£3.50 wednesdays at the Connaught are back… after 2 years… wooohooo. its also the only place in 30miles showing The Eyes of Tammy Faye, so lets do this. Ive had this booked up well in advance, so im really looking forward to this especially as Jessica is now Oscar nominated.

So i booked this up about 2 weeks ago knowing i could cancel if somewhere else was showing it, which i was sure it wouldnt, so when i got there at 5:50 (trailers started at 5:45) there was no one else in the studio theatre. so i sat down the the seat that id picked ages a go & got ready. About another 10 people showed up either on the floor or balcony & then half way through the film trailers a couple turned up & sat right next to me…. Im sorry but what…. The Connaught have always had a pick your seat option as its actually a theatre for arts. so even if you go to the box office they show you the seats. & when i booked my seat there was no one else booked up for this screening, so why do you choose to sit bang splat next to someone else… thats a little weird right? Nah nope i was very freaked out by that. If it was over 50% full id understand but it wasnt. Thats just so odd.

Any how trailers were Cyrano (yes Ben in Period costume please asap), Death on the Nile (booked up for the weekend), The Duke (yes probably) & Downton Abbey (never) all films for cultured people id say or more serious things.

& then the film started… Now im not godly if you get me. I’m open to the concept of religion, but im not sure what happens next or what is up there if you get me. So maybe the subject matter of this film wasnt for me. However it was for the 2 people next to me who at one point went ummmhummm oh yes when there was some preaching (even more of a reason not to be seen with them).

Jessica Chastain deserves her oscar nod, 1000%. It was incredible. She was brilliant & i just couldnt take my eyes off her. There were moments where she looked at the camera or did something & you could see it was her, but she was unrecognisable. That hair & make up & style & clothes & accent, she really was Tammy Faye. I mean that bit where someone asks her if shes cold & shes in california with a mink coat, you could almost see that make up running. She was incredible.

Andrew Garfiled was also good, but when she looked so much like Tammy, it was weird seeing Andrew as Andrew if you get me. He just parted his hair the other way & every now & then through on some glasses or something 70s ish. That doesnt take anything away from his acting performance. ITs just that they got Tammy so right, that they just left Andrew as Andrew.

I went in there not knowing much about Tammy & this kinda tv show & this era of america & how these kind of people are, but it was a bit to preachy & godly for me. There were points where i was sitting there going well this is awkward isnt it. Especially with the pledges & getting people to donate all there money monthly to a church that was basically fraud. It all just felt very wrong. & no one was really in it for god by the end of it they were in it for themselves instead. IT all then became about greed & back stabbing & some not very nice people being up themselves (not upperty tho).

There was a point where they started showing news reports & i was like ah were almost done then but we had another 15 mins after that of the film. IT was weirdly paced & time jumps of no time or then of like 5 years. It wasnt well paced & felt far to long. Could have easily been told in 100 mins not 130.

Some of the attitudes to certain groups of people were horrendous. I know weve come a long way today (but even we still need to improve now) but seriously, there opinions on gays & HIV & Aid & other political groups or people was just oh so awful to watch. I did sit there & think who are they going to pick on next. The HIV conversation was bloody good, but it wasnt its a Sin.

I just didnt connect with it, im sorry. Im sure the people next to me who left while it was busy coming up to say what the people did going forward, was on the screen, im sure they enjoyed it, but i enjoyed two very good acting performances that need celebrating & some epic hair & make up. Other than that, the film wasnt for me. 2 epic performances push this onto an average film, but if they hadnt have been there, i wouldnt have enjoyed it at all. I wont be watching it again.