User Reviews

Greetings again from the darkness. We now have the latest example for those who fall on one side or the other when it comes to documentary vs dramatized biopic. Director Michael Showalter (the excellent THE BIG SICK, 2017) and writer Abe Sylvia have adapted the 2000 documentary from Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato - and even kept the same title. The focus here (obviously) is on Tammy Faye Bakker, as she and her televangelist husband Jim skyrocketed to fame before imploding in a quite public and spectacular fashion. Jim went from world-renowned Christian TV personality to scandal-burdened prison inmate, while Tammy Faye rose up from roots of poverty to beloved personality, before becoming a media and Talk Show punchline caricature.

Regardless of your preferred biopic style, or your memories of the Bakkers' rise and fall, most of us can agree that Jessica Chastain delivers a superb and entertaining performance as Tammy Faye. Already established as one of our finest actors, this is truly a passion project for Ms. Chastain, as she purchased the film rights nearly a decade ago. Here, as you might expect, her features are often buried under prosthetics and mounds of make-up to achieve the oh-so-familiar Tammy Faye look. She captures the babyish voice, the recognizable chuckle, and even sings the songs (very well) that Tammy Faye sang on camera and released albums.

Depending on your expectations, the film serves up a sympathetic view of a true believer with a heart of gold, or it merely skims the surface of a ministry filled with fraud, greed, and deception. And it's likely both. Tammy Faye is a bit of an enigma. As a child, she was forbidden by her mother (Cherry Jones) from attending church, as she served as a reminder of the 'Scarlet D' (divorce) burdening her mother. However, one sip of the sacrament sent young Tammy Faye (Chandler Head) into speaking in tongues and on the road to North Central Bible College where she would meet Jim Bakker.

Andrew Garfield portrays Jim Bakker, and captures the very familiar speech pattern and effeminate mannerisms of the man who proclaimed God did not want poverty for his followers ... a belief that led first to the Bakkers' "The 700 Club" on Pat Robertson's (Gabriel Olds) Christian Broadcasting Network, and ultimately to their own network and "The PTL Club", followed by Heritage USA, a Christian theme park. Along the way, they crossed paths with the powerful, ultra conservative Christian, Jerry Falwell (a reserved Vincent D'Onofrio), a man who was envious of the number of followers and the dollars generated by Jim and Tammy Faye. Falwell filled a significant role in how things played out for the Bakkers, and that part is touched on here.

Showalter opts to open the film with a montage of newscasts reporting the Bakker collapse, followed by Tammy Faye in 1994 commenting on her famous eyelashes by stating, "That's who I am." The rest of the film is a re-telling of the Tammy Faye story, though we are left to ponder, 'How much did she really know?". We see a good-hearted person - a woman brave enough to publicly stand up for the LGBTQ community despite the objections of powerful men in the church. We also see a woman who enjoys fine luxury living and asking few questions, while consistently holding to her message, "God loves you. He really does." Evangelicals, hypocrisy, financial standing, and political influence are all part of the story, but this is no deep dive into what sent Jim Bakker to prison. Even the Jessica Hahn scandal garners but a brief mention. Instead, this is the story of one woman who was trusted by so many prior to becoming a punchline. One could even say Jim and Tammy Faye were the pioneers of Reality TV, and their rise and fall are only unusual due to the ties to Christianity.

In theaters September 17, 2021.

The film was decent. Its a bit annoying at first but you get used to the flow. And it is a must see for one big reason: Jessica Chastain! What a tremendous performance by her. She really soaked herself into that role f Tammy Faye and went through many great character developments. You really forget its Chastain from the very first second she is on screen. So far he best female leading performance I have seen this year and I am glad she is receiving all that awards attention. She is so much more than the film itself, which was not too bad, but also kind of your ordinary biopic.

Andrew Garfield was on the edge of overacting at times but generally okay. I really loved Cherry Jones who nailed the role of he mother quite perfectly.

