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)
© thevoid99 2022
Set in the early to late 2000s, the film revolves around an 18-year old boy whose father is a Baptist preacher as he is sent to a gay conversion therapy center where he struggles with its teachings. It’s a film that explores a young man dealing with his own sexual identity as he is sent to this gay conversion therapy center where he would spend much of the day in classes and then stay at a nearby hotel with his mother at night. Joel Edgerton’s screenplay has a narrative that follows the trials and tribulation of Jared Eamons (Lucas Hedges) as the narrative moves back and forth on his time at the conversion therapy center as well as events that questioned about his homosexuality where Eamons tries to understand what got him into this place. Notably an incident in college where he was raped by a student named Henry (Joe Alwyn) who immediately regretted his actions yet would out Eamons to his parents.
For Eamons, the time at the center under the supervision of Victor Sykes (Joel Edgerton) proves to be challenging as a couple of the attendees give Eamons advice on what to do and what not to do to get through this. Though he is ordered to not share anything about what he has to do at the center, Eamons’ mother Nancy (Nicole Kidman) does become concerned as she gets a look into the program’s handbook. While Eamons’ father in Marshall (Russell Crowe) is someone with good intentions and does want to help his son. He is someone that is from another world and doesn’t understand how to really help him as it does create a discord in his relationship with his son while being unaware of what really goes on at the center.
Edgerton’s direction is straightforward in terms of the compositions he creates as he is concerned with the world that Eamons is in which is the American South in Arkansas as it also showcases this world of gay conversion therapy centers that really try to suppress homosexuality. Shot largely on location in Atlanta with additional shots in New York City for a scene late in the third act, Edgerton does maintain a lot of simplicity into his compositions while he uses the wide and medium shots not just to get a scope of a certain location or a room but also into some of the therapy sessions that Victor tries to instill upon his attendees. There are also some close-ups to play into some of the intimate moments as well as medium shots where Edgerton would play into Eamons’ relationship with his parents as they are concerned with his mother being the one trying to understand what is happening. There are also a few tracking shots in scenes at Marshall’s car dealership as well as areas in the therapy center where Edgerton does infuse a bit of style. Still, Edgerton maintains that sense of unease in the drama such as a confessions scene where an attendee has to do a speech about his or her feelings and why that person is at the center.
Edgerton also play into the sense of growing discomfort that also include some of Eamons’ flashbacks about his arrival in college where he met Henry as well as a time where he went to an art show and met an artist. These two flashbacks along with a scene in high school with his then-girlfriend Chloe (Madelyn Cline) do emphasize his growing sexual confusion while there is also a scene in the third act where Eamons watches uncomfortably when an attendee in Cameron (Britton Sear) is accosted for failing an exercise and is then humiliated in front of family, attendees, and others in a scene that is just terrifying. It is a key moment in the film that raises questions into these methods that Sykes and his group are doing with an even more troubling aftermath that would affect Eamons and his relationship with his father though its conclusion is more about the chance of understanding and reconciliation. Overall, Edgerton crafts a riveting yet heart-wrenching film about a young man’s experience at a gay conversion therapy center.
Cinematographer Eduard Grau does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it has elements of style with its emphasis on low-key lights for some of the scenes at night as well as some interior scenes in the day. Editor Jay Rabinowitz does brilliant work with the editing as it features stylish usage of jump-cuts as well as a slow-motion sequence while. Production designer Chad Keith, with set decorators Mallorie Coleman and Adam Willis plus art director Jonathan Guggenheim, does amazing work with the look of the center including its main hall as well as the home where Eamons and his family live in. Costume designer Trish Summerville does fantastic work with the costumes that is mostly casual with the exception of the clothes that Nancy wears.
Makeup artist Kyra Panchenko does nice work with the look of Nancy from her hairstyle as it play into that world of the American South. Visual effects supervisors Eran Dinur and Chris LeDoux do terrific work with the film’s minimal visual effects as it is largely set dressing in some parts of the film’s location. Sound editor Glenfield Payne does superb work with the sound in capturing the sparse atmosphere of the center in its main hall as well as the way music is presented on the radio or at a concert. The film’s music by Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurrians is wonderful for orchestral score that help plays into the drama while music supervisor Linda Cohen assembles a soundtrack that features some Christian music and Christian rock but also music from MGMT, Fleet Foxes, Jonsi, Underworld, Tracy Lawrence, Seether, and Troye Sivan.
