Meat Loaf: To Hell and Back

This docudrama starts with MeatLoaf (W. Earl Brown) as a kid growing up in Dallas 1958. He's a fat kid with a sick mother and a drunken abusive father. He's bullied by the school kids. He played high school football, and got into drama. He strikes out for Hollywood after the death of his mother eventually connecting with composer Jim Steinman (Zachary Throne) and future wife Leslie Edmonds (Dedee Pfeiffer). But old demons continue to haunt him.

I wouldn't say this is good drama. There are highlights, and the movie is checking off one highlight after another. There is even a 'The Voice' moment as Jim Steinman turns around and shockingly finds the chubby man with the Wagner voice. Brown does a great job impersonating MeatLoaf. I'm sure he got the job for his striking resemblance but they got a great actor to boot. He's the only one saving this from being a hopelessly bland docudrama.

I just watched the movie on VH1, and toward the very end of the movie, I thought I saw Meatloaf himself in the audience at the Cancer benefit. Were my eyes deceiving me, or did he have a brief cameo in the movie? All in all, I thought it was a good show. Granted, I did notice the mountains in the background in "Dallas County", and wondered at certain lines in the movie (re: Rocky Horror- "Nobody will watch this, they'll only throw things at the screen"), but since I've been a meatloaf fan since "BOH" #1 came out, the minor flaws and the little extras were just that, minor, and didn't distract from the main story enough to ruin the movie.

On behalf of all REAL Meat Loaf fans far and wide, Let me just say...BRAVO. From Hell and Back ....more like from heaven ?...and back. Bat out of hell?....more like bat out of well....done! Congratulations to Jim Mcbride on genius directing, the man has such a vision. I have never been so taken aback by a biography. This is clearly not a rockumentary, however it is a very accurate and entertaining depiction of Meat Loaf's wonderful life as an immensely talented fat man. This movie was heart felt, touching, I cried, I laughed, I was scared, I farted a little. excuse me. Not have I been so excited about a movie since the 2001 when the biopic "Salt and Peppa: Puh Push it Real Good" came out.

I am a massive Meat Loaf fan (all his records and movies) , and I think the documentary was OK. But there we're quite a few glitchs ; Meat Loaf did not go to acting college in 1968 , he went to be an accountant in 1966 (Meat Loaf was singing in local bands in LA in 68'!) , Meat Loaf didn't meet Jim Steinman until 1973 , and during "Hair" Meat Loaf wasn't going out with any girl named Aaron (however , he did meet Stoney in the play , and record a record with her). And to top that off , Meat Loaf didn't cut his hair short until late 96'/97' , the film shows Meat Loaf in 1994 with short hair . But the acting was top notch , all of the live performances and background songs we're Meat Loaf's vocals (except the "More Than You Deserve" tryout , and in the record company office) the show was OK and depicts what Meat Loaf went through in his career.

PS. did I mention that Meat Loaf was actually married in 1979' ? and Meat Loaf didn't begin the big American bar tour until 1987 ?

When I saw the premiere of this movie, I didn't know who Meat Loaf was. But now I am a big fan. All of the actors looked like there real life counter-parts and where very good actors. I couldn't believe that the actor was lip-syncing some of the scenes. Believe me, the scenes that he did sing live sounded just like Meat Loaf. The only down side was that they had the character of Meat Loaf sing "Objects in the Rear View Mirror" 13 years before it came out. But if you brush that aside you really have an enjoyable movie on your hands.