Jessica Chastain is one of the best actors in the world, capable of transforming into a character like few others can. In The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Chastain is practically unrecognizable as televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker, with Andrew Garfield similarly chameleonic as her husband, Jim Bakker.
With Michael Showalter (The Big Sick) behind the camera, we shouldn’t be surprised at how offbeat and funny The Eyes of Tammy Faye appears to be. The film centers on the circus atmosphere surrounding Jim and Tammy Faye’s climb to televangelism heights in the ’70s and ’80s. In public, the two combined showbiz flourishes to attract millions to their conservative causes, but in private they were quite different with Tammy Faye’s willingness to embrace all walks of life. Ultimately, marital infidelity, financial scandals, and more would bring them down.
The film is inspired by the 2000 documentary of the same name, narrated by RuPaul. Tammy Faye became an icon of the LGBTQ community, as well-known for her kindness as for her garish fashion sense and heavy make-up.
Also starring Cherry Jones and Vincent D’Onofrio, The Eyes of Tammy Faye opens September 17th.
