‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ goes beyond lashes and liner
The best parts of Jessica Chastain’s remarkable performance as the title character in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” are the quiet ones, the small gestures.
That’s partly because they’re relatively rare – Tammy Faye Bakker was not exactly known for her restraint. And Chastain doesn’t hold back when it comes to Bakker’s over-the-top personality and performances. Because that was a big part of her contribution to the lucrative ministry she and her husband, Jim Bakker, shared: performance.
That was a big part of Jim’s contribution, as well. He once mused that if Jesus came back, he would be on TV.
The Bakkers were. “The 700 Club” made them stars of a sort, a celebrity they took full advantage of. Tammy Faye, with her outsized personality and heart-onher-sleeve and tears-on-her-face appearances, was an integral part of its success. Both the film and Chas
tain are most effective, however, when they show her more introspective moments.
Michael Showalter’s movie is based on the 2000 documentary
Michael Showalter’s film (in theaters Friday) is inspired by the 2000 documentary of the same title. That well-regarded movie went behind the makeup to explore Tammy Faye’s complex life.
Showalter’s film opens with a makeup artist trying to wash everything off of Faye and start over. It won’t work, Tammy Faye says. Everything left is permanently applied. There is no washing it off. This is how people see her, she explains, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chastain effectively gets at that strange mix of obliviousness and selfawareness that defined Tammy Faye. It’s the type of role actors covet, and Chastain does not waste the opportunity.
Nor does Andrew Garfield, who plays Jim. He’s another tricky personality to portray convincingly – enthusiastic, gregarious, ambitious and crooked as a country road.
The film charts their relationship, meeting at a Bible college where their unapologetic personalities and enthusiasm for biblical passages and each other don’t go over well with the administration.
They marry, to the chagrin of Tammy Faye’s mother, Rachel (Cherry Jones with a devastatingly quiet performance). Chagrin is kind of Rachel’s specialty. She’s the sort of person who likes to suffer silently while making sure you notice. Jones perfectly captures the type.
Tammy Faye hits on an idea: They’ll spread the word of God through puppet shows. It works, eventually landing them on TV.
Bakker convinces Pat Robertson (Gabriel Olds) to give them a late-night show. Reluctantly he does, and it becomes wildly popular. But not with everyone – not even with those who call themselves Christians.
Robertson throws a party attended by the Rev. Jerry Falwell (Vincent D’onofrio), who makes it clear he has no use for Tammy Faye’s ideas as he rails against the “gay agenda,” along with about 15 other agendas he dreams up. Tammy Faye is progressive in this crowd, saying God loves everyone the way they are.
She might as well have spit in Falwell’s face. In D’onofrio’s portrayal, he’s a real monster.
Jim isn’t crazy about Tammy Faye stirring the pot, but he’s distracted, what with all the money mismanagement and mistress payoffs he has to worry about, along with the massive expansion of his empire. The film recreates Tammy Faye’s interview with Steve Pieters (Randy Havens), who has AIDS. She’s compassionate and supportive.
Falwell, who happens to be visiting the studio walks out.