Moi, Tonya

I think this film may have had the best trailer of 2017. I saw it and knew instantly how badly I wanted to see it. I've never been a fan of Margot Robbie and her previous acting efforts but this looked like her awakening and where she would be proving me wrong. I believe it, she's quite sensational in this film. Her dedication to her role shows but really everyone involved has done very well. Craig Gillespie has his first real winner with I, Tonya.

I, Tonya is a biographical picture about famed and disgraced figure skater, Tonya Harding. Tonya was pushed onto the rink by her abusive mother at a very young age and despite the abuse becomes a very talented ice skater. The cycle of abuse continues with her abusive husband but she tries to bear through and succeed. Everyone seems to be against her but her talent is hard to deny. The film also goes into the famed attack on fellow ice skater Nancy Kerrigan and the aftermath of the incident.

The film is sort of told from a mockumentary perspective as if key characters are being interviewed. The film also utilizes breaking the fourth wall where characters in a scene would talk to the audience. I thought this was interesting and separates itself from being a standard biopic and gives this film a real comedic depth. The soundtrack is catchy and literally every performance in this film makes for a very engaging time. I didn't even recognize the chameleon Bobby Cannavale until the credits rolled.

Some wonder why the film was made but it kind of helps you identify with Tonya. She suffered physical and psychological abuse from both her foul mouthed mother and her rage filled husband. Her hands may not be completely clean in what happens to Nancy Kerrigan, but she is also just a victim of circumstances. Vastly talented, but just short of reaching her pinnacle due to outside factors and her image and attitude. The film isn't perfect but its vastly entertaining and could be giving Margot Robbie and Allison Janney Oscar nominations. I'm going to let this sink in and I'm sure its going to be something I go back to.

7.5/10

... because I just remember everybody actually involved being so unlikable. This caustic true-story comedy-drama tells the story of Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie), the champion figure skater who came from a hardscrabble background, raised by an abusive mother (Allison Janney), but overcoming the odds to rise to the top of her sport, only to see it come crashing down thanks to the criminal activity of her dim-witted husband Jeff (Sebastian Stan).

I'm old enough to recall the story well enough, and I didn't really care about it then, let alone now, and I've never been a fan of figure skating. However, I am once again pleasantly surprised with how good the resulting movie is. Robbie and Stan, two of the prettiest people in movies these days, do a good job of deglamorizing themselves. Robbie is fierce, a description I am loathe to use as it's overused, but it really fits here. Janney got an Oscar for Supporting Actress, and she's also "uglied up", and her character is completely reprehensible. In fact, most of the people are in this movie, and there's a lot of coarse language and violence, particularly spousal abuse both by and from Harding. The film doesn't really have a message, as it's more of a character study and a sad-but-true tale of shattered dreams. It's also very well acted, darkly funny, and occasionally moving.

Have been anticipating this release for quite some time. Why? Well I love a good biopic, the cast immediately attracted my attention and it's figure skating. Not often you see an ice skating film. Thankfully, this was bonkers and I loved the fact it was crazily stupid. Tonya Harding was famous for being a bad tempered figure skater in the 90's. This biopic triple axels (oh God I'm too good...) into her family and marital relationships, as well as exploring "the incident". A timely release considering the Winter Olympics, showcasing the grace and endurance required for figure skating. Pushing the sport aside, the focus is primarily on Tonya and her marriage to Jeff whilst intertwining her tough upbringing by her mother. Seemingly Tonya is portrayed to be spoilt and a fame seeker, but I consistently sympathised with her. Her pure skating talent being diminished by judges due to her presentation skills and media attention to the sport. It's a harsh reality, and the film made me feel for her. Played eloquently by Margot Robbie who was able to capture both her solid exterior and emotional vulnerability. Allison Janney was outstanding as the straight talking mother from hell who just loves to throw kitchen utensils at her own daughter (seriously...what the hell). I wished the story delved into their relationship further, just so she could have more screen time. Sebastian Stan also deserves recognition as he conveys both anger and love perfectly. Gillespie's directing style was interesting. Some nice one take edits and the figure skating segments were electrifying, albeit with a noticeable green screen. They tried too hard changing the traditional biopic formula by making it quirky. Consistently breaking the fourth wall, mixing narratives, embedding an interview with a linear plot. It works, however the constant use of these grew tiresome especially for a two hour runtime. Having said that, the plot never skates on thin ice and glides along swiftly. This is Robbie's baby, she and the film deserve recognition.

Why relevant? Until I saw this movie, in my point of view Tonya Harding was a cheat and a lowlife and this was entirely based on the media coverage of the events in 1994. Having seen the movie I feel ashamed about how easily I judged her and I realised I have to be way more careful in forming my opinion about people.

I was going to make a list of people who made extraordinary things during the same period that Tonya Harding monopolized the headlines but then I thought it was a pointless exercise. Charles Manson will always be more famous, much more than Sharon Tate. That's the world we live in or maybe it always was. The sadness verging on horror of of the Tonya Harding story will win, fascination wise, than any kind of kindness from anyone anywhere. Now that out of my system let me say that I Tonya is an entertaining harrowing tale directed by Craig Gillespie and his extraordinary cinematographer Nicholas Karakatsanis with, clearly, Martin Scorsese in their minds and hearts. Margot Robbie is terrific and Sebastian Stan as the husband from hell, superb but it's Allison Janney that creates a character that is impossible to take and irresistible at the same time. She is spectacular. So, that's more than enough to recommend I Tonya but if the Tabloid Times is something you subscribe I will highly recommend Gus Van Sant's To Die For and Michael Ritchie's made for television The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom.