Hollywood loves a couple right now. On screens both big and small, we are seeing the Golden Age of the shared biopic, these true two-handers. From Being the Ricardos to Pam & Tommy, via House of Gucci, Fosse/Verdon and The Eyes of Tammy Faye, the most famous actors in the world are being drawn to these dramatic duets. And the latest iteration of this trend has arrived on new streaming platform Paramount+: George & Tammy, the inside story of the rocky marriage of George Jones and Tammy Wynette.
Those names might not mean a lot to a British audience, but Jones and Wynette are two of the biggest names in country music. During the Sixties and Seventies, they captivated America, both with their wistful songs and with their turbulent private lives. In this series, directed by The Road’s John Hillcoat, Jones is played by Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon and Wynette by Academy Award winner Jessica Chastain, which ought to give some guide to the calibre of the production. This is a handsomely mounted legend of the American South.
