Tammy Faye Bakker (Jessica Chastain) and her husband Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield) are televangelists who care so deeply for God that they will do anything they can to spread the good word. But like everything else in life, it comes with a price. Tammy and Jim must overcome struggle in The Eyes of Tammy Faye–but Tammy is truly the one in question. As a woman in the 1960’s and 1970’s America, Tammy could do very little in regard to how she was treated by men or the media, and The Eyes of Tammy Faye depicts her rollercoaster of a journey as she tries to find her way in life.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a film receiving lots of Oscar buzz, particularly regarding Chastain in the role of the titular Tammy Faye. There’s a lot that goes into this dynamic character, as viewers need to understand how she played both the role of reserved and understanding wife as well as the outgoing, groundbreaking feminist of sorts. Chastain captures the many layers of Tammy, and she sheds light on the troubling times that Tammy often faced throughout her life.
There is something so inherently unlikable about Tammy. It may be the way she talks, the way she carries herself, or just her overall personality–but I find characters like this fascinating. I don’t always care much for the character, but it always interests me how actors are able to so wonderfully embody such an unlikable character and bring them to life. The thing that stands out to me most about Tammy (and Chastain’s performance) is the voice. I had to do a little research to understand what the real life Tammy was like, but it sounds (literally and figuratively) like Chastain hits the nail on the head. That voice is so frustrating, and, honestly, so is her entire temperament. These aspects of the character, however, are integral to the reception of The Eyes of Tammy Faye in its entirety, and they work wonders for winning over the audience.
Andrew Garfield had a heck of a 2021, playing significant roles in three major Hollywood successes. The Eyes of Tammy Faye was the first film that he starred in last year, and it was honestly just the jumping off point of the spectacular actor’s year. He’s convincing and eccentric in his portrayal of Jim Bakker, a character far different than what viewers had seen from Garfield in the past. The most important thing, however, is that he pairs nicely with Chastain, and the two have a solid chemistry that allows The Eyes of Tammy Faye to flourish in some ways.
Much like the voice of Tammy, hair and makeup play an integral role in The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and without absolute perfection the film would lose something and fail to reach viewers as intended. Tammy is the somehow larger-than-life Bible thumper that goes to extreme lengths to look a certain way, and stylists and makeup artists Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh capture the essence of what Tammy was in terms of her makeup and hair. What I’m most impressed with in this department is how different Garfield and Chastain’s faces look. It’s no surprise that Tammy and Jim have slightly larger faces than the actors that portray them, and the prosthetics look genuine, real, and anything but fabricated. The amount of time it must have taken to change the two leads’ aesthetics is incredible, and The Eyes of Tammy Faye sees a new version of Garfield and an almost unrecognizable Chastain as a result of this team’s prowess.
I’m stuck on the narrative, because it’s not one that I find very interesting. I’m not as worried about the pacing of The Eyes of Tammy Faye as I am about the content, because it’s not really a story that needs to be told. It surely has its “ah ha” moments, its instances of drama, and appeal to emotion, but I’m not sure that Tammy Faye is a character important enough to warrant an entire film.
With the 2022 Oscar season in full swing I can’t help but to compare The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Being the Ricardos. The two hits have so much in common, and that takes something away from each. To have two films so stylistically, emotionally, narratively, and tonally similar release so close to one another causes one or both to drown in the wake of the other’s success. This isn’t fair, I know this–but this is the reality of Hollywood, and viewers are privy to the fact that the stories feel redundant. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy this film, but I’m not sure that there’s a real relevance or a need for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. The acting is wonderful, and the makeup is some of the best I think that I’ve ever seen in a non-science fiction film, but The Eyes of Tammy Fay fails to truly pique my interest.
Directed by Michael Showalter.
Written by Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, & Abe Sylvia.
Starring Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Cherry Jones, Vincent D’Onofrio, Mark Wystrach, Sam Jaeger, Louis Cancelmi, Gabriel Olds, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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