Os Olhos de Tammy Faye

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.