Harefield Gazette

HIGHER POWER PLAYER

JESSICA CHASTAIN PUTS IN A HEAVENLY PERFORMANC­E AS FAMOUS US TELEVANGEL­IST

- THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE (12A) REVIEWS BY DAMON SMITH

BASED on the award-winning 2000 documentar­y of the same title, The Eyes Of Tammy Faye dramatises the rise and fall of “the Ken and Barbie of televangel­ists” through the heavily mascaraed eyes of its easily duped heroine.

Director Michael Showalter and scriptwrit­er Abe Sylvia offer an exceedingl­y charitable portrayal of the relentless­ly upbeat woman at the centre of an embezzleme­nt scandal, which sank the evangelica­l Christian PTL TV Network and originally sentenced Tammy’s husband Jim to 45 years in prison on fraud and conspiracy charges.

Tammy Faye Grover (Jessica Chastain) is raised in a blended family of eight children in Internatio­nal Falls, Minnesota by a devout mother (Cherry Jones), who hides her eldest daughter from the congregati­on to avoid public reminders of her failed first marriage and divorce.

In 1960 at North Central Bible College, Tammy meets Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield) and they forego studies to marry and establish a travelling ministry, which leads to a big break on the Christian Broadcasti­ng Network (CBN) under Reverend Pat Robertson (Gabriel Olds).

Jim’s ambition sows the seeds of The PTL (Praise The Lord) Club and he openly woos conservati­ve pastor Jerry Falwell (Vincent D’Onofrio). However, Falwell’s lip-curling rejection of homosexual­ity troubles Tammy and she defiantly interviews Aids patient Steve Pieters (Randy Havens) on the TV network.

“What you see is all there is of me,” chirrups the luminous Chastain as Tammy in an early scene. It’s a barnstormi­ng, allguns-blazing central performanc­e that fixates on the wife’s overly trusting nature without making cruel fun at the altar of her campness and theatrical­ity.

Chastain doesn’t hold back, whether she is enthusiast­ically spreading the word of the Lord through Tammy’s handmade Susie Moppet doll, building a successful music recording career or feeding her diet soft drink addiction through a lipstick-smudged straw, before she trades carbonatio­n for prescripti­on medication.

Oscar nomination­s have been snagged for far less.

Conversely, Garfield feels underpower­ed as the architect of the couple’s downfall. Depicted as a materialis­tic social climber, who gaslights and manipulate­s in pursuit of the gaudy trappings of fame, it’s tough to believe Tammy keeps on her blinkers for so long.

The Eyes Of Tammy Faye is a sparkling showcase for Chastain’s multi-layered metamorpho­sis.

She comes closest to divinity but the rest of Showalter’s sermon is far from heaven, too convention­al and narrow in its critical judgment to teach us anything new about the showbusine­ss of televised ministry.

In cinemas from Friday

 ?? Faye Bakker ?? Andrew Garfield as Jim Bakker and Jessica Chastain as Tammy
Faye Bakker Andrew Garfield as Jim Bakker and Jessica Chastain as Tammy
 ?? ?? Andrew Garfield as Jim Bakker
Andrew Garfield as Jim Bakker

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