I am not really familiar to the true story behind this movie so I cannot judge how accurate it is. I can just say that Chastain did her character justice, in the way that she defended her and allied with her but was objective enough to also portray and show the failures of Tammy Faye. It was more sides to show and I think Chastain perfectly embodied this.

From other perspectives it was quite well drafted, I loved the make up work and if you are into gospel I think you will have a blast with the soundtrack, too.

Although I didn't remember many details I clearly recall Jim and Tammy Faye from things going on in the mid- to late-1980s. This movie focuses on Tammy Faye but her story can't be told without focusing on how she and Jim got together in the first place and their rocky years as televangelists.

Count me among the skeptics over televangelists in general. My favorite biblical passage (slightly modified) concerns this, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is to find a totally honest televangelist." Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggert, just two of the charlatans who preached the word while enriching themselves and behaving badly. Look around today and you'll find many more still in business.

But why blame them? If it weren't for the gullible flock who believe their gas-lighting and lies, who send in donations so that they can be "saved", the televangelists wouldn't exist. Jim was crooked, Tammy Faye was gullible, they both were weak and couldn't resist living the lifestyle of luxury that their ministry allowed.

Although a bit too long, a really good movie, especially for those of us who remember Jim and Tammy Faye when they were in their prime. Chastain, who also was a producer, simply nails the role as Tammy Faye, and she also does all her own singing. I already knew she was talented, I just didn't know how talented. And, she did win the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance.

At home, on DVD from our public library.

In this bio pic, Tammy Faye and her husband, Jim, create a religious network to reach millions of people and bring them closer to God, but Jim's shady business dealings and lustful urges bring them to their knees.

Both Chastian and Garfield are wonderful as Tammy and Jim and Chastain even does her own singing, acquitting herself nicely. Cherry Jones is also wonderful as Tammy's disapproving mother.

Make your punters feel the urge to part with cash, chuck some lippy on, to each eye, apply a large and long eyelash, tell them what they want to hear, push the boundaries as far as you dare, then wait for almighty retribution, while you're counting up your stash.

Great performances but ever so slightly shallow.

I was born in 1985. PTL was only on the air until 1989, so I never saw an episode. I'm from Charlotte, NC, so growing up I thought I knew all the basics about the "scandal".

I didn't meet Tammy Faye until 2000. 15 years after she fell from Grace in the court of public opinion.

We met when I was working at Stein Mart in Matthews, NC. I was a 15 year old cashier. She came into my line one day, and I said "Hi Tammy Faye". She looked shocked, and said I was too young to know who she was. I told her she knew my mom, told her my mom's name, and she instantly remembered her. She met my mom when my mom was the teenager who worked customer service who ordered her custom eyelashes for her from a local store called Jamco. My mom eventually became head teller at the bank that PTL had it's accounts with, so she interacted with Tammy for years.

After that day anytime Tammy would come in we'd talk. Sometimes for a couple minutes, and sometimes longer. Tammy became my own personal Dolly Patron. Her personality was larger than life. We were kindred spirits. We both share a love of makeup, clothes, and shoes. We both never left the house without makeup. We just instantly clicked.

I never heard Tammy ever speak a negative word about anyone. She was the most genuinely kind person I have ever met. I grew to love her almost immediately. Her spirit was contagious. She had almost a child like quality about her. Being around her made you feel good. She radiated pure love, and empathy.

The last time I saw Tammy she had cancer. She was so frail I almost didn't recognize her, but she had her hair and makeup done as always. She introduced me to her son who was with her. What I respect most about her is that she went through cancer on her terms. She never let it change who she was as a person. I asked how she was, and she told me she was at peace with whatever the outcome would be for her because it was in God's hands. A couple weeks later I heard the news that she had died. The world got a little darker that day without the light of Tammy Faye in it. I will always believe she was one of the best people that I have ever been fortune enough to meet, and get to know.

