While this biopic has some of the problems emblematic of the genre, I actually liked it quite a bit, more than I necessarily thought I would. It’s an interesting look into the life of a complicated, very flawed woman and a fascinating dive into the world of shady televangelism.
Ever since childhood, Tammy Faye has longed to do God’s word and shepherd lost souls. When she meets aspiring preacher Jim Bakker, the two start to envision a life for themselves in which God’s plan for them involves considerable prosperity. From humble beginnings as traveling evangelists to presiding over an empire built by their own Christian TV network, Tammy Faye and Jim lose sight of whether they’re hearing God’s words or just their own desires reflected back at them.
We’ll start with the critiques. This follows a very boilerplate biopic format. We’ve got the rise from obscurity, the hard-scrabble pounding the pavement, the meteoric superstardom, the growing vices, and the fall from grace. Every traditional plot beat is well-catalogued, and the film generously employs montages and date-stamped title cards to work our way through the annals of Tammy Faye’s life. Personally, while I think the first half of the film mostly executes this format in a satisfying way, the second half falls more on the trite side of things, all but checking boxes off a list of biopic tropes.
But I do really like the film. As I said, the first half is especially engaging. I enjoy watching Tammy Faye and Jim’s awkward romance (oh, how I laughed seeing those two horny Bible college students blowing their minds as they made out with each other,) their early years of traveling-preacher ingenuity, and their ambitious first steps into fame. The cracks in the foundation are well laid out from the start, but you can also buy why Tammy Faye either doesn’t see them or refuses to acknowledge them for the sake of bolstering Jim. And as they rise in prominence, it’s neat to see how they move among the inner circle of evangelical power players, from the pioneering televangelist Pat Robertson to the godfather of megachurches Jerry Falwell. In an odd way, this film would be a rather fitting companion with Nightmare Alley, because both take you deep inside a very niche world
Most biopics live or die on two things: the acting and the hair/makeup. Coincidentally, those are the exact things the film was nominated for. I’d say Jessica Chastain’s Best Leading Actress nod is well deserved. Her Tammy Faye is at once complicated and transparent. She’s a virginal “painted Jezebel,” an ambitious woman who longs for the spotlight, a pious devotee of Christ, a bighearted soul who can’t bear the thought of condemning anyone, and the trashiest variety of nouveau riche. Her journey into ever more makeup and cosmetic surgery is alarming in its severity, but it means that the Oscar-nominated hair and makeup artists have ample material to work with.
Meanwhile, Andrew Garfield’s Jim is by turns arrogant, spineless, greedy, whiny, and deceptively unassuming. At the same time that it’s obvious how much of conman he is, there’s just enough of this glint of aw-shucks appeal that helps you understand how people fell for it (side note: 2021 was such a great year for Garfield.) The film also features Cherry Jones and Fredric Lehne (who I’ll always remember as the U.S. marshal who was after Kate on Lost) as Tammy Faye’s parents and Vincent D’Onofrio as Jerry Falwell.
Warnings
Thematic
elements, drinking/smoking/drug use, sexual content, and language (including
sexist and homophobic insults.)
No comments:
Post a Comment