CULTURE
By Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP
Sister Rose Pacatte, FSP
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FILMS SOCIAL ACTIVISM Just Mercy (2019) Restrepo (2010) Cries from Syria (2017) Cesar’s Last Fast (2014) Last Call at the Oasis (2011)
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ammy Faye Bakker (Jessica Chastain) meets Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield) when they attend the same Bible college in Minnesota. In 1961, they marry and move to South Carolina, where they begin a traveling ministry. They cross the country as a Gospel act: Tammy Faye sings and plays the accordion, while Jim preaches. In 1964, the couple creates a puppet ministry for Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). Robertson (Gabriel Olds) tells Jim that if the puppet show is a success, he can host a late-night show, The 700 Club. After the Bakkers leave CBN, they cofound the Trinity Broadcasting Network in California in 1973. Soon the partners have a disagreement, and the Bakkers move to Charlotte, North Carolina, where they begin the PTL Club, a late-night talk show. This grows into the first Christian Satellite Network and reaches 120 million people a year. The Bakkers build their headquarters in Fort Mill, South Carolina, which includes Heritage USA, a Christian-themed amusement park. Jim is investigated by the FCC and the IRS for fraud and misuse of donated funds. While Tammy Faye has a brief affair with a musician, Jim is accused of paying off Jessica Hahn, who claims she was raped by Bakker and another PTL staffer. Roe Messner (Sam Jaeger), who is deeply involved in the Bakkers’ business affairs, delivers the hush money. Jerry Falwell (Vincent D’Onofrio) assures the Bakkers he will handle the situation. But he breaks his promise, and the PTL ministry is lost. In addition to telling the story of the Bakkers and the history of televangelism, the film offers a nuanced portrait of Tammy Faye. It looks beyond the makeup, hairstyle, and wardrobe to the heart of a good woman with a simple message: “God loves you just the way you are.” She was the first televangelist to interview a gay man and pastor with AIDS on live television, thus reaching out to the LGBTQ community. Chastain’s compelling performance is filled with empathy. She believes Tammy Faye’s legacy is needed more today than ever before, as the actress told me in an interview. Garfield inhabits the role of Jim Bakker in all his moral complexity. Jerry Falwell’s well-documented homophobia is conveyed by D’Onofrio in a commanding performance. This award-worthy film is based on a 2000 documentary of the same name.
Not yet rated, PG-13 • Some sexual content and drug use.
42 • October 2021 | StAnthonyMessenger.org
CODA: COURTESY OF APPLE TV+; NOT GOING QUIETLY: PEOPLE’S TELEVISION INC.
Sister Rose’s FAVORITE
THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE
LEFT: COURTESY SISTER ROSE PACATTE, FSP/MIKE BLAKE/REUTERS; THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE: SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES/EPK.TV.COM (2)
Sister Rose is a Daughter of St. Paul and the founding director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies. She has been the awardwinning film columnist for St. Anthony Messenger since 2003 and is the author of several books on Scripture and film, as well as media literacy education.