I was lucky enough to be cast as an extra in the film "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" you'll see me quite a few times in a bubble gum pink dress, sunglasses, and hideous beige hat.

I was scared that this would be just one more round of bashing Tammy. As soon as I stepped on set I saw the love and care that the entire cast and crew was pouring into the movie. The first time I heard Jessica laugh portraying Tammy I did a double take because I thought it was her. Jessica embodied Tammy completely. It was like Tammy reached down from Heaven, and took up residence in Jessica's body. It was the most incredible thing I've ever witnessed. Watching Jessica embody Tammy in person was like having my friend back for a couple of days.

The movie does an excellent job of telling the truth. Tammy was naive. Tammy was trusting. She was those things still long after the PTL scandal. She was the most devout Christian who I have ever met. She had absolutely unwavering faith in God through everything she had been through.

Tammy was honest, but she was not cruel or mean spirited. Her honesty always came from a place of love, and she was the first to be honest about her own failings and shortcomings. I believe Jim knew he didn't have the personality to make his vision a reality. He saw things in Tammy that he knew he could never be. He needed a face for his empire, and Tammy was the perfect mascot. It was blatantly obvious that he later became insanely jealous of the fact that she got more attention than he did. She believed she was helping others while Jim was always, and to this day still is helping himself.

There is a reason why Tammy was never charged, and Jim was over the PTL mismanagement. Someone can be innocent in the eyes of the law, and still crucified in the court of public opinion fueled entirely by the media.

Was Tammy perfect, no. She was human, and would be the first to tell you that. Was Tammy a good person? Without a doubt. She was the best of us.

Thank you to Jessica for fighting so hard to give Tammy a voice. She would have been thrilled at the way you portrayed her on film. I feel like Tammy was finally given a bit of the justice, and respect she so deserves. You absolutely deserve an Oscar for your performance.

Thank you to the rest of the cast, and crew for being so kind to us extras. You all helped to capture Tammy's spirit, and remind me how fortunate I was to know her in my own small way. I hope the world can finally see just a little bit of the incredible person who I knew.

Jessica Chastain's bravura, committed performance lifts Michael Showalter's 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' above its middling, problematic writing. While the makeup and costumes are stunning, and the performances are flawless, the plot isn't compelling enough to warrant a two-plus-hour run duration. It's still entertaining, but it blows the opportunity to provide incisive views on religion, politics, and money.

Barely anything about the Jessica Hahn scandal is mentioned, and Faye is portrayed more as a victim than the huckster she was. Decent performances although at times both she and Jim Bakker come off a bit too cartoonish.

Nowhere near as entertaining as the documentary of the same title.

Jessica Chastain is absolutely "fearless" in her performance as Tammy Faye in a very complex leading role. I went to see this film to watch her. Jessica Chastain blew my mind . There is no question in my mind that Chastain will be nominated for a best actress Oscar. She was tremendous and worth the price of admission.

The film is very entertaining and surprisingly funny given the subject matter. The production presented detailed dedication to period accuracy in every visual detail from set design , wardrobe , hair and make-up, direction & screenplay. A first class period piece in its own right.

In the 1970s and '80s Tammy Faye and her husband Jim Bakker 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 Faye was legendary for her indelible eyelashes, her idiosyncratic singing and her eagerness to embrace people of all walks of life.

I knew very little about the subject matter beyond what was in the news when I was a teen. This was covered in the film , but also expanded on the story telling with superb character development . Jessica Chastain raises up in this formula biopic about televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker by giving viewers an absorbing, amusing and provocative performance . It's a 'big' role with a physical transformation, (the race for best makeup begins here) ;To recreate her famous look, from the wigs, to the shoulder pads, and, of course, the spidery lashes, Chastain underwent a full transformation to portray Bakker over four decades, requiring four to seven hours in the makeup chair as makeup, wigs, and extensive prosthetic's were applied. It is a radiant , soulful performance and one that was very entertaining . Worth seeking out . 8/10.

