The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Greetings again from the darkness. We now have the latest example for those who fall on one side or the other when it comes to documentary vs dramatized biopic. Director Michael Showalter (the excellent THE BIG SICK, 2017) and writer Abe Sylvia have adapted the 2000 documentary from Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato - and even kept the same title. The focus here (obviously) is on Tammy Faye Bakker, as she and her televangelist husband Jim skyrocketed to fame before imploding in a quite public and spectacular fashion. Jim went from world-renowned Christian TV personality to scandal-burdened prison inmate, while Tammy Faye rose up from roots of poverty to beloved personality, before becoming a media and Talk Show punchline caricature.

Regardless of your preferred biopic style, or your memories of the Bakkers' rise and fall, most of us can agree that Jessica Chastain delivers a superb and entertaining performance as Tammy Faye. Already established as one of our finest actors, this is truly a passion project for Ms. Chastain, as she purchased the film rights nearly a decade ago. Here, as you might expect, her features are often buried under prosthetics and mounds of make-up to achieve the oh-so-familiar Tammy Faye look. She captures the babyish voice, the recognizable chuckle, and even sings the songs (very well) that Tammy Faye sang on camera and released albums.

Depending on your expectations, the film serves up a sympathetic view of a true believer with a heart of gold, or it merely skims the surface of a ministry filled with fraud, greed, and deception. And it's likely both. Tammy Faye is a bit of an enigma. As a child, she was forbidden by her mother (Cherry Jones) from attending church, as she served as a reminder of the 'Scarlet D' (divorce) burdening her mother. However, one sip of the sacrament sent young Tammy Faye (Chandler Head) into speaking in tongues and on the road to North Central Bible College where she would meet Jim Bakker.

Andrew Garfield portrays Jim Bakker, and captures the very familiar speech pattern and effeminate mannerisms of the man who proclaimed God did not want poverty for his followers ... a belief that led first to the Bakkers' "The 700 Club" on Pat Robertson's (Gabriel Olds) Christian Broadcasting Network, and ultimately to their own network and "The PTL Club", followed by Heritage USA, a Christian theme park. Along the way, they crossed paths with the powerful, ultra conservative Christian, Jerry Falwell (a reserved Vincent D'Onofrio), a man who was envious of the number of followers and the dollars generated by Jim and Tammy Faye. Falwell filled a significant role in how things played out for the Bakkers, and that part is touched on here.

Showalter opts to open the film with a montage of newscasts reporting the Bakker collapse, followed by Tammy Faye in 1994 commenting on her famous eyelashes by stating, "That's who I am." The rest of the film is a re-telling of the Tammy Faye story, though we are left to ponder, 'How much did she really know?". We see a good-hearted person - a woman brave enough to publicly stand up for the LGBTQ community despite the objections of powerful men in the church. We also see a woman who enjoys fine luxury living and asking few questions, while consistently holding to her message, "God loves you. He really does." Evangelicals, hypocrisy, financial standing, and political influence are all part of the story, but this is no deep dive into what sent Jim Bakker to prison. Even the Jessica Hahn scandal garners but a brief mention. Instead, this is the story of one woman who was trusted by so many prior to becoming a punchline. One could even say Jim and Tammy Faye were the pioneers of Reality TV, and their rise and fall are only unusual due to the ties to Christianity.

In theaters September 17, 2021.

Make your punters feel the urge to part with cash, chuck some lippy on, to each eye, apply a large and long eyelash, tell them what they want to hear, push the boundaries as far as you dare, then wait for almighty retribution, while you're counting up your stash.

Great performances but ever so slightly shallow.

The film was decent. Its a bit annoying at first but you get used to the flow. And it is a must see for one big reason: Jessica Chastain! What a tremendous performance by her. She really soaked herself into that role f Tammy Faye and went through many great character developments. You really forget its Chastain from the very first second she is on screen. So far he best female leading performance I have seen this year and I am glad she is receiving all that awards attention. She is so much more than the film itself, which was not too bad, but also kind of your ordinary biopic.

Andrew Garfield was on the edge of overacting at times but generally okay. I really loved Cherry Jones who nailed the role of he mother quite perfectly.

I am not really familiar to the true story behind this movie so I cannot judge how accurate it is. I can just say that Chastain did her character justice, in the way that she defended her and allied with her but was objective enough to also portray and show the failures of Tammy Faye. It was more sides to show and I think Chastain perfectly embodied this.

From other perspectives it was quite well drafted, I loved the make up work and if you are into gospel I think you will have a blast with the soundtrack, too.

