While on one of my many October weekend travels with some friends, I noticed ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ was playing at theaters in Pittsburgh where we were and I said ou loud — I wanna see that movie. Unfortunately, the theatre was too far to get to at the time so I had to wait until I got back home to find it.
Once I got back home, I still couldn’t find the movie anywhere until I went rogue and downloaded it — yup. As soon as the download was completed, I settled in with my puppies — Annalise and Olivia — and we watched in amazement.
Granted, the movie does little to make you the viewer understand anything different about the narrative you may remember if you were around during that time. Nor does it stray far from the book and documentary of the same name — but I still enjoyed the playful dramedy and overall acting.
THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE is an intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall, and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker (Jessica Chastain). In the 1970s and ’80s, Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield) rose from humble beginnings and built a burgeoning religious broadcasting network, theme park, and were revered for their message of love, acceptance, and prosperity. Tammy Faye was legendary for her indelible eyelashes, her idiosyncratic singing, and her eagerness to embrace people from all walks of life. However, it wasn’t long – until rivals, financial wrongdoing and scandal toppled their meticulously constructed empire.
I’m unclear why this movie needed to be made. Depending on its viewership, Chastain may be nominated during awards season for her transformation and performance. Otherwise, the plot hits the big points covered in countless news stories and publications. So why this “interpretation?”
Directed by Michael Showalter, this version of Faye is outspoken and strident, daring even for rather ballsy stances and moves in an otherwise strict religious landscape. I’m willing to go along with this depiction but still little is done to usher in any understanding as to why certain decisions were made.
Jim Bakker on the other hand was a very underdeveloped character overall. Was he inherently good and lost his way or was he bad all along? We don’t know and the movie doesn’t try to persuade you in any direction. He was as he is on videos and news clippings.
So what was the purpose of this movie besides just being a dramatized but pretty on-brand portrayal of two previous works on the subject? I don’t know but it’s worth a watch if you haven’t seen the documentary or read the book or better yet have no idea who she is.
While the movie moved me to see just how much really happened during that time and how — at least in this depiction — Tammy Faye was up against a lot, I yearned for a little more. Vincent D’Onofrio’s portrayal of Jerry Falwell felt more Nixon than anything, he also gave a rather commanding performance though it was stilted by the writing.
However, Chastain delivers a beautiful, touching portrayal that I hope Tammy Faye beams from wherever she rests.
The film opens on September 17th.
