The Eyes Of Tammy Faye
Cert 12A, 126 minutes, in cinemas 4 February
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Andrew Garfield, Cherry Jones Director: Michael Showalter
THE PLOT In the 1970s and ’80s, evangelical Christian preacher Jim Bakker (Garfield) and wife Tammy Faye (Chastain) win big success with their PTL (Praise The Lord) TV show and later network. But cracks appear in their façade of a happy, devout lifestyle. WHAT’S RIGHT WITH IT? This passion project for Jessica (who produces for her own Freckle Films) gets under the skin of an intriguing character: a fun-loving evangelical who embraced wealth, while also standing up for the LGBTQ community and AIDS sufferers. WHAT’S WRONG WITH IT? It’s hard to top the Rupaul-narrated 2000 documentary of the same name, which covered the same ground. VERDICT See the film that could earn Jessica her third Oscar nomination. ★★★★ Charles Gant