by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

Not since the song Bette Davis Eyes, by Kim Carnes, has heavy mascara had such a treatment as with upcoming release THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE from Searchlight Pictures. The real Tammy Faye Bakker (then remarried as Messner) died on July 20, 2007, but her legacy lives on as Jessica Chastain is on the case as 2021’s Tammy. Chastain bites into this role with no less than Andrew Garfield, who plays televangelist husband Jim Bakker. That’s a lot of high-power talent for this high-carb feature dish on the couple.

The real Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker please stand up...

Scheduled for September 17, Searchlight has done a fictional retool of a 20th Century Fox documentary of the same name. Disney bought Searchlight from 21st Century Fox a few years ago, so it would make sense they have a free hand at this.

"Can we talk about Satan later, Jim?" - quote from THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE (2021)

In the just-released trailer, Jessica Chastain is breathtakingly cut to fit the confines of this Southern gothic charmer who found her own way to God by helping AIDS patients and running afoul of the teachings of Jim Bakker. The first glimpse looks fantastic. Tammy Faye was 4' 11", and that may be the only discrepancy.

Jessica revisits Tammy Faye and its is eerie

The whole pastor-philanderer trope is now a cliche, but Tammy Faye’s husband Jim Bakker really fleshed out the original righteous sinner stereotype.

Official word from Searchlight Pictures

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.

Jessica Chastain also serves as a producer, and Michael Showalter directs. Vincent D'Onofrio looks ready for redemption and Cherry Jones is another perfectly cast character. Watch for it, Sept. 17, holy moly!

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