Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed premiered on 25th August 2021 on Netflix. Directed and produced by Joshua Rofé, the 92-minute long documentary revolves around the life and death of famous painter Bob Ross.
Bob Ross- Rights To His Name And Likeness
– Bob Ross documentary review contains minor spoilers ahead –
Host of the PBS’ The Joy of Painting for 11 years, Bob Ross is an unforgettable artist. An icon, Ross was known for his paintings that he completed in less than 30 minutes on camera on his show that garnered huge viewership and followers for the artist. But while the afro-haired artist whispered artistic wisdom on TV as he taught people to paint and enjoyed every bit of what he did some people were running after his name and likeness just for the monetary aspect of it.
Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed talks about the life of this artist and takes us through the corridors of his rise to fame and his dedication to his art alongside everything else that was happening that ultimately led to him fighting for his name on his deathbed. Ross’s son, Steven Rofé, walks us into the bare bones of his father’s life, giving limited information on his service in the Air Force and his formative years in Alaska, which led to a love of painting and a friendship with artist Bill Alexander.
With the help of Walt and Annette Kowalski, Ross began his TV journey which soon reached heights of success and flawlessly became a part of its audience’s life. But things became complicated when The Kowalski’s started using Ross’s name for commercial, money-minting purposes. And this is a fact known to everyone that whenever an artist and his art are commercialized it often results in nothing but conflicts.
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Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed as a documentary seemingly works on very little information that the makers had in regards to the entire Kuwolski-Ross relation and conflict. It mostly runs around Bob Ross and his paintings, The Joy Of Painting clippings, and small interview clips. At various points, the documentary feels rushed and for a major part of it, it focuses on Bob’s works and not the controversial conflict. Incidents as important as Bob’s funeral being hidden from people are just brushed upon.
It is surprising how more than a dozen people denied appearing in the documentary fearing any legal suit that might follow by the Kowalski’s. By the end of the documentary, we also learn how the Kowalski’s denied literally everything the documentary stated about the conflict all the while denying to appear on the documentary to clarify their stand too. Shady!
Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed brings forth a story that is filled with colors and beauty but is internally twisted and messy but the only thing that puts it back is the series lack of focus on its main issue. Undeniably, the film does raise questions on the moral compass of various folks but that’s that. It also tells you that somewhere things are not as simple as they seem, there is always more to haunt and feel bad about. It is never easy even if you’re the charismatic and talented Bob Ross!
Stream It or Skip It
STREAM IT! Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed is a good one-time watch if you want to dive into the world of Bob Ross, it will provide you with an ample amount of good old Ross paintings and styles with a little bit of controversy. Nevertheless, Bob Ross was always iconic and will always be.
Also, is it just me or you too remember the when time Bob Ross memes made rounds on the internet?
Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed is streaming now on Netflix.