‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye’ movie review: Jessica Chastain’s the sole saving grace in this dull affair

The Eyes of Tammy Faye, directed by Michael Showalter chronicles the life story of televangelists Tammy Faye (Jessica Chastain) and Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield) who were considered the Ken and Barbie of televangelism in the 80s in America. If you were to switch on a television in the 80s in the United States, the odds of you coming across a Christian couple using muppets to preach Christian values on screen was very high.

Also Read | Get ‘First Day First Show’, our weekly newsletter from the world of cinema, in your inbox. You can subscribe for free here

The movie reaches beyond the altar, delving into the circumstances that led to the couple’s fall from grace. It is a story marred with greed, infidelity and fraud told to us through the eyes of the person at the centre of the storm: Tammy Faye herself.

Tammy and Jim began their journey as naive college students who truly believed in God and his message. They come from humble backgrounds and initially, are devoted to their cause. But as soon as their televangelist venture starts to make profits, we notice God being relegated to the background and ultimately disappearing from their lives.

As the spotlight becomes a daily chore for Tammy, we start to notice her getting uncomfortable in her own skin. She soon turns her into a caricature; someone people take the liberty to mock for her gaudy make-up and voluminous hair.

This discomfort puts her at a distance from God and his message; something she has dedicated all her life to. Director Showalter manifests this very cleverly on screen. In one scene Tammy, now wearing minks and eating cake, distraught and confused, tries to speak to God — something she always did with great ease — but her pleas fall on deaf ears. Tammy and Jim, like Icarus, engineer their own downfall.

One cannot help but feel for Tammy’s innocence and naivety, as her will to heal people, circumstances and things with love is something that stands out throughout. Her belief and faith in the power of love is often heart-warming.

However, she is also a troubled hero in her own right. Tammy challenges societal norms from within the confines of religion; something that was unheard of in the 80s, and is still very rare. She made a place for herself at a table full of Republican men trying to fight the liberal agenda, and affirms that America is for the gays as well. Her compassion towards breaking the stigma faced by AIDS victims is endearing.

One would imagine that watching a story with so many layers, caveats and nuances would successfully hold the audience’s attention, but Showalter’s filmmaking is, unfortunately, not engaging throughout. The characters are dull, stiff and always at an arm’s length. They resemble the couple’s muppets reciting lines from a playbook.

However, Jessica Chastain as Tammy Faye is a saving grace. Her acting, costumes and make-up add colour to the otherwise-dull screen.

The movie also strays from facts when we see Tammy Faye in her old age living alone with a dog. One fails to understand the purpose of it, because after all, women are whole, powerful and resilient even when they are with a partner.

The fall from grace is harsh to all the people involved, and one might assume to see a bitter, cynical, old Tammy Faye. However, decades later, Tammy seems to believe in the power of love more than ever, and it is reassuring to know that love endures.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar