Better Angels: The Gospel According to Tammy Faye: A Review
by Karen Pecota

Dana Adam Shapiro | USA | 2024

A four-part docu-series about Tammy Faye Bakker is orchestrated by renowned filmmaker Dana Adam Shapiro in Better Angels: The Gospel According to Tammy Faye. One might ask why produce another documentary about Tammy Faye since two fascinating projects, a documentary feature and a Hollywood biopic THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE, starring Jessica Chastain, have showcased in recent years? The reason being is that in Shapiro’s research about her life he notes, “There were so many stones left unturned—so many characters, so many ideas worth exploring.” Adding, “The Bakkers were the ‘First Family of Reality TV,’ so they filmed everything. We had access to a treasure trove of personal material. It was like Pandora’s Box.”

Including the amount of archival material of the rise and fall of the Bakker’s ministry, Shapiro could not be more thankful to have their son, Jay Bakker, as a reference and guide to his family’s tragedy and legacy. Noting, “Jay grew up in the spotlight and when things came tumbling down, he was only eleven years old.” Adding, “His ongoing struggle to make peace with the past really anchors the film in the present.”

Shapiro’s film is propelled by the fact that he feels the importance of bringing balance to Tammy Faye’s life that’s been honored, scrutinized, and ridiculed in the public eye. There is more than meets the eye one can admit by looking behind the scenes. Shapiro feels like it is only fair to question, “How did we get Tammy Faye’s story so wrong?” I could sit and listen to Shapiro talk about his research for a long time. Not being a Tammy fan going into the project Shaprio says, “The truth is much more interesting. It’s biblical. It’s a cautionary tale about faith, family, money, power, sex, revenge.” Impressive is his longing to genuinely understand Tammy Faye’s complicated journey of faith, her love for God and mankind.

Shapiro notes that the title for his film came from listening to Frye Gaillard, a religion reporter for the Charlotte Observer, “He used ‘Better Angels’ to describe Tammy during an interview. It comes from Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address…on the brink of war, he implored his fellow citizens to come together by listening to the “better angels” of their nature. Shapiro said, “That’s what we need to do right now.”