The Eyes of Tammy Faye
As the Dolly Parton of prayer, Jessica Chastain elevates a run-of-the-mill biopic with both heart and soul.
Praise the Lord - for Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield
To Americans of a certain age, particularly those living in the Carolinas, Tammy Faye Bakker is a household name. For many years she was the high priestess of televangelism, who converted her passion for God and mascara into untold millions. Of course, she was not alone in her pursuit, as she was led every step of the way by her charismatic husband Jim Bakker, and together they hosted their own TV show Jim and Tammy, with puppets. Unlike other preachers in the media, Tammy’s love of the Almighty and of her viewers extended to the LGBT community and to all God’s children. Indeed, she felt there was no limit to His love. However, the Southern Baptist and reigning televangelist Jerry Falwell looked down on such magnanimity and was determined to expose the sins of the country, homosexuality in particular. And so the godfathers of God, the Falwells, Pat Robertsons and Jimmy Swaggarts, circled the Bakker circus with envy forging the crosshairs in their sights.
Brought up poor and afraid of hell, little Tammy rose above her mother’s imperiousness and decided that her God was a more forgiving figure. Then, at the North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, she met a passionate younger student who shared her outlook on religion and her zeal for scripture. And because they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, they married. Long story short, Jim and Tammy became the Ken and Barbie of high-rolling TV and soon covetousness complemented their love for their growing popularity. “God does not want us to be poor!”
A dramatization of the 2000 documentary of the same name (by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato), The Eyes of Tammy Faye makes for jaw-dropping viewing. It is here that the credulity of the devout meets with the extravagance of Vegas-style showmanship, where greed is, apparently, Good. But as a biopic, Michael Showalter’s film is far less extraordinary than its subject, which leaves an unrecognisable Jessica Chastain to do all the heavy-lifting. She is simply astonishing, though, adopting the Betty Boop voice, the hollow giggle and laughable strut of the Dolly Parton of prayer, her high cheek bones magically transformed into chipmunk cheeks. But more than capturing the look of Tammy Faye, Chastain defines the fervour and innocence of the woman, animates her glove puppets and sings a string of songs. Chastain’s genius is that she makes the viewer care for a caricature, which is what Tammy Faye became. As the smarmy Jim Bakker, Andrew Garfield brings a humanity to a pathetic figure, while Vincent D'Onofrio is terrific as Jerry Falwell, a high-handed, menacing man of misguided conviction. And most of what happened was true.
JAMES CAMERON-WILSON
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Cherry Jones, Vincent D'Onofrio, Fredric Lehne, Louis Cancelmi, Sam Jaeger, Gabriel Olds, Mark Wystrach, Chandler Head, James Huguley, Lindsay Ayliffe, Randy Havens, Maurie Speed.
Dir Michael Showalter, Pro Jessica Chastain, Kelly Carmichael, Rachel Shane and Gigi Pritzker, Screenplay Abe Sylvia, Ph Michael Gioulakis, Pro Des Laura Fox, Ed Mary Jo Markey and Andrew Weisblum, Music Theodore Shapiro, Costumes Mitchell Travers, Dialect coaches Liz Himelstein and Joy Ellison.
TSG Entertainment/Freckle Films/MWM Studios/Semi-Formal Productions-The Walt Disney Studios.
126 mins. USA. 2021. US Rel: 17 September 2021. UK release: 4 February 2022. Cert. 12A.
