If you didn’t grow up with the soothing, tranquil voice and vibes of Bob Ross, the white afroed painter whose seminal “The Joy of Painting” show might have been one of the best anger management tools of the 1980s and 1990s, you missed out. Though at this point, Ross has become an iconic figure in the art world, and you probably know of him, have heard of him, or recognize his smiling, beatific visage. Ross’ peaceful art show, gently talking to you about his process while he crafted fairly quick landscape paintings, made him seem like the most chilled out dude on earth, but that title of the upcoming new documentary, “Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed,” suggests a much darker story.
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Directed by Joshua Rofé (“Lorena” and “Sasquatch,” )documentary is a deep dive into the untold story of iconic artist Bob Ross and will have a global Netflix launch on August 25. The film has some heavyweights backing it, too, as the doc producers include comedy acting/directing pair Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone, plus Divya D’Souza, Steven Berger, and Rofé. Here’s the official synopsis:
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Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed brings us the shockingly untold story of the prolific landscape artist and host of The Joy of Painting. 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.
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So what is that mystery? What is the story? You could probably read about it online, but “Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed” seems to really be saving all the juicy stuff for the documentary itself, which we have to admit has us hooked and super compelled already. Tune in on August 25 and watch the first trailer below.