*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
A biopic starring Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield, who are undeniably two of the most talented actors working today, that tells an intriguing story about controversial televangelists sounds like it would be a guaranteed hit both at the box office and in terms of awards potential. Unfortunately, shortly after its release in the United States in September last year, The Eyes of Tammy Faye became a box office bomb, grossing just $2.4 million, and, at the time of writing my review, it doesn’t look like it’s going to do much better at the Oscars, aside from a nomination for Best Make-Up & Hairstyling and Best Costume Design. This is disappointing as The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a good film that sees both Chastain and Garfield impressing with their performances as the eccentric and religious couple. The former, who is hidden under layers of transformative make-up and prosthetics, stands out as Tammy Faye. Chastain is also one of the producers of The Eyes of Tammy Faye and was inspired to have a feature film made after watching Tammy’s documentary. It’s easy to understand why as Tammy is an incredibly interesting individual who lived a fascinating life. In the 1970s and 80s, Tammy and her husband, Jim, rose from humble beginnings to create the world's largest religious broadcasting network and theme park, and were revered for their message of love, acceptance and prosperity. Tammy was legendary for her indelible eyelashes, her idiosyncratic singing, and her eagerness to embrace people from all walks of life. While Tammy could have easily been portrayed as a caricature, Chastain succeeds in humanising her. Although Tammy isn’t one of the most likeable characters Chastain has portrayed, she’s certainly one of the most fascinating. For Andrew Garfield, 2021 has been an incredibly busy year as he has appeared in four films, including tick, tick… BOOM! and Mainstream and returned to one of his most famous roles as Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home (hopefully I’m allowed to say that, especially considering it’s been out for almost two months and is the highest grossing film of 2021). Although his performance as Jim Bakker doesn’t represent him at his best, it further proves why Garfield is regarded as one of the most talented actors working today.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye is directed by Michael Showalter who is best known for making the comedies, The Big Sick, which was released in 2017 and was a success both with critics and at the box office, and The Lovebirds, which was a disappointment when it was released on Netflix in 2020. Although it’s not as funny as the former, The Eyes of Tammy Faye is an improvement over the latter as it’s more memorable. While Tammy is unique, the film itself feels like a standard biopic and tells her story in a straightforward way, with many aspects of her life being rushed as screenwriter Abe Sylvia struggles to capture it all within two hours. However, making a film that tells Tammy’s story effectively was always going to be a challenge. Those who know who Tammy and Jim are may be surprised at some of the revelations in the film. While Tammy had a lively and upbeat personality, off-screen, she had her own issues. The Eyes of Tammy Faye shows a side to the eccentric televangelist many people may not be aware of.
Because Tammy Faye wasn’t widely known in the United Kingdom, I think that The Eyes of Tammy Faye will struggle to find an audience, especially with such a limited release. I still think it’s worth a watch, especially for Jessica Chastain’s transformative performance.
7/10
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