I was born in 1985. PTL was only on the air until 1989, so I never saw an episode. I'm from Charlotte, NC, so growing up I thought I knew all the basics about the "scandal".

I didn't meet Tammy Faye until 2000. 15 years after she fell from Grace in the court of public opinion.

We met when I was working at Stein Mart in Matthews, NC. I was a 15 year old cashier. She came into my line one day, and I said "Hi Tammy Faye". She looked shocked, and said I was too young to know who she was. I told her she knew my mom, told her my mom's name, and she instantly remembered her. She met my mom when my mom was the teenager who worked customer service who ordered her custom eyelashes for her from a local store called Jamco. My mom eventually became head teller at the bank that PTL had it's accounts with, so she interacted with Tammy for years.

After that day anytime Tammy would come in we'd talk. Sometimes for a couple minutes, and sometimes longer. Tammy became my own personal Dolly Patron. Her personality was larger than life. We were kindred spirits. We both share a love of makeup, clothes, and shoes. We both never left the house without makeup. We just instantly clicked.

I never heard Tammy ever speak a negative word about anyone. She was the most genuinely kind person I have ever met. I grew to love her almost immediately. Her spirit was contagious. She had almost a child like quality about her. Being around her made you feel good. She radiated pure love, and empathy.

The last time I saw Tammy she had cancer. She was so frail I almost didn't recognize her, but she had her hair and makeup done as always. She introduced me to her son who was with her. What I respect most about her is that she went through cancer on her terms. She never let it change who she was as a person. I asked how she was, and she told me she was at peace with whatever the outcome would be for her because it was in God's hands. A couple weeks later I heard the news that she had died. The world got a little darker that day without the light of Tammy Faye in it. I will always believe she was one of the best people that I have ever been fortune enough to meet, and get to know.

I was lucky enough to be cast as an extra in the film "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" you'll see me quite a few times in a bubble gum pink dress, sunglasses, and hideous beige hat.

I was scared that this would be just one more round of bashing Tammy. As soon as I stepped on set I saw the love and care that the entire cast and crew was pouring into the movie. The first time I heard Jessica laugh portraying Tammy I did a double take because I thought it was her. Jessica embodied Tammy completely. It was like Tammy reached down from Heaven, and took up residence in Jessica's body. It was the most incredible thing I've ever witnessed. Watching Jessica embody Tammy in person was like having my friend back for a couple of days.

The movie does an excellent job of telling the truth. Tammy was naive. Tammy was trusting. She was those things still long after the PTL scandal. She was the most devout Christian who I have ever met. She had absolutely unwavering faith in God through everything she had been through.

Tammy was honest, but she was not cruel or mean spirited. Her honesty always came from a place of love, and she was the first to be honest about her own failings and shortcomings. I believe Jim knew he didn't have the personality to make his vision a reality. He saw things in Tammy that he knew he could never be. He needed a face for his empire, and Tammy was the perfect mascot. It was blatantly obvious that he later became insanely jealous of the fact that she got more attention than he did. She believed she was helping others while Jim was always, and to this day still is helping himself.

There is a reason why Tammy was never charged, and Jim was over the PTL mismanagement. Someone can be innocent in the eyes of the law, and still crucified in the court of public opinion fueled entirely by the media.

Was Tammy perfect, no. She was human, and would be the first to tell you that. Was Tammy a good person? Without a doubt. She was the best of us.

Thank you to Jessica for fighting so hard to give Tammy a voice. She would have been thrilled at the way you portrayed her on film. I feel like Tammy was finally given a bit of the justice, and respect she so deserves. You absolutely deserve an Oscar for your performance.

Thank you to the rest of the cast, and crew for being so kind to us extras. You all helped to capture Tammy's spirit, and remind me how fortunate I was to know her in my own small way. I hope the world can finally see just a little bit of the incredible person who I knew.

For starters: the acting was very decent, but the story avoided edgy criticism to the money grabbing TV pastors. Yes there was a taste of that but could have beeen more shown. I do not buy it that there was any genuin faith in Tammy and Jim's life, except the faith of money. After checking Jim Bakker his Wikipedia bio, I really think he is much worse person than portrayed in this movie, specially what he has been doing last couple of years! I urge you to read that.(from "Return to televangelism" & further) because in the movie his story ends being in jail... Horrible man! Tammy Faye SEEMS much more likeable but again, I do not buy the love for God part, only the love for money..... Movie is "noncontroversial.