The casting by Carmen Cuba is incredible as it feature some notable small roles from Madelyn Cline as Eamons’ girlfriend early in the film Chloe, Jesse LaTourette as a female attendee at the center in Sarah, Theodore Pellerin as an artist Eamons met in Xavier, Britton Sear as a young center attendee in Cameron who is struggling with the methods of the program, Troye Sivan as an attendee in Gary who tells Eamons to stick with the program and not be noticed, and Cherry Jones as a doctor in a flashback who is concerned with Eamons’ decision to go to the center as she suggests that it’s best to not go. Xavier Dolan is superb as an attendee in Jon who is hell-bent on being fixed as he refuses to be touched while Michael “Flea” Balzary is fantastic as a tough-minded counselor in Brandon who emphasizes on masculinity to help out with the therapy through some extreme physical challenges. Joe Alwyn is excellent as Henry as a young college student Eamons meets where things don’t exactly go well as he would end up making things worse.
Joel Edgerton is brilliant as Victor Sykes as the director of the conversion therapy center who believes he is trying to help these young people as he is someone with good intentions but his methods end up being questionable and at times overwhelming to the point of abuse. Russell Crowe is amazing as Eamons’ father Marshall as a Baptist pastor who also runs an auto dealership who is concerned for his son yet is uncertain in what to do as Crowe does bring in this complexity into a man that does love his son but is also a man of God as he’s someone that is conflicted where Crowe plays him with great restraint as well as be someone that is full of fear though his heart is in the right place.
Nicole Kidman is radiant as Eamons’ mother Nancy as this air of warmth and understanding as a woman who does love her faith but she also loves her son as she accompanies him to the center while trying to figure out what they’re doing as Kidman just has this air of grace while knowing when to be the mama bear. Finally, there’s Lucas Hedges in a phenomenal performance as Jared Eamons as an 18-year old kid who is struggling with his sexual identity as well as his own experiences with homosexuality where he’s unsure if he’s done anything wrong while also dealing with the intense therapy sessions that has gotten him more confused as it is a career-defining performance from Hedges.
Boy Erased is an incredible film from Joel Edgerton that features great performances from Lucas Hedges, Russell Crowe, and Nicole Kidman. Along with its supporting cast, amazing visuals, and its themes about sexual identity and its conflicts with faith, the film is a unique character study of a young man trying to understand himself but also in the world that he’s raised in and their reluctance to accept who he is. In the end, Boy Erased is a phenomenal film from Joel Edgerton.
© thevoid99 2021
Based on the novel by Nicholas Evans, The Horse Whisperer is the story of a New York magazine editor who asks a horse specialist to heal her daughter’s injured horse following a tragic accident that led to the loss of her daughter’s leg and the death of her daughter‘s friend. Directed and starring Robert Redford and screenplay by Richard LaGravenese and Eric Roth, the film is an exploration of a woman seeking the help of a man who can understand horses as she is also dealing with her own fragile relationship with her teenage daughter as Redford plays the role of Tom Booker. Also starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Neill, Dianne Wiest, Cherry Jones, and Chris Cooper. The Horse Whisperer is a superbly rich film from Robert Redford.
The film revolves around a workaholic magazine editor from New York whose life crashes when her teenage daughter was in an accident that led to the death of a friend and her daughter losing her right leg while the horse itself is severely injured. In needing to help her daughter and her horse, Annie MacLean (Kristin Scott Thomas) travels from New York to Montana with her daughter Grace (Scarlett Johansson) and the injured horse Pilgrim where Annie seeks the help of Tom Booker who has a reputation for understanding horses as he is known as a horse whisperer. Though Booker is reluctant to help Annie and Grace out, he realized what they needed where Annie falls for him as she becomes torn between her love for Booker and her devotion to her family. Especially as Booker’s own family watches over Annie’s presence and how it affects Booker who had been through heartbreak before.
The film’s screenplay does have very grand structure that is very broad in the way it tells the story as the first act is about the accident that would have Grace lose her leg while Annie is determined to help her daughter despite their contentious relationship. Especially as Annie is known for being a workaholic who is dealing with a lawsuit as she discovers about Booker’s work through a magazine article in the hopes that she can help Grace and Pilgrim where the latter is severely hurt by the accident as Annie refuses to put him down. Annie’s desire to wanting to help both Grace and Pilgrim would have her drive all the way from New York to Montana where the second act is about Annie learning about Booker’s methods but also the quaint life he lives in with his brother Frank (Chris Cooper) and Frank’s wife Dianne (Dianne Wiest) who knows Tom very well as well as his past living in the city. During the course of the story where Annie tries to get to know Tom and his past, there is also Grace who is driven by grief and anger as she doesn’t like her mother while is having a hard time opening up to Tom about what happened to her as he would be very patient towards her in her recovery.
