The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021 film)

 

Based on the 2000 documentary film by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a film about the life of Tammy Faye Bakker from the moment she met an ambitious young preacher in Jim Bakker and then became part of an evangelical culture that eventually turned ugly as she struggled to find her own voice. Directed by Michael Showalter and screenplay by Abe Sylvia, the film is a dramatization of a woman who was part of a massive culture of televangelism with her husband who would be involved in a scandal just as she is trying to find her own voice and eventually become a supporter for the LGBTQ community as she is portrayed by Jessica Chastain. Also starring Andrew Garfield, Cherry Jones, and Vincent D’Onofrio as Jerry Falwell. The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a wondrous and compelling film from Michael Showalter.

The film is about the life of Tamara “Tammy” Faye LaValley who was just a girl fascinated by faith as she meets a young preacher in Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield) whom she would marry as they would create the Praise the Lord Satellite Network only to fall into scandal over money they stole and Jim’s own extramarital affairs. It is a simple story that largely plays by convention in its narrative as well as taking some dramatic liberties into Tammy Faye’s life through Abe Sylvia’s screenplay. Yet, the film does manage to look into how Tammy Faye becomes fascinated by faith despite the fact that her mother Rachel (Cherry Jones) is only invited to the local congregation because she can play piano as she is seen as a pariah for being a divorced woman. Still, upon meeting Jim Bakker at the North Central Bible College in Minneapolis where she is charmed by his charisma that lead to both of them dropping out of school to become preachers. Tammy Faye’s own idea that includes creating a hand puppet and going on the road all across America to spread the word of God to children and families had made them popular.

While Bakker would often be the one running things and form the PTL network following some bitter disputes with Pat Robertson (Gabriel Olds) over who made The 700 Club successful. It is Tammy Faye whose idea of wanting to help many including the poor, disabled, and others without the need to make faith into a political issue that would put Bakker at odds with other televangelists including Jerry Falwell. Notably as she would later talk to pastor Steve Pieters (Randy Havens) who is gay and has AIDS on her show where she becomes a supporter of the LGBTQ community much to the dismay of both Falwell and Bakker. Still, Sylvia’s script also play into Tammy Faye’s own struggles as she strives to win her mother’s approval although Rachel is rightfully suspicious about Bakker’s own activities and raises concern about the money he and Tammy Faye are making. There is also this story about Tammy Faye’s own attraction towards her music producer Gary S. Paxton (Mark Wystrach) leading to a brief affair that would only bring more trouble and a dependency on prescription drugs.

Michael Showalter’s direction is largely straightforward in its overall presentation as it is told from the early 1950s to 1994. Shot largely on location in and around Charlotte, North Carolina, Showalter plays into this world of a woman who is raised in a small town as a lot of Showalter’s compositions are straightforward in the close-ups and medium shots to play into Tammy Faye’s interaction with faith and such. Even in scenes where she feels lost as she is often praying to God where there’s some wide shots to play into a room where Tammy Faye is all alone except in the idea that God is with her. There are some unique shots that Showalter creates as it play into the evolution of Jim and Tammy Faye’s television presentation as well as how they got into television when they saw that their car got stolen and then meet a man who saw their sermon and knows Pat Robertson with a light shining on him as if God answered their prayers. It’s among these moments of humor that occur in the film including some of the musical presentation on the Bakkers’ shows including some of the Christmas shows where Tammy Faye is wearing silly costumes and her look becomes almost cartoonish as the years progress.

The film’s tone definitely darkens by its second half and into the third act once Tammy Faye’s own addiction to prescription pills come into play as well as Jim’s own financial mishandling and extramarital affairs along with suggestions that he’s bisexual when he’s play-fighting with PTL associate Richard Fletcher (Louis Cancelmi) after Tammy Faye hears Jim making fun of her. The third act does play into the PTL scandal where it is clear that Jerry Falwell is someone that Tammy Faye doesn’t trust knowing he has a political and social agenda. Most notably in the scene where she interviews Pieters as the interview is recreated word-for-word but it is Falwell’s reaction that is chilling as his actions in what he does to the Bakkers following the scandal showcase a man who is truly evil. The film’s ending is a bit of a let-down since it doesn’t play more into Tammy Faye’s work with the LGBTQ community though it does play into Tammy Faye’s unique optimism and the persona of a woman who just wants to be inclusive to everyone. Overall, Showalter crafts a heartfelt and lively film about the wife of a preacher who defy the wishes of other religious figures to spread the word of God and love to everyone.

