Quick Movie Review: I, Tonya (2017)

i tonya

2017 has truly been an amazing year for film, with I, Tonya being one of the highlights.

The film revolves around figure skater, Tonya Harding, played by Margot Robbie, and her relationship with her mother (Allison Janney) and her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan). It eventually, and expectedly, builds up to the controversial incident involving her peer, Nancy Kerrigan, getting her knee whacked by an expandable baton.

This story has next-to-nothing to do with Harding and Kerrigan’s relationship. In fact, the two never have any dialogue with one another–however badly we want it. Though, it does give you a different perspective on an event that was shown bias by the media in a sport that is obsessed with its image. It was America’s candy months before we moved on to O.J. Simpson.

It shows, in depth, the skater’s history with physical abuse–both by her mother and Gillooly. But I won’t go into detail on her complex psyche and the flaws in professional figure skating, because the film depicts both of those brilliantly.

Harding had a lousy upbringing. A redneck who never finished high school. Her dad left when she was little and she was dirt poor.

Even though Harding was likely not guilty and didn’t want Kerrigan to be crippled, she was bitter about her competitor’s pretentious attitude and how her image was everything the figure skating industry wanted. Kerrigan was the sweet girl next door who played the game in order to win the judges affection. Harding was the exact opposite. At one point, she says something like, “Look, Nancy gets hit one time and the whole world s***s. For me, it was an all-the-time occurrence.”

Never once does the movie feel constricted by formula or standards. It tells the story how it wants to and gets a lot done because of it. It’s blatant, but it fits the tone.

I love the creative narration–using recreated interviews from several sources in order to show several perspectives.

And the film properly utilizes cause and effect with how people change each other and how it’s never just one person’s fault. Harding gets constantly abused by her mother all her life. And the ironic thing is, it does make her a better skater. But at what cost? Is being a good skater even worth it if it makes the rest of your life worse?

Janney does a perfect job throughout the entire film. She is so aware of her every word and facial expression, while keeping them beautifully ambiguous at the same time.

But Robbie should also not be overlooked. It’s by far her best performance yet. She makes you feel for Tonya so much. Someone who was once a pariah and a punchline. You never thought you’d be watching a movie where Tonya Harding was the protagonist and you’d be moved to tears for her. It’s all so amazing. Hands down, one of the year’s best.

Twizard Rating: 100

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