This is a somewhat disappointing movie because I think it could have been way much better that it is (yet, it is not terrible - do not get me wrong). But most of its flaws are mostly overcome thanks to a stellar performance from Jessica Chastain. Don't get too much hype on this and watch it. It deserves to be witnessed.

For starters: the acting was very decent, but the story avoided edgy criticism to the money grabbing TV pastors. Yes there was a taste of that but could have beeen more shown. I do not buy it that there was any genuin faith in Tammy and Jim's life, except the faith of money. After checking Jim Bakker his Wikipedia bio, I really think he is much worse person than portrayed in this movie, specially what he has been doing last couple of years! I urge you to read that.(from "Return to televangelism" & further) because in the movie his story ends being in jail... Horrible man! Tammy Faye SEEMS much more likeable but again, I do not buy the love for God part, only the love for money..... Movie is "noncontroversial.

"Faith isn't political." Tammy Faye (Jessica Chastain)

But Faith is in The Eyes of Tammy Faye-not just a biopic full of secular missteps but also smart, sympathetic, light-hearted, poignant, and the best female performance of the year. This is from someone who thought Jennifer Hudson in Respect could not be bested.

As Tammy Faye Bakker, Chastain (also a producer) stakes out the dramatic territory of resembling the star-crossed televangelist and giving a nuanced performance, including commendable singing, that could make you want to see both Tammy and Jessica again in another completely different drama. You could also want to see a less innocent Tammy if you remember her blind eye for her husband's manifold indiscretions and corruptions.

Forget the makeup, which is remarkable by the way, and just enjoy the masterful depiction of an American classic woman-a star rising to the top at a time when television itself was rising in prominence (beaming shows with a satellite was practically a new weapon). She became a star asserting her talent when men tried to refuse her talent, a woman who rebelled against being left alone while her husband, Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield-playing a smarmy wimp) took the glory and money. Also, a woman who had blind faith in God and mammon at the same time.

Director Michael Showalter, clearly sympathetic to Tammy, deftly takes the complicated soul from wide-eyed innocent to a wayward but still naive adult whose increasingly-gaudy makeup paralleled her fall from grace. Tammy and Jim's descent, ending in his going to prison for fraud and her losing her beloved television presence and Heritage USA theme park, is an accurate depiction of pride's and wealth's inevitable toll.

Besides Chastain's memorable performance of a talented woman determined to be more than just a trophy, Eyes is a docudrama chock-full of issues like gay love, male impotence, social repression, and most of all, the morphing of religion into entertainment.

Allied to these sinful markers is the couple's acknowledgement that wealth is ok to be pursued, even if you preach Christian charity. That Tammy and Jim built in the '70's and '80's the largest TV ministry, the PTL Network, would have been a remarkable feat except for the sinful ways they flourished.

As Chastain plays her, Tammy barely knew the shenanigans Jim and his buds, like Jerry Falwell, devised to milk their worshipers for wealth and real-estate empires. The Eyes of Tammy Faye is not just an historical docudrama; it is a fitting chronicle of the misalignment of church and state and the corruptions of success.

Eyes is a messy Greek tragedy of sin and redemption that won't let you take your eyes off it. Especially if you see it on the big screen.

Everything is pretty much good with this movie. Oscars and other prizes won are very disserving.

If the subjectmatter doesn't bother you should watch this movie.

You just can't do justice to a controversial couple's lives over a 50-yr period in a 120-min treatment and that's one of the reasons this gets a middling rating. Too many major aspects of their lives and careers were simply glossed over. This was like a 2-hr teaser for the 10-hr docu-series it should've been. Maybe if you never heard of them you wouldn't be as miffed but then again, why watch this really if you never heard of them, that's kinda the point of this, to peel back their layers, to get behind the scenes of the headlines from back then. And it was the little things that picked at me hard, too, like Tammy Faye's makeup was infamously over the top but they barely showed that here. And Jim Bakker had the largest, square-ish glasses besides Elton John but that didn't show in the film at all.

