Rating: 
Summary: Simply Divine
Review: This is an inspiring and thought provoking look at TV's first family of Christian television. Even before seeing the film, I had long believed that PTL and the Bakker's had been railroaded by fellow "megachurch" televangelists who were jealous of their success. The film confirms this. Tammy Faye (Bakker) Messner is one of the most delightful women of our time. She takes her hellish life circumstances and comes out victorious in the end. This film is a must see for anyone who believes in restoration that only God can give.
Rating:
Summary: Humerous, revealing, sad, campy, crazy, and on.....
Review: This was an unexpected surprise when I saw this come to theaters. I ran right out and saw it. I loved it! Now I own the DVD and and it's an essential part of my collection. Tammy has always come across as a big clown faced bad joke. She definately had camp appeal, which was a reason I went to see this in the first place. I really began to appreciate her naive sweetness when she was on her sadly short live talk show, with the hysterical Jim J. They had a massive chemistry and I was hooked. In this documentary you will realize that Tammy is adorable, loveable, and unintentionally charming. You just want to give her a big hug! Granted, she can be a bit over dramatic and will cry at any given chance, but she's also funny and genuinely sweet. She will make excuses or justifications for some of the flagrant things that was done with the "Partner's" money, but you feel that she naively believes it all. The film chronicles her from the beginning to the present. See wonderfully hysterical bits of Tammy and Jim on their improvised puppet show, a bit before all the televangelism started. Watch her throughout the 70's uprise, the 80's drug addiction and downfall, and the 90's disappearance. Very revealing and entertaining from start to finish, but also kinda sad. When Tammy pitches her idea to a USA network executive for a show called "Tammy's terrific teens" she gets rudely shot down. You just know it woulda been a hit, well at least in some sections of society. Tammy desperately needs to be given a chance to return to public view. I think people will be able to see the sweet, funny lady that's hiding beneath all that makeup.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not THAT good
Review: Two and one-half stars, actually. I agree with the other reviewers that you will likely come away from watching this movie with a more positive view of Tammy Faye (Bakker) Messner. (And an equally more negative view of Jerry Falwell!) But this movie is a sad indictment of the shallowness of the electronic church and the faith of its fans and creators, and hence as a testimony to Tammy's professed faith (i.e., belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of the world) - as opposed to a testament to the woman's practical faith (i.e., no matter how many lemons life hands you, keep making lemonade) - it falls quite quite short. I was eager to watch this film after reading all the positive reviews (and after also reading son Jamie Bakker's book SON OF A PREACHER MAN - which I recommend), but I was disappointed. Rent, don't buy.
Rating:
Summary: Touching, entertaining look at an easy target
Review: We rented this mainly because we like documentaries and this was supposed to be a good one. I was very impressed, and also moved. I remember not being able to stand the sight of this woman back in the 80's, and being extremely satisfied when the Bakker's empire crumbled very publicly. Maybe I just got sick of hearing about them, and the media did not exactly paint a flattering portrait. I started out this movie feeling pity for Tammy Faye, but began to admire her as it went on. I had no idea she was gay-friendly way before it was fashionable to do so(and even now, I don't think there are too many gay-friendly televangelists), and had no clue that she had a TV talk show with an openly gay co-host. Not to make media headlines for being 'daring', either. With many other celebrities, you get the feeling they figured out, "Hmmm, gay men seem to really love me, I think I'll use this and cash in on it". With Tammy it's clear that she is not calculating at all but just a very friendly person with no prejudice. The movie, narrated by RuPaul, chronicles her life, and gives her side of the story of the scandals. There are interviews with her current and ex-husband, and many of her friends, people she worked with, and biographers. The film includes great archival footage of her early television shows (if you think she has big hair *now*, just wait) to her later ones. The movie is divided up into chapters that are introduced with sock-puppets (this is not as ridiculous as it sounds, though the movie has plenty of humor). In one scene Tammy confronts a reporter who wrote a very unflattering, and Tammy says untrue, book about the PTL Empire. This and several other scenes are hard to watch (though it's fun to see the reporter stammer when Tammy asks him point blank why he printed lies about her). In another scene I felt like watching through my hands over my eyes, during a point in her life when she was addicted to prescription drugs, we see Tammy sort of wandering off in the middle of a broadcast to remark on the backdrop, pretty whacked out. When I found out the circumstances that led to her doctor prescribing something to calm her down, I wasn't disgusted but more surprised that she wasn't taking every narcotic she could get her hands on at the time. I remember thinking back in the 80's that anyone who walked around looking like Tammy and carrying herself confidently was out of their mind, or at best, delusional. At some point during the movie- probably a scene where she cheerfully pitches ideas for TV shows to someone probably 20 years younger than her at the USA Network (you get the feeling maybe he won't make fun of her as soon as she's out the door, but it's easy to imagine him having a good laugh with someone he knows later as he tells them about his encounter)- I realized she is just, well, being herself. She knows that her heavy eye makeup is "her trademark", and is proud of it. Let's face it, it takes real guts for this woman just to walk down the street when most people consider her a punchline, a cartoon, a freak, or all three. She is not a stupid woman and knows this, but holds her head up high anyway, and carries herself proudly. How many people would be brave enough to do that? I never thought I'd say this, but after seeing this, I have a newfound respect for Tammy Faye. If the film-makers intentions were to have people view the subject of their documentary in a different light, then they did an excellent job, and I don't have any complaints about it at all. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about Tammy (even if only out of morbid curiousity, like I did at first) and loves a fascinating, touching documentary. Be sure to wear waterproof mascara when watching it, though. A note on the DVD-not much in the way of extras, though it does include the theatrical trailer. However, I'd still recommend it wholeheartedly.
Rating:
Summary: Best Documentary Ever...
Review: Who would have thought that a documentary could be such a crowd-pleaser! This is definitely better than anything you'll ever see on A&E biography or on one of those VH1 Behind the Music shows.This account of Tammy Faye is perhaps biased in favor of the make-up-loving former first lady of evangelism, yet it works somehow. We see a more gentle side of Tammy Faye that has often been distorted by media portrayals of her husband's scandals. You will leave this movie feeling like a better person. If you are a Christian, then you will probably feel like a better Christian after seeing this movie (being able to see more clearly some of the hypocricy that exists out there in the church as a whole). Tammy Faye is not perfect or sinless, but she sure is likeable and charismatic in her own eccentric way. Take a look at this film. A+
|
