Starring: Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Cherry Jones, Vincent D’Onofrio, Mark Wystrach, Sam Jaeger, Louis Cancelmi, Gabriel Olds, Frederic Lehne, Chandler Head
Distributor: Disney / Searchlight
Runtime: 126 mins. Reviewed in Feb 2022
Reviewer: Fr Peter Malone msc
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Tammy Faye Bakker and her husband, Jimmy, were famous evangelical preachers from the 1960s to the 1990s until Jim Bakker was jailed from embezzlement. This is a portrait of Tammy Faye.
With this focus on evangelical Christianity, on pastors and ministry, especially television ministry, this portrait of Tammy Faye Bakker will elicit a variety of responses.
There are those for whom religion is not important and will review the film as a biographical study, looking at it in the context of American culture. There are those who are hostile to evangelical Christianity, especially in the United States, its moral and political stances, their perspective being confirmed by this story. And, by contrast, there are the evangelical Christians themselves, who might find themselves targeted at times, but who will identify with some of the characters, the development of the television ministry, a belief in the central characters and a willingness, perhaps, to forgive them. In fact, there are also Christians who find evangelical Christianity difficult, some of the severe moral stances as well as the exuberantly extroverted way of worship and will review this film with some curiosity.
Older audiences may remember the scandal in the 1990s when television evangelist, Jimmy Bakker, was exposed as having embezzled millions of dollars from his Christian television company. But, in fact, the face of the scandal was his wife, Tammy Faye, something of a dominating personality, especially on the television shows, always made up, reminiscent of the Dolly Parton style of country and western singer and presentation.
And, as portrayed by Chastain, this is who Tammy Faye is. We are taken back to her childhood, her mother playing the piano for the church, Tammy Faye wanting faith, converted, an experience of speaking in tongues. And then, to ministry training where she encounters Jim Bakker (Garfield) rehearsing a sermon on prosperity Christianity – God blessing those who hope for success in this world. They click, they begin a ministry, building up quietly, encountering evangelist Pat Robertson and joining with him, moving to the world of evangelical television. And the smiling repetition on screen of their final good wish, ‘God loves you’.
The couple work well together, Tammy especially with her puppets attracting a children’s audience and then their parents. But, Bakker becomes involved in financial deals, donations rapidly coming in, his setting up homes for various charities, even an ambitious plan to build a Christian theme park. But, especially with some of his associates, there are suspicions. The question throughout the film is how much Tammy Faye knew about her husband’s wheeler dealings or whether she just simply bypassed them, accepting them and success and possessions as the fruit of her husband’s successful ministry.
D’Onofrio appears as Jerry Falwell, prominent in the 1980s and 1990s with evangelicals, a stern moralistic critique of American culture, wary of Tammy Faye, trying to bail out the television network from its financial woes.
The film takes us into the world of evangelical media religion, with sequences of the shows, the appeals, Tammy Faye and her folksy presence, and the development from Sunday shows, to shows during the week, to 24-hours, to satellites and worldwide streaming.
By the end, Tammy Faye has become disillusioned with Jim, caught up in some sexual issues and scandals on his part, a divorce, him in prison, her children (who collaborated with this production), her dependence on sleeping pills and other prescriptions, and attempted rehabilitation – and, symbolic of the perspectives of American evangelical religion, Tammy singing at Oral Roberts University, accepted by the audience, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, the flag, saluting, Tammy Faye praising the United States.
An interesting and sometimes intriguing look at US evangelical Christianity.
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