what the rocker has lived through. It was directed by his son Jack, so you could argue that it has been sanitized a bit, but if that’s true, it’s unfathomable to guess what he possibly could have left out. Sure many of these stories have been around for years and if you watched the VH1 Behind the Music on Osbourne or read his thoroughly enjoyable bio released last year, then you’ve heard most of these tales before, but that doesn’t take away much from how solid this doc unspools.
Including interviews with Tommy Lee, Henry Rollins, Zakk Wylde, Osbourne’s wife and children and even a fucking Beatle (Paul McCartney), the movie is a fascinating look at a fascinating cultural and musical legend. God Bless Ozzy.
God Bless Ozzy Osbourne/135 Mins./Eagle Vision/2011