Film Review – The Eyes of Tammy Faye

In 2000, directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato created “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” It was a documentary about the crazy life of Tammy Faye Bakker who, as a child, caught the spirit of Jesus and never looked back, building an empire with her husband, televangelist Jim Bakker. The picture was intended to humanize Tammy Faye, highlighting her determination to do something with her media power while the pair experienced the highs of fame and fortune, and the lows of betrayal and fraud. It was a compelling overview of Tammy Faye without fully identifying her headspace during years of unrepentant greed. The same outcome is found with “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” a dramatic adaption of the documentary written by Abe Sylvia, which also struggles to capture the subject’s core reality. However, while the endeavor is missing necessary sharpness, it does have mighty performances from Andrew Garfield and especially Jessica Chastain, who offers captivating commitment to Tammy Faye’s strange ways, elevating the effort with her sheer enthusiasm for the acting challenge. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com