The Eyes Of Tammy Faye is a biopic about televangelist Tammy Faye. The story opens on Tammy Faye(Jessica Chastain) on a later-in-life performance then flashes back to her as a child in rural Minnesota, being ostracized on Sunday because she is the product of a divorce, it then jumps to her in seminary where she meets Jim Bakker(Andrew Garfield) where the two fall in love and hit the road as traveling ministers. They eventually meet Pat Robertson(Gabriel Olds) which begins the televangelism which quickly snowballs into a media/ministry empire.
Chastain gives a cornucopic transformative performance, the make-up, the clothes, the voice, the infectious personality she totally inhabits and transmits. It's truly wonderful. Showy, perhaps, Oscar-baity, sure but none the less its absolutely transfixing. And what's most impressive, as well as compelling, is that she brings reality to the character, dimension and layers and emotion, faults and virtues and all. There is comedy but it is never at her expense, but too punches aren't pulled in regards to the scandal, to misdeeds, willful ignorance what have you. It's not a hit piece but it's certainly not sugar coated. Really stunning. Garfield gives equally thought to the more transparently suspect Bakker and although his complicity and guilt is much more clear Garfield still works hard to provide Bakker with humanity. The supporting cast has some impressive turns, particularly from Cherry Jones as Tammy's mother, but the majority of the time and attention is spent on Faye and Bakker.
If not visually or structurally particularly unique, it functions, director Michael Showalter is not known for his filmmaking flair what he is known for is empathy, elevating the humanity of a story, and he succeeds in spades here. Although the cinematography may be only servicable the sets, make-up, and costuming are all superb, complimenting this bizarre, suspect, fascinating story of a woman's life that plays in some sense like an allegory for greed paired with a lovesick tragedy.
Like many scandals from the 90's(Bobbitt, Lewinski et al.) Tammy Faye was for a long time simply the butt of a joke, a caricature, pathetic, and here she's given respect and dignity which every human, regardless of their foibles, deserves.
Showalter again delivers an award worthy film(The Big Sick) with an award deserving lead(Hello, My Name Is Doris).
Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.
Don't Miss It.
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