| THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE |
2000 - USA
Director: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato - Reviewed by Linda 
This was a real crowd-pleaser at the 2000 Seattle International Film Festival, as everyone knows that there is something about televangelism where you just can't look away. But then maybe that's just me, as I sometimes sneak a peak of the Trinity Broadcasting Network as I'm making dinner... Oh. Anyways, you can't help but being won over by Tammy Faye Bakker in all of her made-up glory in this documentary tracing the rise and fall of her and Jim Bakker's PTL televangelist careers. Oh, and there are good examples of Jerry Falwell proving once again what a bastard he is. Even though she is a bit of a freak, you can't help but root for Tammy Faye to triumph. The title of the film points out her most notable asset—those eyelashes!—but also refers to a habit she mentions in the opening scene: She likes to keep eyeglasses of dead friends and relatives, and wear them to remind herself of the person. Hmmmm. One the things the film mentions is that she was one of the first public celebrities to visit AIDS victims in hospitals in the 80s, with TV cameras trailing her, showing her giving hearty hugs to the stricken patients that most people were deathly afraid of touching at the time. She was, and is, unafraid of expressing her opinions that may not be quite on par with the majority of the church that she represents... and how can you not like that? My only gripe is that the filmmakers added a lot of "camp" (like puppets announcing subjects, á la the mouse-chorus in Babe; over-done hallucination scenes, etc.) that mocked smirkingly the subject that they otherwise seemed to try to represent with some objectivity. Overall, The Eyes of Tammy Faye is quite interesting and entertaining, not to mention having the best movie poster of the summer! |
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