The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Have you ever gotten into a loop of film clips of particular scenes on YouTube? Have you done this for a film you’ve never even seen? You basically zip through a motion picture with the major moments, without actually getting into the nitty-gritty of the storytelling itself. You understand what’s happening, but there’s close to zero actual submersion going on, as if the film is background noise. Well, if you’re curious as to what that would feel like as a film that you aren’t skipping any scenes from, then check out The Eyes of Tammy Faye: a rare head scratching misfire from Michal Showalter. Adapted from the documentary of the same name, Tammy Faye honestly feels like a rushed high school report that can parrot what one learned from watching the film, but without much actual personal interpretation put into the final project. Not once could I correctly identify what this picture was trying to do: satirize the lunacy of super-evangelicals, view the rise and fall of Tammy Faye Bakker from her own perspective of innocence, carry out an in-depth discussion about the dangers of toxic practices of religion that prey on the vulnerable, or provide a thorough look at the PTL scandal. It does none of this, whilst trying to tackle far too much at the same time.
We chronologically begin with Tammy Faye as a child having her religious epiphany, but it’s the kind of scene that could be summarized by a well thought out line of dialogue (or two) in a stimulating conversation. This kind of rushed setting-of-scenes — which contain zero opportunity for immersion — informs you right away that this will be a Sparknotes version of a very complicated and infamous life. You’d be proven right in thinking this extremely quickly, as the film sprints past how Tammy Faye met future husband Jim Bakker, how they got picked up by various producers, and other major milestones. In fact, the pregnancies of Tammy Faye Bakker get focused on more than her actual kids, of whom we see for mere minutes (I can’t recall even seeing the youngest child at all, now that I think about it, or maybe I forgot the single glimpses of them being featured). Somehow, in a standard (and generous) two hour biopic, we learn a lot but pretty much nothing at all about Tammy Faye Bakker or anyone around her. It’s an astonishing achievement, considering how difficult that is to pull of (and how easy it is to basically avoid).
The Eyes of Tammy Faye is worth watching for its acting and on-screen work, and that’s pretty much it.
The film is saved by Jessica Chastain, who puts out a performance of a lifetime as Tammy Faye Bakker. The fantastic makeup job on her and everyone else is only a portion of the story. I’ve seen slightly better performances by Chastain (my favourite may always be in Zero Dark Thirty), but here she is arguably at her most transformed. She is a multi-angle threat with her charming quirky side, her depressed and vulnerable moments, and one hell of a control on her vocal capabilities (which we had yet to hear until now). She’s as packaged as one can be for an awards season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Chastain dominated the Academy Awards (and other ceremonies). Let us not gloss over Andrew Garfield’s achievements as Jim Bakker either, especially since he is as committed and believable as ever. Together, this dynamic power couple of thespians recreate one of America’s most maligned duos, and pump some life in this otherwise stale picture.
Outside of the on-set and post-production magic that recreate the eras of the Bakkers’ lives quite well, The Eyes of Tammy Faye is insufficient as a source of information, or as a coherent story. In fact, I learned more about the Bakkers with the hyperlinks on Wikipedia than the film itself, including the construction of the religious theme park Heritage USA (which The Eyes of Tammy Faye includes as an anecdote; wouldn’t you like to learn more about what exactly makes a theme and water park Christian?). From the opening shot post-credits to the title of the picture, you’re clearly meant to feel like you’re living through the eyes of Tammy Faye, and yet the film has borderline zero focus on the mind of Tammy Faye. We never really get placed in her shoes and live as her.
Regardless, we don’t really feel like we’re seeing what she saw either, with the occasional unflattering sequence that paints her out to be goofy (when the rest of the film tries to sympathize with her). What is the thesis here? Well, from the use of found and documentary footage that basically reveals the entire outcome of the film right at the start (the fall of The PTL Club and husband Jim Bakker), it’s clear that the film doesn’t know what to do with the information it has at its disposal. We pick up on any plot based cues as to what is going on, but I’d imagine borderline anyone could here. We’re not left thinking to piece together the film, nor are we spoon fed. We’re basically being fed nothing but toast, rice and water (without anything to enhance this experience) the entire time. This is a meal, but it’s really a mediocre one: streamlined information with zero nuance. I doubt anyone is going to watch The Eyes of Tammy Faye for the story alone. You know this is an acting juggernaut, and that you shall receive, with some of the finest performances of 2021. I won’t stoop low and profess that this is a poor case of Oscar bait, though. I can tell something greater was meant to be told here. Sadly, it doesn’t resonate whatsoever, and we’re left with one of the most watered down cinematic experiences in recent memory.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.