7/10 - granted I am a little too young to be very familiar with the source material, but I found this true story adaptation deeply fascinating and was wowed by the performances that really made you empathize with their characters (I'm really talking about Jessica Chastain because my goodness she was amazing)

I was watching the Susan Hayward movie "With a Song in My Heart" a while back. It's one of those biopic melodramas from the 1950s where the thinnest of plots is strung together with a lot of songs and glamorous gowns. The whole thing is mostly mediocre, but then there was this scene at the end where Hayward, in character as singer Jane Froman, performs a concert for a bunch of U. S. service men in WWII and sings one patriotic number after another. I've never been a huge fan of Hayward, but in that moment, something clicked and the whole movie came alive on the strength of her screen presence. I sat there thinking "so THIS is why people like Susan Hayward." My entire opinion about that movie is colored by that scene, and I think back more fondly on it than I otherwise would have because of it.

Something similar happens with Jessica Chastain in "The Eyes of Tammy Faye." This is mediocre biopic material all the way. But there's a scene at the end where Faye is performing for a congregation after all of her public troubles have decimated any confidence she has that she's going to find a sympathetic audience. It deftly blends the concert as it's actually happening with a fantasy playing out in Faye's head, and the entire movie comes alive in a way it hadn't up until then. It's all because of Chastain, who gives one of the performances of the year in a movie that doesn't deserve her. At any one point during the movie, it's hard to take it seriously or even care much about these washed up people -- I mean with the world the way it is right now, don't we have bigger concerns than a televangelist couple from the 1980s? But when taken in aggregate and thinking back on the movie after I had a chance to process the entire thing, I realized what a tremendous performance Chastain gave. It's almost a greater testament to a person's acting ability when they can make such a huge impression in a weak movie than when they knock it out of the park in a movie that's as good as they are.

While my personal favorite among the nominated actresses this year is Olivia Colman in "The Lost Daughter," there would be no shame in giving Chastain her due for this movie.

Grade: B.

This film "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" was one film I looked forward to seeing all year, and after watching I was entertained and informed about the life of one complex lady. The film is showy and a high key take on a past known late legend and the performance from Jessica Chastain as Tammy was godsend(give her a golden globe or best actress Oscar!). The movie is a revealing bio like journey of the 60's, 70's, and 80's showing the humble and sheltered early life of one little Tammy in small town Minnesota. It's when Faye(Chastain) meets a young Jim Bakker(Andrew Garfield) at a bible college the two fall in love it's like both were heaven sent to marry and spread god's word.

Along the way the power faith couple meet Pat Roberson and get a start in religious TV and soon start the cable broadcast network "PTL". Both spread love and care for the poor only the acceptance of taking donations gets out of hand as faith and easy money mix leading to luxury and high living. Along the way the Jim and Tammy couple befriend preacher icon Jerry Falwell and branch out to other ventures while Tammy sports memorable eyes and a bright lighting smile while singing with a powerful voice on the side. Yet thru it all money, ego, inner conflict, rivals, and moral scandal would nearly destroy Jim and Tammy. Overall well done near flawless movie that's made believable and the acting and screen chemistry is fine, if anything watch for Jessica's transformative performance as Faye it's an acting clinic.

