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.
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inikim2 January 2018
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AlsExGal17 September 2020... 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. -
rockman1827 December 2017I 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.
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Sleepin_Dragon13 December 2022The rollercoaster of American skater Tonya Harding, a super talented and successful skater, who will always be known for one incident in particular.
What an absolutely first class movie this was, prior to this I knew nothing about Tonya Harding, after watching this I felt like I'd learned a lot, and been thoroughly entertained, it even encouraged me to seek out videos of her, visually, they got it spot on, from what I've seen of her, they also got her story spot on.
An immaculate production, they got the era absolutely spot on, and it was out together in such a way, that it absolute flies by, it's so well paced.
It's funny, it's moving, it's quite shocking, I won't give too much away about the incident, and I won't dwell on it too much, but it really is a shocking moment, one which will leave you speechless.
Margot Robbie delivers an award winning performance, I know she's an actress, and will have no doubt learned how to perform all number of accents, but she absolutely nails it. I had no idea that Robbie could skate, clearly she could.
Allison Janney and the whole cast were terrific. That mother of Tonya's was quite something.
9/10. -
Anyone who was old enough to be sucked in by the media circus that this scandal turned into should make it a point to take a look at this film, in my opinion.
The media seemed much more about the sensationalism of it all than it was about maintaining the kind of objective balance that'd presume Tonya's innocence until evidence proved otherwise. But being honest, even if evidence came along that absolved Harding of any wrongdoing in the Kerrigan attack, how happy would the media have been to report it? Or would we have been to hear it? Because we've got to admit that, although it might not seem very nice, there was quite a bit of fun to be had during the couple months we spent focusing on this Hillbilly girl and her bumbling husband, right? Well with that in mind, what would the thought of her innocence have brought, other than damage to the narrative we were having such fun with? Regardless of where you stand in regards to her innocence, its only fair to acknowledge that her role had been laid out for her pretty much from the get-go. Kerrigan was its hero the moment she became the victim, could we have honestly entertained the notion that maybe Harding wasn't as much the villain as seemed to befit the story? How fun would that have been? Really?
In the last couple months, the articles about this upcoming movie had comment sections riddled with people mostly bemoaning the current state of Hollywood. Not the scandals, but that it'd even stoop so low as to peddle this kind of white trash story. "White trash" came up repeatedly of course, and while comment sections generally aren't the place to find the best sampling of voices, I personally wasn't able to find a single comment that was anything other than damningly derivative of Hollywood and/or Tonya...certainly not one suggesting the possibility that maybe there was more to this story than what we already knew. But that was always a possibility, wasn't it? The telling of a side that we hadn't heard?
After seeing the flick last night, I passed along my recommendation of it to a friend, commenting that Tonya Harding's guilt might have to be re-thought. In response, I got a chuckling, "Oh I have a hard time believing that!" Which, sure that has to be the prevailing opinion, I'd imagine. But why? Do we really and truly think that we have the kind of information on the subject that'd allow for the most objective, fact-based decision on it? Have many of us ever stopped long enough to have wondered whether or not we did? The line of questioning isn't likely to be met with much more than scoffs by those who've yet to view the movie, but they're questions that end up being well begged and something that the same people may find themselves unwittingly exploring afterward. I sure have been.
In the meantime, this isn't just a great movie, but a great sports movie, detailing an ice skating prodigy who love for skating drove her life, and whose life ultimately served as a testament to just how influential a class system can be that many of us are barely cognizant of even existing. Based off interviews and testimony from the key players in the Kerrigan scandal, watching it brings a much needed sense of balance to the story and will likely leave you amazed at how easily the truth can be blurred when viewed through the lens of sensationalized media coverage.
10/10, great movie that grabs you from its opening scene and will have you entranced throughout. -
ggallegosgroupuk7 December 2017I 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.
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bob-the-movie-man8 March 2018Man, I personally found this one to be an exceedingly uncomfortable watch.
"I, Tonya" is cleverly filmed as a pseudo-documentary, featuring re-enactments of the real-life interviews of most of the participants in this true-life drama. I recently bitterly criticised some film critics for spoiling the story of Donald Crowhurst, the subject of the recent "The Mercy". But I was about to do exactly the same here, *assuming* that you all know the lurid tale of the rivalry between Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan that led up to an 'event' in 1994 that shocked the world. And of course, many of you younger folk don't know: case in point my 26 year old son who I went to see this with, and who went into the story blissfully blind of the drama about to unfold. So I will try to keep this review spoiler-free.
Playing Tonya from a (not very credible!) 15 years old to her mid-20's is Margot Robbie ("The Wolf of Wall Street", "Suicide Squad") in what is a BAFTA and Oscar nominated performance. And for good reason: the performance is raw, visceral and disturbing in reflecting a victim who still thinks everything at heart is her own fault.
