Americans of a certain age are undoubtedly familiar with Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. The infamous televangelists created a vast television empire based around their folksy, midwestern evangelicalism and Tammy Faye’s loud, multicolored appearance. These same Americans also remember their loud fall from grace, amidst a sex and financial fraud scandal that confirmed the worst about what many think of American conservative Christian culture. As a result, the Bakkers, Tammy Faye especially, became a running punchline and figures of ridicule. But, there was more to her story and the much of what there is is relevant in an age where many are rethinking how cruel society can be to other people.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye is an adaptation of a documentary from the early 2000s that follows infamous televangelists Tammy Faye Bakker (Jessica Chastain) and her husband, Jim (Andrew Garfield) as they rise from humble beginnings to create the world’s largest religious broadcasting network. Tammy Faye becomes famous for her trademark flamboyant makeup and eyelashes, her idiosyncratic singing, and her eagerness to embrace people from all walks of life. However, financial improprieties, scheming rivals and a scandal soon threaten to topple the Bakkers’ carefully constructed empire.
There’s a recent train of thought that says that the kind of love we crave as adults is a reflection of and response to the kind of care and expression that we did not receive as children. The story of Tammy Faye’s life as depicted in this film serves as one point of evidence in support of this theory as we learn her origins as an emotionally neglected child of a divorce with a resultant rocky relationship with her mother Rachel (strikingly portrayed by Cherry Jones) who now craves attention and validation as an adult woman. The film begins with Tammy Faye’s childhood where we are shown the frosty relationship she has with her mother who is ashamed that Tammy Faye serves as a living reminder of her previous marriage and subsequent divorce as a woman in a strict church. This childhood lack of affection is what powers all of her decisions and drives her down her path toward infamy alongside her husband. Tammy Faye’s story engenders a substantial amount of empathy for a figure that went her entire life (she died in 2007) without receiving much from the public.
The film also delves into the topic of American evangelicalism of course, how could you not in a story revolving around this family, but it does so in a more subtle way that makes the film digestible and allowing the audience to draw its own conclusions without beating them over the head with messaging. From the onset, it’s obvious that Tammy Faye’s personality and aspirations as described above puts her at an automatic impasse with her religion and therefore, her husband Jim. Tammy is depicted as always wanting a seat at the boys’ table, sometimes literally, and wanting her voice and ideas heard despite the improper nature of this according to the church’s beliefs and the attitudes of other preachers in the Bakkers’ circle. Tammy Faye’s acceptance of others, most notably members of the LGBTQIA community, also puts her at odds with the boys club whose focus on political matters is viewed by Tammy Faye as antithetical to Jesus’ teachings about loving all of God’s creations. This subplot is helped along from a brilliantly maddening performance from the perpetually underrated Vincent D’Onofrio as the Reverend Jerry Falwell Sr. Drawing a throughline from the struggle for power between the two types of evangelicalism to our current sociopolitical issues is a natural thought to have as the movie develops and is capably presented from director Michael Showalter.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye follows a familiar path in terms of its biographical story, hitting most of the same beats that we’ve grown accustomed to from the genre. Despite its common structure, the film is able to remain compelling and pull the viewers in due to the strength of the performances from its actors, namely Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield. Chastain boldly positions herself as a contender for lead actress during this coming awards season by completely transforming herself into Tammy Faye and turning the controversial, oft mocked notorious figure into a wholly sympathetic woman who you root and hurt for. Chastain is able to capture and convey her naivete, insecurity, and pain in an accurate portrayal of all of her mannerisms without drifting into caricature. Garfield is every bit her equal as Jim Bakker, deftly displaying Bakker as a multi-faceted figure with his own idiosyncrasies that also show him to be a complicated, whole person instead of a one dimensional villain. He and Chastain’s chemistry as a couple who begin bright-eyed and optimistic and turn into warring sides drawn apart by ambition and money is the source of half of the film’s tension and they are able to nail it onscreen. The other source of emotion in the film is the relationship between Tammy and her mother and Cherry Jones’ turn as Rachel is just as impressive as Chastain and Garfield’s performances. Jones serves as part antagonist, part audience surrogate, and even comedic relief at times, a tough trio to juggle that Jones achieves capably. She and Chastain are just as believable as mother-daughter as Chastain and Garfield are as husband and wife.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye is an entertaining watch featuring two of the best working actors today who are able to elevate what is essentially a boilerplate biopic into a compelling watch with substantial emotionality. Jessica Chastain absolutely shines in the titular role taking an infamous figure who has generally been thought of as a joke and turning her into a sympathetic figure the audience comes to genuinely feel for. Andrew Garfield shines as well in a supporting role that is multidimensional, thus allowing him to show off his capabilities as an actor. Don’t be shocked to see either end the year as top contenders for multiple acting awards.
Image: Searchlight Pictures