WOW. NOT about the movie. About a person transforming themselves into a COMPLETELY ENTIRE ENTITY! Chastain is beyond enything I've EVER SEEN. ITS why people become actors. She's BREATHTAKING, BRILLIANT, and I am Out of words.......,,

The Eyes of Tammy Faye attempts to re-cast tele-evangelist Tammy Faye Bakker as, among other things, the naive victim of her avaricious husband, a champion of the underdog and a gutsy, heroic survivor. But to achieve this the movie script performs all kinds of magic tricks with the facts. It ignores how Tammy Faye knowingly colluded with Jim Bakker for decades, defrauding their hapless followers of millions and living in the lap of luxury at others' expense. It largely overlooks how she stood doggedly by Jim's side, often crying for the cameras, through a litany of allegations of financial impropriety and sexual misconduct (including rape), abandoning him only when the money dried up and he was no longer going to be a viable meal ticket. It ignores how she then married another criminal, Roe Messner, who was was subsequently convicted and jailed for massive bankruptcy fraud. The woman was a grifter all her life. She was nobody's victim. She didn't "survive" Jim; she simply moved on to her next scam. I get why Jessica Chastain saw Tammy Faye as the role of lifetime: a larger than life character, outlandish costumes and make-up, the drug addiction, the scandal, the fall from grace and the public attempt at redemption. But if you're going to play a clownish villain, then why not go all the way and tell the truth, rather than withhold key facts, soften the edges and pretend Tammy Faye hurt nobody but herself? All of which pretty much makes Jessica Chastain as shameless a huckster as Tammy Faye herself.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a riveting, uncomfortable tragic-comedy about Tammy Faye Messner nay Bakker and that bucket of chum-I mean charm her husband Jim and what it's like to be suffocating and perpetually sickened in a flaccid marriage hooked on Diet *Coke. It can't help but venture into beats where it finds the comedy in this living nightmare of Propsperity Gospel in part because the director Michael Showalter comes from that background (from Wet Hot American Summer to The Big Sick), but also because there are times if you don't have a laugh at the absurdity and near surreality that Tammy has found herself in and can't escape, because you know Patriarchy (and of course the scene where she pulls up the chair to the All-Men table is with as loud a chair as can be and only "Jerry" responses instead of Reverend, and dog bless her for that) you could right well explode. It should be awkward to be in these spaces some/most of the time. I'd feel awkward if you weren't feeling that way.

There are at times the movie can't not escape some moments or scenes where surely one thing happened in the real story and then a thing concurrently didn't (ie Tammy Faye talking to the Steven the AIDS guest on TV as Falwell happens to be visiting that day and tales umbrage with what he's seeing), and once the fall-out happens and Jim goes to prison the movie feels like it's going too long most in those last twenty or so minutes when up until then the pace has been terrifically jumping but connecting from one time to the next.

It's also hard not to wish a few details were kept in that strangely got left out either due to its already long runtime or who knows what - and I don't even mean Jessica Hahn, that's fine as it's ultimately Tammy Faye's story and that matters mostly inasmuch as what it does to drill the final nail in the coffin like a thunderbolt, I mean that Tammy Faye actually *married another PTL head honcho (the one we see briefly flirting with her in the golf cart) who ALSO went to jail for crimes while at the company. Sweet Jebuz!

But ultimately this is a film for an actor to sink his/her/their entire solar plexus into, and Chastain (also producer) never makes Tammy Faye's faith a butt of a joke. That's remarkable because the film could have made it a mockery and her belief and prayer is played and written completely sincerely, and yet at the same time she understands that this was a simultaneously someone who could fill a room with her presence while being the most chipper and wholesome thing this side of Mr. Rogers (she even had the puppets!) Every note she's give to play she performs it like she's trying to find a deeper level to tap into, and importantly she understands too when moments behind the scenes and on TV take on this heightened pitch-black comic state all on behavior.

As for Andrew Garfield, it's his best performance yet. He makes Jim Bakker into, well, what if Ned Flanders happened to get injected with a bit of the spirit of Jordan Belfort? A seemingly wholesome guy who actually is a total fraud in his beliefs as well as his practices, and every grimace and tightening of the face muscles is communicated loud and clear, not to mention how he pitches his voice which is a significant part of Chastain's work too. He makes Jim Bakker so pathetic and yet he never feels like he will slip totally into self parody, like as awful as he is he is still a human being and those faults are what makes him who he is. These are BIG personalities and Garfield, who I've found in so many roles to have this knack for creepy, makes him someone you can't stop looking at.

