By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.
By creating an account, you agree to the
Privacy Policy
and the
Terms and Policies,
and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the
Fandango Media Brands.
By creating an account, you agree to the
Privacy Policy
and the
Terms and Policies
, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.
>
By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies. Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.
>
OK, got it!
More
Certified fresh picks
New TV Tonight
Most Popular TV on RT
More
Certified fresh pick
Columns
Guides
All Hayao Miyazaki Movies, Ranked By Tomatometer
Link to All Hayao Miyazaki Movies, Ranked By Tomatometer100 Best Anime Movies of All Time
Link to 100 Best Anime Movies of All TimeHubs
Awards Tour
Link to Awards TourWhat to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming
Link to What to Watch: In Theaters and On StreamingRT News
New Movies & TV Shows Streaming in December 2023: What To Watch on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and More
Link to New Movies & TV Shows Streaming in December 2023: What To Watch on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and MoreLudwig Göransson breaks down his career from Community to Oppenheimer: The Awards Tour Podcast
Link to Ludwig Göransson breaks down his career from Community to Oppenheimer: The Awards Tour Podcast
The Eyes of Tammy Faye might have focused more sharply on its subject's story, but Jessica Chastain's starring performance makes it hard to look away. Read critic reviews
With Oscar-worthy acting from Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye makes a surprisingly effective case for its controversial real-life title character. Read audience reviews
Rent The Eyes of Tammy Faye on Vudu, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, or buy it on Vudu, Amazon Prime Video.
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Fandango
AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew
Cinemark Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
Regal Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
Theater box office or somewhere else
THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE is an intimate look at the extraordinary rise, fall and redemption of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker. 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 from all walks of life. However, it wasn't long before financial improprieties, scheming rivals, and scandal toppled their carefully constructed empire.
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content and Drug Abuse)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Director: Michael Showalter
Producer: Kelly Carmichael, Jessica Chastain, Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane
Writer: Abe Sylvia
Release Date (Theaters): limited
Release Date (Streaming):
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.4M
Runtime:
Distributor: Searchlight Pictures
Production Co: Searchlight Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, MWM Studios, Freckle Films, Semi-Formal Productions
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)
Deeply compassionate but perhaps a little too minuscule, The Eyes of Tammy Faye is the biographical movie about Christian broadcasting pioneer Tammy Faye and her rise and fall along with her bad husband, televangelist Jim Bakker. This is based upon the 2000 documentary by the same name, which is well worth watching the real Tammy Faye provide reflective insights into her unique life. For the live-action film, Tammy is played by Jessica Chastain, who apparently held onto the film rights of Tammy Faye for over a decade, meaning this has been a dream project for the Oscar-nominee. Chastain is fantastic and nails the chirpy voice, ebullient personality, and general naivete of a woman who was a true believer and loved all people so thoroughly that her empathy could be used against her, like when Jim (Andrew Garfield) chastises her for saying gay people are deserving of love, not condemnation, in front of none other than Jerry Falwell (Vincent D'Onofrio). The movie clearly presents Tammy Faye as a genuine soul, though part of this appeal is mitigated by the broadly comic tone of the movie. Under the direction of Michael Showalter, a man more known for farcical satires, The Eyes of Tammy Faye veers into stretches of camp bewilderment, where the movie is inviting you to laugh at its eccentricities. It never fully stabilizes, and the movie feels like it wants to humanize this woman but then also laugh at her. To be fair, Tammy Faye is such a broadly theatrical character who undergoes dramatic physical changes as she ages, her heavy makeup becoming like warpaint. The film's makeup is likely going to be an Oscar-front runner as it completely transforms Chastain into the chipmunk-cheeked Faye over the course of four decades. The best parts of the movie for me were the strife between her and her husband, an insufferable man too high on his own ego and jealous of his wife's success. When Jim Bakker confesses to his own infamous affair with his secretary and hasty cover-up, he tries to pin the blame on his wife, saying he must have done it to try and prove something to her. Tammy Faye is a unique woman who lived the gospel she preached when it came to unconditional love. She embraced those with AIDS in the 1980s (recreated in a moving interview), she saw her position as one to remind people of God's kindness rather than his judgement, and her lifelong interest in puppets and children's ministry shows her priority in making worship inclusive. The Eyes of Tammy Faye won't tell you much more about Tammy Faye under the surface but then again maybe there wasn't. She even says she's an open book, what you see is what you get. The world would be a better place with more Tammy Fayes leading the way and fewer Jerry Falwells. Nate's Grade: B
Chastain truly disappears into this role and I really think that a sympathetic portrayal of Tammy Faye is appropriate especially when the intended audience for the movie would prefer to simply sneer at her earnestness.
Verified