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Poster for Happy Valley

Happy Valley

2014 · 1h 38m · NOT RATED Crime, Documentary
Directed by Amir Bar-Lev

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Overview

The children of "Happy Valley" were victimized for years, by a key member of the legendary Penn State college football program. But were Jerry Sandusky’s crimes an open secret? With rare access, director Amir Bar-Lev delves beneath the headlines to tell a modern American parable of guilt, redemption, and identity.

Director and cast

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Top critics, in their words

All reviews
89%
Tomatometer
Fresh

It's not a groundbreaking thesis, but we still get a fascinating tour of a town that may never be the same again.

David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle
Fresh

The film could've benefited from another 15 or 20 minutes of detail and nuance. What's there, though, is strong, thoughtful and disturbing.

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
Fresh

Here it is, folks, in your face. Will you look or return to your own private Happy Valley?

David Edelstein, New York Magazine/Vulture
Fresh

[A] thorough, thoughtful and disturbing documentary ...

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Fresh

The documentary offers a compelling overview of the case, but Bar-Lev spends too much time painting Paterno as a victim and scapegoat. That advocacy doesn't sit well.

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly

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