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THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE Send This Review to a Friend
One of the strongest films in the New Directors/New Films 2000 series (see Special Reports) was an entertaining American oddity, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye." Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have created a satirical documentary of Tammy Faye Bakker, the wife of preacher Jim Bakker, who was sent to prison amid accusations of fraud. Presenting Tammy Faye straight would be enough of a satire, but they have added a wink, partly through introducing various segments with puppetry, and partly by highlighting aspects of Tammy Faye that are bound to elicit laughs.
Yet she also emerges as a strong if pitiful character, a woman who seems to have believed in all of the preaching and trappings that went with their religious broadcasting mission. She comes across as a survivor of adversity, a woman who feels she isn't attractive without her heavy make-up, yet a person with a bent for show business, whether it be promoting religion on television or talk show hosting. She has a sense of humor about herself, yet is driven to succeed at something, anything that will bring her celebrity.
The film makes observations about what happened to her and Jim. It gives voice to her view of minister Jerry Falwell as their enemy, who, she alleges, took advantage of them. The documentary doesn't attempt to sift the truth, but is content to etch its portrait of Tammy Faye and the world in which she has moved. Thanks to her being a larger-than-life character no matter what one thinks of her, the film is immensely entertaining, as well as a depressing bit of Americana. A Lions Gate Films release.
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