Superstar televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker was a queer ally; with her tattooed lip liner and drag queen makeup, she was a queer icon too. Disappointingly, Michael Showalter’s biopic couldn’t be straighter.
Based on the 2000 documentary of the same name by Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey, Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield star as Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker, a husband-and-wife duo whose cheery evangelical sermons and handmade puppets help them develop a cult following. By the mid 1970s, they’ve become successful enough to start their own TV network, a business venture that funds their opulent lifestyle. Their lakeside palace is a riot of cream, gold and fur. For Tammy Faye, it’s evidence that their piety has been rewarded – except Jim has been fudging the accounts.
