X
  • 2014
  • Not Rated
  • Music Box Films
  • 1 h 38 m
  • 2014
  • Not Rated
  • Music Box Films
  • 1 h 38 m

Summary Nestled in the idyllic area known as Happy Valley lies the town of State College and the home of Penn State University. For over 40 years, Joe Paterno was the celebrated head coach of the school's storied football team. Lauded not only for his program's success on the field, but also for students’ achievements in the classroom, Paterno w...

Written By: Amir Bar-Lev

  • 2014
  • Not Rated
  • Music Box Films
  • 1 h 38 m
  • 2014
  • Not Rated
  • Music Box Films
  • 1 h 38 m

Happy Valley

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews
76
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary Nestled in the idyllic area known as Happy Valley lies the town of State College and the home of Penn State University. For over 40 years, Joe Paterno was the celebrated head coach of the school's storied football team. Lauded not only for his program's success on the field, but also for students’ achievements in the classroom, Paterno w...

Written By: Amir Bar-Lev

Where to Watch

Top Cast

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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews
76
87% Positive
13 Reviews
13% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews
76
87% Positive
13 Reviews
13% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
91
Nov 18, 2014
As it did with the actual case, Happy Valley will divide audiences and create heated discussions over the many contradicting reactions given by its subjects. However, there’s one point that won’t be controversial: It’s one of the best documentaries of the year.
FULL REVIEW
90
Nov 17, 2014
Happy Valley is a devastating portrait of a community — and, by extension, a nation — put under a spell, even reduced to grateful infantilism, by the game of football.
By David Denby FULL REVIEW
80
Nov 20, 2014
It’s a ruined community grappling with belated ethics; that’s the real story here.
By Joshua Rothkopf FULL REVIEW
80
Nov 18, 2014
Happy Valley’s subject matter is difficult, but not Bar-Lev’s approach, which unfolds like an outstanding piece of long-form magazine reportage, taking into account history, culture, and the personalities of multiple major characters.
By Noel Murray FULL REVIEW
75
Nov 20, 2014
It's slightly frustrating that the movie doesn't venture a point-of-view on any of these larger issues, which are less clear cut than the matters of sexual abuse and its immediate enablers.
By Matt Zoller Seitz FULL REVIEW
63
Nov 17, 2014
Once the media caravan departs, the doc meanders, torn between its obligation to reportage and its interest in a town riven by America's thirst for justice.
FULL REVIEW
58
Nov 18, 2014
Happy Valley’s interviews with figures directly related to the case—Paterno’s widow and sons; Sandusky’s adopted stepson, who suddenly declared himself another of Sandusky’s victims toward the end of the trial, after having previously denied having been abused—shed no light on the subject whatsoever, coming across like an obligatory waste of time.
By Mike D'Angelo FULL REVIEW
See All 15 Critic Reviews

Details

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Production Company A&E IndieFilms, Asylum Entertainment, Passion Pictures
Release Date Nov 19, 2014
Duration 1 h 38 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
Tagline The story behind the Penn-State scandal
Website https://www.facebook.com/HappyValleyDocumentary
View All Details

Awards

Nashville Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Sarasota Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
True/False Film Fest
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

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