The Eyes Of Tammy Faye (2022) Dir. Michael Showalter

This new film from Michael Showalter (director of critically acclaimed The Big Sick) stars Jessica Chastain as Tammy Faye Bakker – a Christian preacher who with her husband tour the US sharing their positive take on the gospel.

After meeting at college Tammy marries Jim Bakker (an excellent Andrew Garfield) and together they decide to spread the word of God via touring sermons and children’s puppet shows.

Not so in the UK but certainly inescapable if you visit the US, the telly evangelist does conjure up images of right-wing nutjobs screaming about eternal damnation and lakes of fire. But in this film their message of acceptance seems to be at odds with the general perception.

However, it doesn’t last long as after catching the eye of Gabriel Olds as Pat Robertson, they are offered a show on a large religious broadcasting network and also begin to raise funds for the church.

In this instance, the “church” being a luxury lifestyle culminating in debt, shady business practices and an empire of hidden dealings.

Chastain is great as the gaudy Tammy. With detailed prosthetic make-up filling out her face, Chastain’s Betty Boop-esque voice, huge eyelashes and fake tan reflect the falseness of her endeavours. But Chastain imbues her with more humanity than a flat caricature and the film asks the audience to reassess this much-mocked lady.

Tammy’s real life embrace of homosexuals and her live-and-let-live positive attitude certainly gains sympathy against the strict teachings of her contemporaries – the awful Jerry Falwell played in a mesmerising support turn from Vincent D’Onofrio. The irony comes when her own husband’s sexuality is very much questioned by Tammy as well.

The film loses some momentum in the second act as the marriage woes and financial problems continue but doesn’t push the drama anywhere in particular. As she suspects her husband may not be as loyal as appearances suggest, Tammy embarks on her own brief affair causing further resentment in their lives.

But as we head into the third act, Andrew Garfield’s stressed spouse sees his influence slip away and his concern about fame is exploited as those around him turn against the dishonest persona he peddles.

The film is mostly a black satire with the two main stars “playing it big” but there are moments of real drama and heart scattered throughout. Tammy’s endless positivity in the face of her crumbling world keeps an audience from turning against her too whilst she is surrounded by these mostly terrible individuals.

Yet with her screwball hymn singing and deadpan replies, the dialogue mostly keeps it somewhat light-hearted despite mostly skipping over drug abuse and other serious issues it depicts.

Chastain is the main draw here though. Her comedic chops shine through the prosthetics her face is covered in which must have been doubly hard given that she is also caked in layers of thick eye-shadow and lipstick as the real Tammy was. Garfield is on a hot-streak with this and Tick Tick Boom and together they make a formidable pairing. Together they ensure this biography takes the right pot-shots at religious duplicity and hypocrisy and throw in a bit of camp clowning for entertainment. Hallelujah

★★★★☆

Michael Sales