Ozzy is different things to different people: the lead singer of Black Sabbath, one of the most important bands in the history of heavy metal; the guy with the very successful solo career in the '80s and '90s, thanks to albums like Blizzard Of Ozz, Diary Of A Madman, Bark At The Moon, and No More Tears; the man responsible for Ozzfest; the doddering and incoherent patriarch of The Osbournes; and as the husband to the lady on America's Got Talent and The Talk. God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, a new documentary now available on DVD, shows that all of these are just pieces to the puzzle that make up Ozzy Osbourne.God Bless Ozzy Osbourne is more or less a love letter from Jack Osbourne, Ozzy's son, to his Dad. But this documentary is anything but lovey-dovey. While Ozzy is painted as a man who rose from nothing to become an extremely successful singer/entertainer, it also shows a man who was seldom there for his five children, who was addicted to drugs and alcohol, and who often did outlandish things backstage (when Motley Crue's Tommy Lee thinks you're too extreme, you might have a bit of a problem). Along the way, we see Ozzy's childhood home, old pictures, and are treated to interviews with Randy Rhoads, members of Sabbath, his family, Lee, Henry Rollins, John Frusciante (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Paul McCartney, and Ozzy himself. Directed by Mike Piscitelli and Mike Fleiss (who has somehow managed to be involved with this, the TV show The Bachelor, and Eli Roth's Hostel), we learn about Ozzy's battle with dyslexia, the cereal boxes of cocaine that were delivered during the recording of Sabbath's Volume 4, the song that made Ozzy want to be a singer (The Beatles' "She Loves You"), and the reason he was so incoherent on The Osbournes (he was stoned out his mind the entire time; in current interviews, where he is clean and sober, he sounds like an entirely different person). The documentary is over two hours in length, and you also get a charming and sweet Q&A with Ozzy and Jack that runs around 19 minutes, as well as eight deleted scenes that clock in at 14 minutes total. That's a lot of Ozzy!
God Bless Ozzy Osbourne is a great little film, perfect for anyone who's a fan of Ozzy, rock n' roll, or VH1's Behind The Music. Jack Osbourned said his goal with God Bless Ozzy Osbourne was to highlight who Ozzy actually is, not the rock star or the guy from The Osbournes. I'd say he succeeded.
All aboard!
