God Bless Ozzy Osbourne (originally titled Wreckage of My Past) is a film that took several years to bring to life. It's more or less a companion piece to hiss best selling biography I Am Ozzy which was published in 2010. However, the film does more than cover Osbourne's life from his perspective, but from those close to him as well. The film opens with a collage of images of his illustrious and controversial career set to the music of "I Don't Know". At the song's completion we find Ozzy in Las Vegas for his 60th surprise birthday party where all of his children have come and most of his extended family, including his three sisters where it segues back to his childhood, misspent youth and finally Black Sabbath. "The Sabbath Years" section features interviews with all four of his former band mates as the cover the band's highlights on a year-by-year basis. Metallica's (and former Ozzy) bassist Robert Trujillo, Henry Rollins, photographer Ross Halfin, Tommy Lee, John Frusciante (blink and you will miss him) and the biggest surprise in the film, Paul McCartney. Osbourne is a self proclaimed Beatles fanatic so to see his idol speak about how well and daring Sabbath was to embrace the dark side doesn't add anything to their story, but to see a Beatle discuss the birth of heavy metal and Sabbath's enduring influence isn't something you are likely to see everyday, so McCartney's insights are most welcomed.

Eventually Black Sabbath dismisses Ozzy and it was Sharon Arden who rescued Osbourne and helped him build a new band led by guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoads. When Henry Rollins spoke of Rhoads and said "The guitar sound reinforced his voice" we all knew exactly what he meant. Rhoads eager guitar playing reinvigorated Osbourne in ways no one ever thought imaginable including Ozzy who said "…he gave me a reason for carrying on". His eventual success surpassed Sabbath pretty much by accident. In the recently released DVD (included in the uber deluxe special edition of Blizzard of Ozz) Thirty Years after the Blizzard it ends abruptly with the death of Rhoads, but in this film, it goes deeper. The most revealing and startling moments come from Rudy Sarzo who was Ozzy's bassist at the time gives the most gut wrenching account of what happened on that horrible day in 1982 and a story about him in a church you have to see to believe. It should be noted that Rudy's book Off the Rails is a marvelous account of the Randy Rhoads years and is a must read for all Ozzy fans.

One aspect of the film that doesn't cover new ground but is put into perspective is the media's blemishing of Osbourne's life during the 1980's. Yes, the man bit the head off of a bird and a bat and urinated at the Alamo but as vintage news clips show, the media largely didn't have a clue and instead of being respectable journalists, they entered the realm of sensationalism often running stories full of half truths and at times, blatant lies. Watching these old clips from the 1980's places you not just in a different time but a wholly different world. Ozzy Osbourne has never been a saint and never has tried to be one, alas; these news stories will turn your stomach.

Sadly one thing the film delves very little into is Osbourne's actual music. To me this is what matters most and there's very little dissection or reflection on the music and what it meant to Ozzy or his fans. The closest we get is Osbourne sitting on a sofa watching many of his videos from the 1980's including "Bark at the Moon", "Breaking All the Rules" and "The Ultimate Sin". While it's amusing to seeing his reaction to these videos more than two decades later, it didn't provide any new insight. The same could be said of the excellent bio, I Am Ozzy. If there's one gaping hole in all these projects, and even Ozzy's life to an extent, it's how the impact of his actual work is never given due credit, even by the man himself.

Surprisingly there isn't much to chew on from a vintage film perspective. Most of the performance clips shown throughout are common so while this helps drive the story for the casual listener, those more invested in Osbourne's career will want to see something deeper which they get in current day footage. Film highlights are when he returns to his childhood home reflecting how far he has come. This wasn't a simple return home but a staggering change of events and you can see the look in Ozzy's eyes and face that even he has to pinch himself from time to time. There's significant concert footage of Osbourne culled from the last few years which includes his travelling, pre and post gig moments and even rehearsal and sound check with his band. It's the quieter backstage moments I found most revealing as it truly shows that aside from the two hours on stage, it's a lonely existence. There's also a pivotal moment a few hours after a gig where you visibly can see his hands shaking. It made me feel guilty for complaining that he doesn't perform longer shows.

If the film has one thing going against it, Ozzy's 2010 book I Am Ozzy covers about half of the film's material. While his biography covers his recent sobriety the film interviews hit home from a more emotional perspective. The last twenty minutes of the all too short film are the most riveting of them all. It attacks Osbourne's fight with alcoholism and drug addiction head on. It's here where his children spend most of their screen time. We learn that their reality TV smash, The Osbournes was ultimately a dreadful time for the family, especially Osbourne. While we watched the show and laughed, we learn this wasn't an absent minded man but one lost in a haze of drugs. I'm betting that there were loads of tears when the cameras weren't rolling. Surprisingly, it was when his son Jack (who spearheaded and produced God Bless Ozzy Osbourne) who inspired Ozzy to finally get sober. As I watched the film, while we see Ozzy as an aging man, he seems more visceral, real and alert than I've ever seen him in my life. It's a startling reassessment of a life that has seen abounding highs and confounding lows.