A new Paramount+ documentary, “Ozzy: No Escape From Now,” looks into the final chapter of heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne’s life. Directed by Tania Alexander, the film follows the final years of Osbourne’s life through both his eyes and the eyes of his family through a series of sit-down interviews and candid footage of his family life as he attempts to navigate his declining health and desire to continue his work. While the film is presented as the story of the events leading up to his farewell concert, it feels more like a celebration of life than anything else.
From being forced to cancel a European tour to being unable to perform in full at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, Osbourne continuously had more doors closed on him due to his health to the point where he began to lose optimism about his future. On a personal level, many of us can relate to the experience of this happening to a loved one — seeing someone who we remember as a vibrant, energetic person having their spark fade away. It’s why Osbourne’s decline makes such an emotional connection with the audience; it’s a slip that most of us have witnessed and will experience.
The film can take on a melancholic mood at times, as even when you are shown positive developments in Osbourne’s life, you know how the documentary is going to end. This wasn’t the case when the documentary was filmed, as it was in the editing process when Osbourne passed away in late July. Throughout the documentary, we see Osbourne’s condition slowly deteriorating with health issues including Parkinson’s disease and blood clots in his legs making his day-to-day life unbearable. He says multiple times how heartbroken he is that he can’t do the things that he wants to, including performing and going back on tour one last time. His desire to be on stage without limitation and make a final connection with his fans is genuine.
Known as the “Prince of Darkness,” Osbourne’s persona and infamous public life aren’t necessarily important to the telling of the story. His firing from Black Sabbath is a loosely recurring theme and he makes jokes about his past usage of recreational drugs, but the focus is more on who is now than who he was at that point in his life. There is no need to recap or even fully touch on these moments to contextualize his importance because we understand that through how his family and friends interact with him. His entire family stays by his side until the end and famous musicians talked often about the impact that he had on their careers and lives.
Sharon Osbourne and his children all perfectly encapsulate the love that they hold for Osbourne and what his humor and dedication meant to their own well-being. Symbols of rock music such as the members of Metallica, Billy Idol, Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Black Sabbath co-member Tony Iommi all appear in the documentary and, through either their words or actions, show how much impact Osbourne’s life has had on their own.
The documentary is a look into how a legend such as Osbourne, in the end, is no different from anyone else. He struggles and feels pain as much as anyone and relies on the support of family just as we all do. The thing that sets Osbourne apart is that, until the very end, he pushed through his limits to continue to try and provide for his fans. He felt that they deserved a proper farewell and he fought to give them one. This is the type of documentary that isn’t as much about telling a story as it is about celebrating the life of an icon loved by many. With that in mind, Alexander couldn’t have done a much better job at demonstrating why Osbourne mattered to so many people.
4.2/5 Stars