TIFF 2021 film review: 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye'

Jessica Chastain's transformative, wholehearted performance buoys the otherwise mediocre biopic 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' (screening during the 46th Toronto International Film Festival).

In short: A character portrait of televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker (Chastain), from her modest childhood, her marriage to Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield) to her fall from grace as a televangelist.

What 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' isn't: a focused teardown of the Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. The controversy that brought down the Bakker's televangelist ministry is too big to ignore - but this film wisely leaves it as a singular event in Tammy Faye's life. This, in turn, allows the film to focus on Tammy Faye as a woman, an evangelist and a Christian.

Early on in the film, Tammy Faye plainly declares "What you see is all you get" - and this simple statement is the foundation for Chastain's earnest performance. Although other less-than-flattering depictions of Tammy Faye reduced her to an eccentric pastor who wore a lot of makeup, this biopic fleshes her out as a true believer blinded by avarice and vulnerable to her own insecurities. She's an intriguing mix of self-confidence in knowing exactly what defines her brand, an obsessions with her outward appearance that seemingly borders on vanity, yet, seems in line with her Christian beliefs. Chastain keys into these concepts of vanity and piety, that seem contradictory, but also just seem eccentrically and uniquely Tammy Faye. It's her source of pride and confidence - yet Chastain always seems to wince for a moment when her trademark look becomes a punchline. The performance is so immerse that it’s legitimately difficult to reconcile that this is the same actress who starred as the laser-focused CIA agent who hunted down Osama Bin Laden in ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ or ethically flexible D.C. lobbyist in ‘Miss Sloane.’

While the straightforward portrayal of Tammy Faye its the film's strength, this directness bleeds over to the rest of the film, rendering the rest of the film a bit shallow. It would have been one thing if Tammy Faye was allowed to be a guileless character amid a morally or dramatically complex story - but Tammy Faye is unapologetically herself ... in a sadly uncomplicated story. This Chastain-produced film is an adaptation of a 2000 documentary of the same name -- and given the choice to either watch this adaptation or the documentary, the only real draw here is Chastain's humane performance set against a lackluster historical backdrop that is surely better served by the documentary.

Like many clunky biopics that span decades, 'Tammy Faye' is a string of plot points that make the film feel cluttered. In just over 10 minutes, the film goes from Tammy Faye lamenting the couple's lack of wealth (compared to other TV pastors) to her relishing in a lavish life of luxury. On-screen graphics and montages might as well just be declarative cards that read "time has passed and the Bakkers are now wealthy" - this alternative would be only slightly less elegant than the film's odd pacing and jarring editing.

At virtually every opportunity to add some depth or complexity to its narrative, the script just has some character blurt out exactly what needs to be said just to keep the story moving along. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson are depicted in this film, but they aren't characters - they're one-dimensional plot devices. The closest the film ever gets to making any sort of thematic statement comes in the one-note, heavy-handed depiction of Falwell, who is reduced to a bigoted, politically motivated Christian leader. Just for the sake of argument, let's assume every simple depiction is absolutely fair and accurate - this doesn't change the fact that 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' is a story anchored by one compelling character surrounded by shallow characters or that it's a character portrait of a complex woman diluted by years of events compressed into two hours.

Final verdict: Although Chastain is allowed latitudes of nuance, the film otherwise suffers a disappointing lack of subtext that prevents 'Tammy Faye' from taking the step beyond character portrait to substantive commentary.

Score: 3/5

'The Eyes of Tammy Faye' screens during TIFF 2021 and opens theaters Sept. 17. This drama is rated PG-13 for thematic material, some strong language, and suggestive material and has a running time of 126 minutes.