Cinematographer Mike Gioulakis does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it is straightforward but with some unique lighting for some of the daytime interior/exterior scenes in the day with some lush colors for a few bits along with unique lighting a few scenes at night including at the Bakkers’ home. Editors Mary Jo Markey and Andrew Weisblum do excellent work with the editing as it has elements of style in some montages as well as some straightforward cuts to play into the drama and humor. Production designer Laura Fox, with set decorator Barbee S. Livingston and art director Charles Varga, does amazing work with the look of the studio sets that the Bakkers use to host their shows as well as their home in all of its lavish glory. Costume designer Mitchell Travers does fantastic work with the costumes ranging from the casual period look of the 1950s to the early 1970s to the more lavish look that Tammy Faye would wear throughout the 80s as well as a more reserved style of clothing in the 1990s. Makeup designers Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram, and Justin Raleigh do incredible work with the makeup look of Tammy Faye in the way she evolves from being clean-cut to being more lavish including the way her eyelashes look as well as the layers of makeup that she wears that add to her legendary persona.

Special effects supervisor Larry Dean Bivins and visual effects supervisor Tim LeDoux do terrific work with the look of some of the television imagery including the way TV shows looked at the time as well as bits of set dressing for some scenes. Sound editors Wayne Lemmer and Derek Vanderhorst do superb work with the sound as it help play into the atmosphere of some of the locations including the film’s ending in its sparse moments as well as some of the way TV shows sounded from a TV back then. The film’s music by Theodore Shapiro is wonderful for its low-key orchestral score that also has elements of country and gospel to play into the world of Christian music while music supervisor John Houlihan cultivates a soundtrack that features a lot of the songs Tammy Faye did sing that are performed by Jessica Chastain as well as a song performed by Jim and Tammy Faye’s real-life daughter Tammy Sue Bakker-Chapman.

The casting by Avy Kaufman is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from Lila Jane Meadows as Jim and Tammy Faye’s daughter Tammy Sue, Grant Owens as Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Sanders, Jess Weixler in a voice cameo early in the film as a makeup artist, Coley Campany DeDe Robertson, Jay Huguley as Jimmy Swaggart, Fredric Lehne as Tammy Faye’s stepfather Fred Grover, Gabriel Olds as the televangelist Pat Robertson who would take credit for the success of The 700 Club from Jim Bakker, Louis Cancelmi as PTL producer Richard Fletcher who might be one of Jim’s lovers, Chandler Head as the young Tammy Faye, Sam Jaeger as the building contractor Roe Messner whom Tammy Faye would later marry in the 90s, Mark Wystrach as music producer Gary S. Paxton who would produce many of Tammy Faye’s recordings and later engage in a brief affair with her, and Randy Havens as the gay Christian pastor Steve Pieters whom Tammy Faye does an interview with where he talks about dealing with AIDS and being gay only to feel loved by Tammy Faye.

Vincent D’Onofrio is excellent as Jerry Falwell as this religious figure who wants to politicize faith and get the Bakkers involved as he would later rat them out to the authorities where D’Onofrio brings that air of sliminess to the role. Cherry Jones is brilliant as Tammy Faye’s mother Rachel Grover as a woman who is disliked by her community for being a divorcee as she is later baffled by her daughter’s success and other aspects relating to the business even though she is someone who does care for her daughter even though she doesn’t show it.

Andrew Garfield is phenomenal as Jim Bakker where he displays this sense of charisma as someone who really does care about the word of God yet ends up becoming consumed by greed and temptation as well as becoming distant and cruel towards Tammy Faye where Garfield brings a lot of nuances and complexity to a real-life person who is still an awful individual. Finally, there’s Jessica Chastain in a tremendous performance as Tammy Faye Bakker where Chastain brings that liveliness and optimism to the character whenever she’s on TV trying to spread the word of God but also this vulnerability of a woman who wonders if she’s doing the right thing but is also a radical for the fact that she wants to help everyone where she becomes a voice for the LGBTQ community as it is a career-defining performance for Chastain.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a marvelous film from Michael Showalter that features a spectacular leading performance from Jessica Chastain. Along with its supporting cast, dazzling visuals, and its study of a woman trying to devote herself to God but also wanting to help everyone. It is a film that does play the rules of a bio-pic but it also an interesting character study of this real-life figure who ended up doing some good in the world as well as bring some inclusivity to a world that isn’t inclusive. In the end, The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a remarkable film from Michael Showalter.

Michael Showalter Films: (The Baxter) – Hello, My Name is Doris - The Big Sick - (The Lovebirds (2020 film)) – (Spoiler Alert)

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