This turned out as good as I was expecting as far as the story (want more check out the You're Wrong About which I might add Chastain did in preparation, too), and my only other hope is it doesn't get buried too far come awards time.

"I won't go forward looking in the rear view mirror of my life. This is who I am."

The Eyes of Tammy Faye takes an intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker. She and her husband, Jim Bakker, 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. This bio pic is based off of the documentary of the same name, which I haven't had the chance to watch. Going in, I knew the basics of the story but was eager to learn much more. I have to say I left feeling a little unfulfilled, but this is such a crowd pleaser that it's hard not to take some liking. Michael Showalter can be a hit or miss with directing. His style is uneven here, but when you look at how strange Tammy Faye and Jim were it does work in most cases. It's nothing showy, in an artistic way, but it matches the energy of the story and characters. And the script is the same way. I wish some things didn't play out the way they did, but it's all about the strange tone. The dialogue is mostly good and gives the actors a chance to show off their skills. You could tell when things were written to have that classic Oscar scene. It's the story that could've been fleshed out more. Like I said, I wanted to go in knowing more, and I got just a little more information than I knew previously. Parts of their lives that seem important are just touched upon lightly. For example, her kids are mentioned/seen one or two times and then completely given up on. And Tammy Faye's beliefs and contributions towards gay rights have but one scene and then thrown away. We get pieces but never the full picture like I wanted. But the way it's played off, it's hard to be concerned until after the watch. With a topic like this, there are lessons to be learned that it tries to get at. We're watching two people doing something not so great, but we can sympathize with Tammy Faye. These subjects of televangelism, religion and politics, and capitalizing off of religion that they were almost afraid to get in depth with. It's a perfect opportunity to talk about it, but it just doesn't do it. They were more focused on character which is understandable.

The one thing that occupies our minds the whole time is how incredible Jessica Chastain is. This is the performance of her lifetime! She's unrecognizable in manner and makeup, giving it her all. I have yet to see Kristen Stewart in Spencer but I would think it would be hard to beat Chastain with what she does. Not only is she does she look different, but she changes her voice too to what sounds exactly like Tammy Faye, plus she sings! And you bet she cries a lot and her makeup runs. Andrew Garfield as also terrific as Jim Bakker. He does that funny voice too and gets straight into character. I wish there was more with Jim because we don't get to know as much about him as we do his wife. Obviously, this is about Tammy Faye but Jim is a big part and we didn't get as deep as we could've. The two are caked in makeup from start to finish. It spans their lives from college till close to death (though we do see a child version of Tammy Faye). Slowly, they become unrecognizable which is pretty cool. The only complaint I had with it is the cheeks were a bit puffed out and when it's that far out they don't move and it can be noticeable. If the movie did one thing to perfection, it was getting performances out of the two.

The movie plays out like you think it would for a bio pic. There's a few surprises as it goes along, but it's pretty easy to see what will happen. During the last act, though, there's a good 20 minutes where the movie's not sure where to go and it drags a little. The ending is spectacular but the build up was the weakest bit of the movie. I have thoughts on how it could've been handled better, but I did have such a fun time with the movie. It's hilarious, interesting, and has good messages (when they want to touch upon them) that can be learned from. I know we're still in a pandemic and box office still isn't at the rate it used to be, but it's getting there. With as much hype as this movie was getting it absolutely bombed at the box office, like bad for being in a pandemic bomb. Some theaters weren't playing it and maybe people forgot it was being released because unless it's a big studio film, not much has been advertised. The chance that this will go to VOD in a few weeks seems likely and o think this would be something to check out. If there's a theater playing it, go there because you know it'll most likely be empty given it's box office performance.

Such a waste of talent! Jessica Chastain's performance was lit; the costume and production designs were amazing, however, this movie suffered from a huge flaw in pacing and on the whole the script.