Review of Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise

For a dude that's almost lost relevance, this film was certainly a great reminder of the true musical force this man was, and oddly enough, continues to be -- even for all of us whom find him to be more kitch than legend. The film is pretty great, despite getting the distinct impression Meat's in control the whole time - my only fault with the film is that it just barely gives us a glimpse into the "real" Meat Loaf, because as usual, the guy hams it up constantly and you're never sure what's genuine or not. But the movie's definitely entertaining -- it's funny and packed with Meat Loaf songs (both old and new) that, as someone who's not particularly a fan, I found to be a lot of fun (even though the guy is quickly losing his voice, which is a bit disturbing). Plus it's sort of cool to see what it's like to be in a back-up band -- a lot of the story revolves around the other people in the stage show, which at times was actually more interesting than Meat himself.

YES, it's weird that Jim Steinman has no presence in this documentary -- but then again, what a can of worms that opens. In a way I'm glad they didn't touch it, because then the film would have been all about him, no? This film is just Meat on the road. Hamming it up and singing (a little badly). But for some reason it's fun to come along and see all this -- by the end i was sort of endeared to this old guy, who ultimately is, well, kinda cool. YEah, i said it.

Recommended for sure, just don't get caught up in the "is this the REAL meat loaf?" cuz you won't get it.