IMDb > The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000)
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000) More at IMDbPro »

Videos
The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000) -- US Home Video Trailer from Lion's Gate

IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   798 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Contact:
View company contact information for The Eyes of Tammy Faye on IMDbPro.
Tagline:
She'll make a believer out of you
Plot:
A documentary look, mostly through the eyes of Tammy Faye Bakker Messner, at her rise and fall as a popular televangelist with husband Jim Bakker... more | add synopsis
Awards:
3 wins & 5 nominations more
User Comments:
Touching, entertaining look at an easy target more (27 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

RuPaul ... Himself (Narrator) (voice)
Tammy Faye Bakker ... Herself
Virginia Fairchild ... Herself - aunt
Johnny Grover ... Himself - brother
Jim Bakker ... Himself
Lori Graham Bakker ... Herself
Mel White ... Himself
Tammy Sue Bakker-Chapman ... Herself
Jamie Bakker ... Himself
Roe Messner ... Himself
Charles E. Shepard ... Himself
Marvin Brooks ... Himself - doctor (as Dr. Marvin Brooks)
James Albert ... Himself

Pat Boone ... Himself

Jim J. Bullock ... Himself
more

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some sexual content.
Runtime:
79 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Certification:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Quotes:
Jim Bakker: I wanna send you this beautiful rice patty baby! more
Movie Connections:
Features "The P.T.L. Club" (1976) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful.
Touching, entertaining look at an easy target, 28 March 2001
10/10
Author: Rusty Martin (Rusty-61) from Vegas

We rented this mainly because we like documentaries and this was supposed to be a good one. I was very impressed, and also moved.

I remember not being able to stand the sight of this woman back in the 80's, and being extremely satisfied when the Bakker's empire crumbled very publicly. Maybe I just got sick of hearing about them, and the media did not exactly paint a flattering portrait. I started out this movie feeling pity for Tammy Faye, but began to admire her as it went on. I had no idea she was gay-friendly way before it was fashionable to do so(and even now, I don't think there are too many gay-friendly televangelists), and had no idea she had a TV talk show with an openly gay co-host. Not to make media headlines for being 'daring', either. With many other celebrities, you get the feeling they figured out, "Hmmm, gay men seem to really love me, I think I'll use this and cash in on it". With Tammy it's clear that she is not calculating at all but just a very friendly person with no prejudice.

The movie, narrated by RuPaul, chronicles her life, and gives her side of the story of the scandals. There are interviews with her current and ex-husband, and many of her friends, people she worked with, and biographers. The film includes great archival footage of her early television shows (if you think she has big hair *now*, just wait) to her later ones. The movie is divided up into chapters that are introduced with sock-puppets (this is not as ridiculous as it sounds, though the movie has plenty of humor).

In one scene Tammy confronts a reporter who wrote a very unflattering, and Tammy says untrue, book about the PTL Empire. This and several other scenes are hard to watch (though it's fun to see the reporter stammer when Tammy asks him point blank why he printed lies about her). In another scene I felt like watching through my hands over my eyes, during a point in her life when she was addicted to prescription drugs, we see Tammy sort of wandering off in the middle of a broadcast to remark on the backdrop, pretty whacked out. When I found out the circumstances that led to her doctor prescribing something to calm her down, I wasn't disgusted but more surprised that she wasn't taking every narcotic she could get her hands on at the time.

I remember thinking back in the 80's that anyone who walked around looking like Tammy and carrying herself confidently was out of their mind, or at best, delusional. At some point during the movie- probably a scene where she cheerfully pitches ideas for TV shows to someone probably 20 years younger than her at the USA Network (you get the feeling maybe he won't make fun of her as soon as she's out the door, but it's easy to imagine him having a good laugh with someone he knows later as he tells them about his encounter)- I realized she is just, well, being herself. She knows that her heavy eye makeup is "her trademark", and is proud of it. Let's face it, it takes real guts for this woman just to walk down the street when most people consider her a punchline, a cartoon, a freak, or all three. She is not a stupid woman and knows this, but holds her head up high anyway, and carries herself proudly. How many people would be brave enough to do that?

I never thought I'd say this, but after seeing this, I have a newfound respect for Tammy Faye. If the film-makers intentions were to have people view the subject of their documentary in a different light, then they did an excellent job, and I don't have any complaints about it at all. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about Tammy (even if only out of morbid curiousity, like I did at first) and loves a fascinating, touching documentary. Be sure to wear waterproof mascara when watching it, though.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (27 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Parents Ratings should show this as 'R' film movie-viking
Scary resemblance JGibson-2
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Mahler Party Monster The Basketball Diaries Speed to Burn My Life So Far
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Documentary section IMDb UK section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.