The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

She was wonderful.. so very sorry she suffered so long but, always endured.

We miss you Tammy Faye.

Fmovies: My five stars are for the amazing, dead on acting and the well written, interesting script. The Judy Garland comparison was because Tammy Faye's closing performance was clearly meant to emulate Judy's powerful, heart wrenching rendition of Battle Hymn of the Republic, that she sang on her TV show the week after her friend John Kennedy died. If the filmmakers wanted to capture that mood and effect, I think they needed a slightly less repulsive character. Maybe they should have saved the scene for a movie about the Manson family women.

In an interview, the writer said that he always admired Tammy Faye because she treated an openly gay AIDS victim with respect and dignity, at a time when most of the religious right preachers called homosexuality an abomination. That's well and fair but the film brushes right past many other alleged aspects of her character and white washes many things about the lives of Tammy and her eminent husband, Jim.

By all allegations, Jim Bakker wasn't just a closeted gay man who stepped out on his marriage and paid off his young female lover. He and his friend Fletcher allegedly drugged and gang raped numerous young women and a few underage males, as well. The Bakkers allegedly stole millions of dollars from their followers, all in the name of Jesus, of course. By all reports, Tammy Faye wasn't a poor victim. She allegedly was a knowing enabler, if not a complicit co-conspirator.

I keep saying allegedly because I was not there, my information is not first hand and I make no formal accusations. I do know that a court of law, after hearing of his alleged crimes, saw fit to sentence Jim Bakker to forty five years in prison. Somehow, perhaps by divine intervention, he was released in less than five years. The film touches on virtually none of that.

The real Tammy Faye loved country songs and even recorded The Ballad of Jim and Tammy, putting her own words over the melody of Harper Valley PTA. I'm not sure if she ever heard the country classic about standing by your man, though. From what I can see, she prospered and lived better than a queen from her husband's crimes and indiscretions. When the money, fame and power were gone, so was Tammy Faye. Even if one could present the argument that Tammy Faye didn't know about her husband's activities, she went on to marriy a close business associate of Jim's, while Jim was in prison. The film skips right over that, too.

In recent years, Jim Bakker has told his followers that Jesus would not save them if they didn't support Donald Trump. He also tried to mass market what was proven to be a totally phony cure for Covid. None of that is mentioned.

Were Jim and Tammy targeted by the government for political reasons, as the writer seems to think? If so, I'd say that this was a truly noble gesture on the part of arguably biased politicians.

If Charles Manson's son wants to make a film that paints his father as an honorable citizen, that's his right. This well written, intelligent but ultimately shallow and one sided script almost feels like a serious version of the Mel Brooks parody within a comedy, Springtime for Hitler. This is a good film and I'm not suggesting that anyone shouldn't see it. I'm just saying that, in the opinion of one person who remembers the story well, it is far from an accurate depiction of the people involved. The writer seemed proud of the fact that the children of Jim and Tammy liked his film and appreciated his depiction of the

You've seen this film before. You've seen this film so many times before. Let's go through the list:

• Film starts at the end of the protagonist's journey and then proceeds to be told entirely in flashback
• Protagonist has a troubled childhood and has a dream that is disapproved of by their parents
• Protagonist meets somebody who shares their dream and marries them
• Protagonist begins to have success, thrusting them into an unfamiliar world of high expectations
• Protagonist's initial morals begin to get corrupted by those around them
• Protagonist struggles with the pressure and starts to rely on drugs and alcohol
• Addiction leads to a downward spiral where the protagonist loses everything
• A now humbled protagonist begins to rebuild their life by going back to their roots
• Final scene summarizes the whole film with flashbacks to stuff you already saw
• Postscript describes the fates of the characters and shows a side-by-comparison of the actor to the real person

This film literally came out a few weeks ago in "Respect", and just a few years ago with "Judy", and then a few years before that with "Ray".

Jessica Chastain gives 110%, lending true emotional resonance to a handful of scenes, particularly a standout moment where she shares a conversation with an AIDS patient.

Like the de-aging in "The Irishman", I found myself solely staring at Chastain's protruding cheekbones and extensive makeup throughout the first act and eventually coming around to her look. If recent history has taught us anything, it's that the Oscars think the most makeup is the best makeup, so slot this into your nomination predictions.

"The Eyes of Tammy Faye" is good enough to be begrudgingly watchable in the moment, but nowhere near good enough to live in my memory the second it fades to black.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye fmovies. I thought this was a solid movie. Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield really get to show off their acting skills as they immersed themselves into the characters of Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker. I really enjoyed it.

This biography film... well done! The lead casts have done an amazing job portrait the characters. The way they look & they way they talk, so real.

Love the script & directing, it definitely told their story in detail. 2 hours film... not wasting any second.

I'll start with the obvious: Andrew Garfield and Jessica Chastain absolutely disappear in this film (especially Chastain). This is due to their amazing performances as well as the amazing costume, makeup and hairstyling teams. They both deserve to be nominated as do the cosmetic team.

And what about the film itself? I'm usually not a huge fan of biopics, but this is a damn good film. It didn't villainize the Bakkers. Instead, it shows how they began with honest and innocent intentions of spreading love and joy but got caught up in the greedy world that is televangelism. It never condemns or disparages Christianity. Rather, it simply raises questions and issues that can arise when religion and society are forced to coexist and what that looks like for the people involved.

It raises so many interesting narratives and thought-provoking questions (sometimes to its detriment): When does a church cease to become a church and, instead, become a business? Can preachers have nice cars? Can they even sin? Is it vain for a woman preacher to wear a ton of makeup and want to be the center of attention? The dilemma of homosexuality and Christianity.. Those are just a few of the many issues I found tossed around.

And that's what I love about films like this: they ask questions, not answer them. They don't try to force a dogma or agenda down your throat. They simple pose a question and let the audience debate among themselves.

Of course, it is a biopic, so you also feel an intense amount of empathy and care for Tammy Faye's character. I teared up multiple times in this film watching her deal with all her internal struggles while simultaneously having to put on this holy facade for millions around the globe everyday.

I have a couple of minor nitpicks. It would have been best to leave out one or two subplots for the sake of narrative cohesion and tightness. I also would have liked to see how they reacted to their exponential climb toward wealth and fame in the early stages. They kind of brush over it quickly for the sake of time (understandably so), but you never get to see them grapple with this sudden stream of luxury and celebrity.

This is a really important and intimate while also very entertaining movie, and I really hope that it and the crew behind get some recognition at the Oscars.