(Un)happy big mistakes

It’s pretty safe to say that if you’ve had any amount of interest in painting, you’ve probably heard of Bob Ross. Even if you didn’t, who hasn’t heard of Bob Ross, right? Ever since his show “The Joy of Painting” aired during the 80s, this happy television painter has managed to capture the hearts of countless people all over the world. What you might not have guessed, however, is that just like any other pop culture icon as big and well-known as Ross, there is a darker side to his tale. This is explored in-depth in the 2021 Netflix documentary “Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal and Greed.”

I should probably start off by saying that I’m not here to destroy your childhoods, yet. Much of the darker side to Bob’s story isn’t actually anything that he did. In fact, the great amount of detail that the filmmakers of this documentary have on the legendary painter’s life actually paints him as a man who was as similar in person as he was on television.

The first thing I noticed when watching this documentary is the great detail the creators used for this project. It’s clear they did their research, as they tell the story of Bob Ross from when he was a simple man in the Air Force who had a great love of painting. In fact, the documentary is presented in a timeline structure, so the good parts of the story are just as, if not more, prominent than the more saddening parts.

That’s probably the most accurate way to describe the Bob Ross tale; it’s mostly just saddening. While there are large portions dedicated to the happiness both in his life and the lives of those who knew and were influenced by his show, there is a lingering sadness throughout. It’s hard to describe without going into detail and spoiling the film, but many of the things that happen as a result of Bob deciding to sign on and go into business with the Kowalskis just feel sickening and wrong.

That’s not to say it’s not a good watch, and there does seem to be some small semblance of hope for the people that were close to Bob in life. With that in mind, I can only encourage you to consider giving this documentary a watch. It may not be the happiest documentary, but it is an important one as it shines a new light on the Bob Ross legacy and what the Bob Ross company stands for today.