THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE

BY: Hannah Wigandt

The Eyes of Tammy Faye will earn a couple of nods for hair, makeup, and costume during next year’s award season because everyone looks unrecognizable, at least according to the trailer. The biopic about the infamous televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, will see Jessica Chastain star in the titular role alongside Andrew Garfield, who plays her husband, but you’d never know that; they’re hidden beneath so much makeup. 

 

At the beginning of the trailer, Tammy Faye and Jim have just gotten married and are not yet tainted by the wild religious rollercoaster of a life that they’ll soon have. After the couple figures out their more significant purpose, which is to spread the word of God and to teach acceptance and love, they set to work creating one of the most colorful televangelists broadcasting networks ever. Jim preaches while his wife sings, and boy, does she sing. Soon they’re bathing in their riches from their fraudulent empire, and it all comes crashing down from there. 

 

When Tammy Faye’s more liberal views go against the teachings of other evangelists, things get rocky between her and her husband. The pressure becomes too great, and Tammy loses all sense. Soon their empire falls hard as the public discovers their hidden secrets. The most ironic part of the trailer of The Eyes of Tammy Faye is when Tammy Faye’s mother tells her she follows blindly, and in the end, she is blind. In the end, Tammy recognizes that there are people who need love, while her husband is indicted and imprisoned for fraud. Again, the film is a perfect example of a fall, rise, and redemption story. Only this time, it’s set during the height of the glamorous televangelist age of the ‘70s and ‘80s. 

Michael Showalter directed and based it on the 2000’s documentary of the same name directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. Starring with Garfield and Chastain are Vincent D’Onofrio, Sam Jaeger, Cherry Jones, Fredric Lehne, Louis Cancelmi, Joe Ando-Hirsh, Randy Havens, and Gabriel Olds.

 

Just from the trailer, Chastain’s work seems to be Oscar-worthy. She is transformed into Tammy Faye, literally and metaphorically, and it shines as much as her sequin dresses and garish makeup. “I just was so blown away by her and her story,” Chastain told People magazine. “The thing I loved the most about Tammy is her capacity to love. She knew what it felt like to not feel important, and she didn’t want anyone to experience that.” It took four hours in the makeup chair for Chastain to transform into Tammy Faye every day. “Every moment, I had something on my face. I have a dimple in my chin that she didn’t have, so we would seal that up. Her face was more round than mine, so I would have things on my cheeks. Their expertise just helped me so much with my confidence in playing her.”

We can’t wait to see The Eyes of Tammy Faye when it hits theaters on September 17.