The Eyes of Tammy Faye, based on the documentary of the same name, depicts the rise and fall of the famed televangelist (Jessica Chastain) and her husband, Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield). I was lucky enough to see the film a little early, as well as some of the cast and crew at a Q&A afterward. Every actor gave their own sparkle to each character portrayed - you really like Tammy and you hate pretty much everyone else.
The movie is accompanied by songs that are actually sung by Jessica as Tammy. What can’t she do?? While I don’t think this film is the most amazing piece of cinema ever created, I felt it told Tammy’s story well, with a good mix of sympathy and honesty. Andrew Garfield did a great job portraying Jim, letting Jessica shine far brighter as she should. Humanizing otherwise villainous or problematic figures is a popular schtick nowadays. I am the last person to think that doing this could lead to people sympathizing with Jeff Bezos, as ant-anti-hero detractors fear will happen due to their small brain capacities and moral superiority complexes, but I was still wary about how the filmmakers would go about it this time.
Focusing on Tammy helped ground the story as one about true devotion from her end while showing Jim’s downfall as one not brought about by willful villainy but by blind passion. Allowing audiences to see Tammy’s childhood as a neglected daughter from a broken marriage longing for salvation and belonging allowed her the sympathy and understanding she deserved. Especially after having her name dragged through the mud mostly due to her husband’s scandals.
Jessica Chastain came out for the Q&A looking gorgeous and confident as ever. Her hair is truly a sight to see in person. I have recently admired her social media game, mainly her ability to sincerely participate in TikTok trends without being extremely cringe, but I truly appreciate her dedication to her work on the big screen as well. I won’t recite the whole discussion, but some specific moments stuck with me. The story of Tammy’s makeup was brought up, with the host wondering if her use of cosmetics was a way for her to mask her true self. This was something Jessica had clearly deliberated on for a while because her answer was so insightful. She said when she first started filming she believed that was correct, but by the end, she realized that the makeup was actually Tammy showing her true self rather than hiding it. The host then said he thought Jerry Falwell was the real “true believer." Jessica was taken aback by this and stated that Tammy Faye was, she believed, the true believer in the film. The host clarified that he meant Falwell was a very hard-line worshipper and Jessica continued to advocate for Tammy as being the one person in the film who truly believed in both God as well as her own words. As an actor, she felt it imperative to show audiences the real Tammy. Q&A aside, I think that’s clear watching the movie alone.
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