The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
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The film explores the rise and fall of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker and her tumultuous marriage to Jim Bakker.
The story
Young Tammy Faye LaValley is initially denied entry to her mother's rural fundamentalist church until she sneaks in and is deemed to have performed a miracle. Years later, while studying at North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, she meets and falls in love with the charismatic Jim Bakker. Despite disapproval from Tammy's mother, the two marry and move in with her parents. Their charismatic preaching and children's puppet show eventually earn them a position with the Christian Broadcasting Network, where they become popular hosts of children's programming and eventually establish their own television network.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After establishing the PTL Satellite Network, Tammy and Jim move to a compound in Tega Cay, South Carolina. As the press and Democrats criticize the network's tax-exempt status, Tammy develops a pill addiction and becomes flirtatious with a music producer, leading Jim to fire him. In the mid-1980s, Jim focuses on a Christian theme park while Tammy interviews an AIDS patient on their show. Following a collapse during a taping, Tammy enters rehab and argues with Jim over his subservience to Rev. Jerry Falwell. Falwell eventually usurps control of PTL following scandals regarding Jim's financial debt and extramarital affairs. Jim is imprisoned for embezzlement and fraud, leaving Tammy jobless and forced to sell her possessions. By 1994, they are officially divorced. Tammy eventually accepts a guest preaching offer at Oral Roberts University. A textual epilogue reveals Jim returned to televangelism after prison, while Tammy supported LGBTQ+ communities until she died of cancer in 2007.
- First release year
- 2021
- Runtime (minutes)
- 126
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Michael Showalter
- Writers
- Abe Sylvia · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Jessica Chastain · Tammy Faye Bakker; Andrew Garfield · Jim Bakker; Cherry Jones · Rachel; Vincent D'Onofrio
- Genres
- biographical drama
- Themes
- faith and politicization; marriage and divorce; addiction; financial fraud; LGBTQ+ support
- Tone and mood
- biographical; dramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; drama; religious; true story
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2000 documentary of the same name by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato of World of Wonder
- Reception
- Critics praised the performances, particularly Jessica Chastain's, but criticized the screenplay, noting it was inferior to the documentary. The film received mixed or average reviews on Metacritic.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 55 · scale: 100 · review count: 48; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Best Actress · Academy Awards · 94th · win; Best Makeup and Hairstyling · Academy Awards · 94th · win; Best Actress · SAG Award · win; Best Actress · Critics' Choice Movie Award · win
- Production trivia
- Jessica Chastain acquired the rights to Tammy Faye Bakker's life in 2012.; Chastain wore false teeth in certain scenes to match the way Tammy Faye smiled.; The film's makeup took between 4–7 hours in the chair with prosthetics.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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