Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed

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.