- Feb 5, 2002
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Whether films or documentaries about Pentecostal snake-handlers, indie films or Netflix documentaries about gay “reparative therapy,” or HBO comediesabout Falwell-style televangelist corruption, Hollywood tends to seize upon any opportunity to spotlight the scandals and most egregious examples of evangelical sin. Sadly there is ample fodder there for source material—and the pool of sordid stories seems to grow by the day.
In some ways the 1980s scandal of televangelist power couple Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker feels quaint and nostalgic compared to more recent scandals. But its colorful characters—particularly the big-haired, bedazzled, Bettie Boop–voiced Tammy Faye—are too irresistibly cinematic for Hollywood to ignore. And so we have The Eyes of Tammy Faye, starring one of Hollywood’s best actresses (Jessica Chastain) in a juicy role likely to generate awards buzz. But underneath the copious amounts of mascara and scandalous plot points, the film is at heart a (rightful) indictment of one type of prosperity gospel and an (unfortunate) endorsement of another type.
Continued below.
‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ Condemns One False Gospel, Celebrates Another
In some ways the 1980s scandal of televangelist power couple Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker feels quaint and nostalgic compared to more recent scandals. But its colorful characters—particularly the big-haired, bedazzled, Bettie Boop–voiced Tammy Faye—are too irresistibly cinematic for Hollywood to ignore. And so we have The Eyes of Tammy Faye, starring one of Hollywood’s best actresses (Jessica Chastain) in a juicy role likely to generate awards buzz. But underneath the copious amounts of mascara and scandalous plot points, the film is at heart a (rightful) indictment of one type of prosperity gospel and an (unfortunate) endorsement of another type.
Continued below.
‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ Condemns One False Gospel, Celebrates Another
