REVIEW: God Bless Ozzy Osbourne

A little bit of scene setting - GOD BLESS OZZY OSBOURNE is a career spanning documentary. It took three years to make and it was produced by Ozzy's son Jack. The idea behind the film was to readdress the "loveable rock buffoon" image that the former Black Sabbath man picked up from MTV show The Osbournes and to remind people that he was - and still is - a bona fide rock god.

So does it succeed? Well, in a word, yes.

This is a film about the man, rather than the music. It thoroughly takes apart the "image" of Ozzy and lets you take a good hard look at the man who helped invent heavy metal.

It is absolutely candid. Any suspicion that Jack would go easy on his father should be dispensed with. This film is as "warts and all" as any rock documentary has ever been, with all of the protagonists (band mates and family) telling the absolute, brutal truth. As a result the alcohol and drug problems that took hold of Ozzy in the late 70s and held onto him until the late 90s are explored in depth with unflinching honesty, and, in truth, it's a difficult watch. Put it this way, you will never watch the MTV series The Osbournes in the same way after seeing this film.

But away from the darkness there is a great deal of light.

The footage of Black Sabbath at their peak, the family photos, the footage of Randy Rhoads and some of the tributes are great (Tommy Lee telling the story of how Ozzy out-partied Motley Crue is both disturbing and hilarious). The film reminds you how many classic records Ozzy has been involved with, and you will immediately dig out your copy of Blizzard Of Ozz as soon as you stop watching.

Sure, it's a little long and yes it can be a little indulgent on occasion BUT this is amongst the best rock documentaries of recent years and should be treasured, because rock stars like Ozzy don't come along that often and this film is testament to that fact.

Don't forget, if you want to see this film (and you absolutely should) then it's in cinemas up and down the country on 16 & 22 September.

If you want to buy tickets for one of the screenings CLICK HERE