Movie Review: The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
Letterboxd link: 5 stars
I didn’t expect this to make me cry.
I grew up down the street from PTL and its amusement park. Televangelists were a part of my culture. Even though I did not jive with that, being a quiet Episcopalian that didn’t pray in public, much less believe in the prosperity gospel, I knew Tammy Faye was…different, somehow.Â
She visited my mom’s work, a social work establishment for moms at-risk of becoming abusive, and donated money to the support hotline and goods to the families, and she was so humble and sweet. One of the social workers flat out asked her about her makeup, and this was around the time of the cheating, so she must have been feeling particularly lonely, because her honest answer was that she never took it off. She said she slept in it, for she was afraid that if Jim saw her without it, he would leave her. So the beginning scene teared me up immediately.
If you want to see her uncensored and completely sweet and lovely as a LGBTQ ally, watch her season of The Surreal Life on Apple. Just Everyone’s Momma energy.
Her son, Jay, is a marvelous pastor for all, following his mom’s example. His church has met in bars and bowling allleys.
His memoirs:
Fall to Grace: A Revolution of God, Self & SocietyÂ
Faith, Doubt, and Other Lines I’ve Crossed: Walking with the Unknown God
Jay’s Revolution Church podcast on Apple Podcasts
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