The Eyes of Tammy Faye

While the subject of The Eyes of Tammy Faye is certainly captivating, the rough rehashing of tried-and-true biopic tropes and story structure make for a rather predictable film.

This year’s Oscars marks a very special year in which none of the Best Actress nominees is derived from any of the ten Best Picture picks by the Academy. And after watching The Eyes of Tammy Faye, it’s not hard to understand why this particular film is recognized solely for the sensational performance from its lead and completely overlooked in most other categories. A big portion of the story beats is reminiscent of its recent predecessors along the likes of Judy (2019) and Rocketman (2019). Even without such comparisons, the script lacks much depth regarding the film’s subject and the company she surrounds herself with. The plot and characterization mostly serve as a checklist of requirements of a biopic that wants to be taken seriously in the sphere of awards conversations, without any organic development. With that being said, a Best Actress win for its lead Jessica Chastain would not come as a surprise and would very much be well-deserved, given that her performance is the beating heart of this film and is more than able to hold the audience’s attention throughout the entire runtime.

The Oscars have always been known, and perhaps infamous, for favoring safe and formulaic dramas, so one could only hope that the lack of recognition for this film save for the acting indicates that a certain step towards some vaguely new, if not the right, direction.