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Title: Happy Valley (2014)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Joe Paterno | ... | Himself - Football Coach, Penn State University (archive footage) | |
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Jay Paterno | ... | Himself - Joe Paterno's Son |
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Andrew Shubin | ... | Himself - Local Attorney |
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Jerry Sandusky | ... | Himself - Former Football Coach (archive footage) |
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Matt Sandusky | ... | Himself - Jerry Sandusky's Adopted Son |
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Joe Posnanski | ... | Himself - Joe Paterno's Biographer |
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Scott Paterno | ... | Himself - Joe Paterno's Son |
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Sue Paterno | ... | Herself - Joe Paterno's Wife |
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Tyler Estright | ... | Himself - Penn State Class of 2013 |
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Pat Little | ... | Himself - Local Photographer |
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Matt Jordan | ... | Himself - Film Professor, Penn State University |
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Dorothy Sandusky | ... | Herself - Jerry Sandusky's Wife (archive footage) |
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Michael Pilato | ... | Himself - Mural Artist |
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Mark Emmert | ... | Himself - NCAA President (archive footage) |
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Lou Prato | ... | Himself - Local Historian |
The town of State College, the home of Penn State University, has long been known as Happy Valley, and its iconic figure for more than 40 years was Joe Paterno, the head coach of the school's storied football team. His program was lauded for not only its success on the field but also its students' achievements in the classroom. And Paterno took on mythic national stature as "Saint Joe." But then, in November 2011, everything came crashing down. Longtime Assistant Coach Jerry Sandusky was charged with 40 counts of child sex abuse, setting off a firestorm of accusations about who failed to protect the children of Happy Valley. Was Sandusky's abuse an "open secret" in the town? Did Coach Paterno and the Penn State administration value their football program more than the lives of Sandusky's victims? Filmed over the course of the year after Sandusky's arrest as key players in the scandal agreed to share their stories, Happy Valley deconstructs the story we think we know to uncover a much ... Written by Sundance Film Festival
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A well done documentary about how people react when the people and things they believe in turn out to be an illusion. Being from the 'liberal west coast', I've never understood how football could possibly reach the level of reverence it enjoys elsewhere. But here it is in all its glory... supported by hoards who seem more concerned with sportsball than anything else in their lives -- including justice for abused kids. Well okay, maybe they care for the kids as long as the football games don't stop and no one attacks their coach. For without football, we are nothing.
In all fairness, the documentary did include representatives from the non-reverent point of view. But it's witnessing the reactions of people who have so much invested in a sport that has achieved cult status, as well as the mechanics of group think, that make this an interesting doc. A good study in the sort of self-righteous mentality that starts wars. But who am I judge? I'm a west coast liberal. I'd rather do almost anything else than watch football.