I, Tonya

Starring: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney, Julianne Nicholson, Paul Walter Hauser, Bobby Cannavale
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Figure skater Tony Harding (Margot Robbie) is desperate to compete in the Olympics but sees her future come into doubt when her ex-husband (Sebastian Stan) hatches a plan to help her.

Review:

Tim: I, Tonya manages to tell its story while straddling the line between being a comedy but not completely lampooning its subject matter. The film certainly laughs at Harding and everyone around her, but it also takes the story very seriously. It's this odd combination of treating Harding's life with respect, while laughing at the crazier aspects of her story. While I don't believe the movie does enough to be considered great, it was certainly an entertaining movie.

Tonya Harding's story is one that deserves telling. She absolutely had an unconventional life, as depicted in the film. At times, you have to laugh at her stupidity and the awful choices she makes. However, there is a really tragic element to her story as well. She had a rough childhood and the movie certainly makes you feel for her as well. I remember the Nancy Kerrigan knee incident vividly, but I was young enough at the time to not comprehend the whole story. I was fascinated to learn more about what really happening. The movie sets out to answer many questions, but not all of them. There is still a question about how much Harding did or did not know.

Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of the film is how much fun the cast had playing these larger-than-life characters. Margot Robbie was nominated for an Academy Award for her performance of Harding. I have to say I'm pleased she was recognized. It's a really effective performance- she embraces the less glamorous side of this person while also helping you to identify with her. I might never have liked Harding, but I saw her as a complex person. It would have been so easy for Harding to come across as a caricature here. In Robbie's hands, she is never one-dimensional. She might be stupid and misguided, but you understand how she got to this point. It's a strong performance and you can just see how much enjoyment Robbie took from playing her. Sebastian Stan was solid as her on-again, off-again husband. He seems to have fun with the role as well. He gets to show off his acting chops in several scenes. I can't say I was overly impressed, but he does a good enough job. Allison Janney won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and I can certainly see why. She revels in playing Harding's pretty despicable mom. Janney fully commits to playing this awful person. While her performance felt like it was missing some of the subtlety it needed, there's something entertaining about watching such a bad mother and the actress so gleefully portraying her. I wouldn't say I loved Janney's performance, but it's not a surprise that she took home the Oscar.

This is a film that won 1 Academy Award and was nominated for two others (as mentioned, Robbie for Best Actress and Best Film Editing). It feels to me like one of those movies that is elevated by the performance of its cast, but doesn't do enough around them. This is a fun movie and director Craig Gillespie does a good job of entertaining the audience. However, while many people had it on their "Best of 2017" lists, I feel it falls short. It was very good, but it's never really great. One criticism I had were the skating scenes- it's obvious that Robbie couldn't do what Harding did, but those scenes were so obviously not Robbie. Maybe it's impossible to pull something like that off, but they were a constant distraction. The movie does work hard to present multiple perspectives. It doesn't want to judge these characters or tell you "what really happened". That is a novel approach, but it does give the movie a bit of a wish-washy feel. It's like the movie doesn't want commit, so it makes you less invested as well. I don't know, I liked the movie, but I never really loved anything about it. I didn't find it especially funny- lots of people did, but it wasn't all that funny to laugh at stupid people. I know Janney commented continuously on the bird during Awards season- I didn't really get that or see how it added to the film (I understand it's based on true events, but it seemed pointless within the context of the film).

I, Tonya is certainly a unique look at one of the most outlandish events in American sports history. It's a fun movie and a well made movie. It might not be as great as many claim, but don't let that take anything away from this- it's really, really good.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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