By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Michael Showalter
Starring: Andrew Garfield | Cherry Jones | Jessica Chastain | Mark Wystrach | Sam Jaeger | Vincent D'Onofrio
Country: united_states
Year: 2021
Running time: 126
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9115530/reference
Thom says: “Director Showalter (who seems to be a Hollywood jack-of-all-trades as he has numerous credits as Director, Actor, Writer, Producer, Soundtrack, Self, & Thanks) started out with a decided disaster with the insipid THE BAXTER (2005, 1 CAT) but THE BIG SICK (2017, 4 CATS) was much better. Still, I probably decided to watch this so I could compare it with the 2000 vivid documentary THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE (3 CATS, amazingly featuring RuPaul #113). Jessica Chastain as Tammy Faye is so entirely captivating that I really stood up and took notice. With creative prosthetics and make-up, the A-List star is completely transformed and here she shines with her creative approach to the televangelist giant who brought an outrageous flair to her task at hand, who had the most disastrous fall imaginable with a very public Hell-on-earth. I have seen Chastain in innumerable roles and while she is always more than adequate, she’s never excelled. (A few days later I saw her in the derivative MISS SLOANE, she was just OK).
“So here we have Chastain & Andrew Garfield as Jim & Tammy Bakker a charismatic duo who rose from humble beginnings to be one of the most successful in the televangelist craze rivalling Pat Robertson, Jimmy Swaggart, even the especially odious Jerry Falwell (here played by an almost unrecognizable Vincent D’Onofrio (grown huge from his ‘pretty boy’ stage). But at the height of their amazing career, they had a tremendous, scandal-ridden fall, involving humongous financial improprieties, & Gasp! it was revealed that Jim Bakker was homosexual (a terrible no-no in the televangelist world to this day). Jim eventually was sent to prison for a long term, and while Tommy Faye was never convicted of any wrong-doing her career was largely over. Garfield who I’ve largely thought of as his Peter Parker role, makes such a transition here as the sleaziest of men, that the 1st image is gone forever. I especially enjoyed Cherry Jones, far astray from her usual cheery approach to a role (I first noticed as a smart, troubled POTUS in a season of 24), plays Tammy Faye’s dour, dark mother. Chastain is just perfect as Tammy Faye, all great false eyelashes, strange singing, & accepting of all types in her heartwarming approach to the Lord. Ironically, she openly embraced gays along with all humanity which certainly did not sit well with her specific world. I can see if one has no interest in religion, it might be hard to embrace this strange creature, but this atheist found her endearing. 4 cats“