Robert Redford’s direction is quite vast for the way he presents much of the scenes set in Montana and the American Midwest where it has this very intoxicating feel as opposed to the more intimate world of the city where Annie and Grace live at with Annie’s husband Robert (Sam Neill). There is an intimacy to the film’s direction in the way Redford explores the family lives that Tom and Annie live in and the differences they have. There are these evocative images of horses that is featured throughout the film as it plays into a sense of innocence that Grace had while Booker is definitely aware of that connection Grace has with the horse Pilgrim. There is also a looseness in the direction in the way many of the scenes set at ranches and gatherings are happening along with some very unique compositions that occur in the way Grace would glance at something including one key moment where she tries to reach out to Pilgrim by feeding him with caution. While there are some moments that do get overdrawn such as its ending as well as some other moments between Tom and Annie, Redford still manages to keep things intact to play into a young girl trying to get back up. Overall, Redford crafts a touching yet majestic drama about a man helping a family in heal a wounded horse.
Cinematographer Robert Richardson does amazing work with the film’s cinematography with some very beautiful images of the film’s opening sequence set in the snow in upstate New York along with the vast colors and open fields of the scenes set in Montana. Editors Hank Corwin, Freeman A. Davies, and Tom Rolf do brilliant work with the editing in the way Grace‘s accident happens as well as some of the montages on the road and some of the effective moments in the film‘s dramatic scenes. Production designer Jon Hutman, with art director W. Steven Graham and set decorators Gretchen Rau and Hilton Rosemarin, does excellent work with the look of the Booker ranch and their houses along with the more posh look of Annie‘s New York City apartment.
Costume designer Judy L. Ruskin does terrific work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with the exception of the rugged cowboy clothes that Tom Booker and his brother Frank wears along with Frank‘s sons. Sound editors Frank E. Eulner and Richard Hymns, along with sound designer Gary Rydstrom, do fantastic work with the sound to create some unique sound work in the accident sequence along with chilling scenes of Pilgrim being wounded. The film’s music by Thomas Newman and Gwil Owen is wonderful with Newman providing some bombastic orchestral flourishes for some of the dramatic moments with Owen bringing in a more folk, country sound with guitars while music supervisor John Bissell brings in a mix of country, classical, and alternative music to play into the different worlds of the characters.
The casting by Ellen Chenoweth and Gretchen Rennell is incredible as it features some notable small roles from Jessalyn Gilsig as Annie’s assistant in New York, Jeanette Nolan as Tom and Frank’s mother, Ty Hillman as Frank’s eldest son Joe, Austin and Dustin Schwartz as Joe’s younger twin brothers, Cherry Jones as horse wrangler who reluctantly tells Annie that Pilgrim should be put down, and Kate Bosworth as Grace’s friend Judith who would die in the tragic accident. Chris Cooper is terrific as Tom’s brother Frank who aids him in helping Pilgrim out while being this low-key observer about everything that goes on. Dianne Wiest is fantastic as Frank’s brother Dianne who really cares for Tom as she also observes Annie and her intentions while being the woman that Annie can talk to as it proves that Dianne has desires to travel the world. Sam Neill is superb as Annie’s husband Robert who is often worried about Grace as he tries to be there while he also deals with Annie’s time in Montana where his arrival would cause problems for Annie.
Scarlett Johansson is phenomenal as Grace MacLean as this teenage girl who loses part of her right leg in a tragic accident as she is driven by grief and anguish as it’s a performance that is filled with a lot of depth and sadness as it’s one of Johansson’s finest performances. Kristin Scott Thomas is excellent as Annie MacLean as a woman who is desperate to help her daughter and horse while dealing with her own faults as a woman as she tries to deal with her feelings for Tom as well as the cracks in her family. Finally, there’s Robert Redford in an amazing performance as Tom Booker as this very reserved man who can help a horse get back on its feet while trying to not live a complicated life as he falls for Annie where he falls into a trap that could ruin him.
The Horse Whisperer is a dazzling film from Robert Redford that features superb performances from Redford and Kristin Scott Thomas plus a breakout performance from a young Scarlett Johansson. While it’s not a perfect film, it is still a fascinating film that explores a man trying to help horses through unconventional means as well as repairing the fragile bond between a horse and a young girl. In the end, The Horse Whisperer is a fantastic film from Robert Redford.
Robert Redford Films: Ordinary People - (The Milagro Beanfield War) - (A River Runs Through It) - (Quiz Show) - (The Legend of Bagger Vance) - (Lions for Lambs) - (The Conspirator) - (The Company You Keep)
© thevoid99 2014
