Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed

Name: Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed
Director: Joshua Rofé
Genre: Documentary, Arts and culture
Released: 2021
Duration: 1 h 33 min

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Documentary
Arts and culture

2021
Joshua Rofé
93 mins
12

Summary

With a keen appreciation for nature, and a kind and gentle demeanor, Bob Ross encouraged everyone he met to embrace their creativity and believe in themselves, becoming a cultural phenomenon along the way. The man who famously said that there were no mistakes - just happy accidents - has brought sheer delight to the world for decades. Beyond the iconic hair, soothing voice and nostalgic paintings lies a mystery that many have yet to discover. Biographical documentary starring Bob Ross, Steve Ross and Vicky Ross.

IMDB

Review

A star rating of 3 out of 5.

Jeremy Aspinall

Bob Ross became a hugely popular fixture in the 1980s and 90s thanks to his TV show The Joy of Painting, but who was the "oil-paint missionary" really? This illuminating documentary reveals his time in military service, where Ross was stationed in Alaska, the inspiration for many of his landscapes. But it was his characteristic hair, easy charm and avuncular approach to painting gorgeous vistas that rewarded Ross with 31 series of his 30-minute programme, and transformed him into the world's most famous art instructor. Director Joshua Rofé here merges talking-heads with archive film to familiar effect, but he also adds tension by using Ross-like illustrations to reveal the murkier, off-camera dramas involving the artist's legacy and his business partners, the Kowalskis. Much of the narrative is channelled through Bob's close friends and his son Steve, so the film is inevitably a tad one-sided, but it leaves no doubt that the man was an inspiration for his numerous fans.

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6.9/10