Is continuing to perform as a rock star, despite advanced age, disease and debilitating pain, something that corresponds to the ideals of metal and rock ’n’ roll, or is it the antithesis of that?
That’s the question at the heart of Ozzy: No Escape From Now, a new documentary about the last four years in the life of the legendary Ozzy Osbourne, leading up to the final concert he performed shortly before his death.
Back in July, Ozzy, along with his band Black Sabbath, performed what was billed as his last-ever concert, called “Back to the Beginning,” at the soccer stadium Villa Park in his hometown of Birmingham. Ozzy performed the entire concert seated on a throne.
Then, just 17 days after the concert, the rock legend was dead, at the age of 76. After his death, the concert was widely remembered as a triumphant final moment for a legendary performer.
Now, we have Ozzy: No Escape from Now, a new documentary on Paramount+, directed by Tania Alexander, telling the story of the last four years of Ozzy’s life. For the bulk of it, we see the singer badly struggling, while battling Parkinson’s Disease and other health problems, which left him unable to travel or even walk at times.
An Intimate Look
It’s very clear all along that Ozzy really, truly, wants to get back to performing, something that he loves; this isn’t a case of family members pushing an elderly celebrity into things he doesn’t want (if you want to see that, go to any Comic-Con for several examples). But whether it was healthy for Ozzy to be pushing himself to do so, at that point in his life, is a whole other question.
Since the documentary begins with an “MTV Entertainment Studios” logo, and the first thing we see is Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon in their house together, bickering, the documentary can’t help but recall The Osbournes reality show, which was a pioneering program during its run between 2002 and 2005.
The biggest differences? This time, every other word isn’t bleeped out. Also, they’re noticeably older, with Jack and Kelly Osbourne now both on either side of 40, with kids of their own, and looking like completely different people than they did on the show.
One thing I also remember from the Osbournes TV show was that Ozzy could barely get around on stage back then, and that was 20 years ago. And clearly, he didn’t get much healthier in the ensuing years.
Throughout the two-hour running time, we get lots of background information, including about a botched back surgery, and into the singer’s Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and eventually the final concert.
At the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, we see Jack Black giving a heartfelt, sincere introduction to Ozzy:
But then we remember that Black, as part of his band Tenacious D, once wrote a song about the other former frontman of Black Sabbath, Ronnie James Dio, in which the admonition was “you’re too old to rock, no more rocking for you.”
Rock has traditionally been a young man’s game, and hasn’t been the province of men in their 70s who are grandfathers, have spent several years battling debilitating health problems. It is, of course, something of an incongruous sight – but I do think that any fan of Ozzy would be lying if they said they weren’t glad he got to play that final show.
Ozzy: No Escape From Now is streaming on Paramount+ now. A separate documentary is set for release next year, about the concert itself.