Also BAFTA and Oscar nominated is Allison Janney ("The Girl on the Train") as Tonya's obnoxious chain-smoking mother LaVona. Janney is truly terrifying as the mother who abuses her daughter both physically and mentally in a driven attempt to make her the best ice-skater in the world.
Victims seem to attract abusers, and Tonya is surrounded by people who are just plain bad for her: notably her husband Jeff (Sebastian Stan, "The Martian", "Captain America: Winter Soldier") and his slimy and pitifully self-deluded friend Shawn (Paul Walter Hauser). The end credits video footage of the real-life players show just how well these parts were cast.
Why so uncomfortable to watch? There is a significant degree of domestic abuse featured in the film, both in terms of LaVona on her child and Jeff on his wife. This is something I abhor in general, having been brought up to believe it is never EVER acceptable to lay a hand on a woman. To have these cowardly individuals sensationalised in the movie I found to be really upsetting. I strongly feel, for this reason alone, that the film should have had an 18 certificate. Violence in film should be related to the context as well as the severity. (Note that this is in stark contrast to my comments of recent BBFC decisions to make "Phantom Thread" and "Lady Bird" 15-certificates when I believe they should have been 12A).
The film is executed extremely well, with 4:3 framing for the staged interviews, and ice skating scenes that seamlessly cut between the professional clearly doing the stunts and Robbie (who must also be a half decent skater too). The soundtrack is nicely littered - "Guardians of the Galaxy" style - with classic hits of the early 90's.
To think that this story actually unfolded in this way is nothing short of astounding... but it did! There is an astonishing video clip here (#spoilers) of the run up to, and the immediate aftermath of, the Kerrigan incident. I came out of the film with a deep feeling of sadness for Harding (at least, as portrayed) and utter disgust that the villains of this piece could be a) so cruel and out of control and b) so utterly stupid. These are individuals who really should have been sterilised to stop them polluting the gene pool any further.
Written by Steven Rogers ("Stepmom") and directed by Australian Craig Gillespie, there is no doubting that this is a powerful film: played to an absolutely silent and gripped Saturday night cinema audience. And it has truly dynamite performances from Allison Janney and Margot Robbie. But be warned that you'll need a strong stomach to go and see it without being affected by it afterwards. It's a mental keeper. -
mikelanke5 January 2018I must have been at a different movie than those who did not like it. The story is well written, the acting was excellent and the twist in the way the story is delivered makes for a memorable event. At certain points when Tonya speaks to the audience she speaks right to you. A great story to get lost in and I was not really interested in seeing this when I went into the theater.
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namashi_111 December 2017Before I give my thoughts on 'I, Tonya', let me just say two words: Allison Janney. The Multiple Time Emmy-Winning Actress delivers one of the STRONGEST Performances of the year, in her portrayal of LaVona Fay Golden, Tonya Harding's Mother from hell. Janney is pure Oscar-GOLD.
And now coming to the film...
'I, Tonya' like any other sports Biopic, shows us a woman from being a bullied nobody to becoming a somebody in the world of sports. Over-here, we explore Tonya Harding's hardened journey, that is at times powerful & at times exhausting.
'I, Tonya' Synopsis: Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie, in great form) rises amongst the ranks at the U. S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband (Sebastian Stan, very good) intervenes.
'I, Tonya' is about Tonya's violent journey, that started from an impossible, no-holds-barred mother to a violent, brutal husband, who eventually ruined her career. But, Tonya is not a victim of her circumstances. Here is a woman, who despite being thrown into a world of ice-skating & rigorous competition, left a strong mark. She may have not done the right things to get to the position she got, but she was a talented personality who had the power to mesmerize & inspire.
Steven Rogers' Screenplay begins superbly & the personal interviews of its characters throughout the film, give it that extra edge. The first-hour is solid & gets into Tonya's world & the people involved with a wicked sense of humor. The second-hour is a little disappointing & overlong, and the sub-plot involving the 1994 attack on Nancy Kerrigan, Harding's rival and Olympic teammate, offers less impact. The Writing isn't always compelling & takes away some glory from the film, overall. The Dialogue, however, are crackling & foul to the core.
Craig Gillespie's Direction captures all the madness & ambition, with skill. The Director is in good form this time around. Nicolas Karakatsanis's Cinematography & Tatiana S. Riegel's Editing are strongly done. Art & Costume Design, as well as Make-Up, deserve a special mention.
Performance-Wise: Janney is outstanding & is sure to pick up many awards for her portrayal here. I wouldn't be surprised if she takes the Oscar home, next year! Margot Robbie, also is in very good form, delivering a credible turn as Tonya. Sebastian Stan is entirely convincing as the violent husband. And Paul Walter Hauser is terrific as Shawn, one of Stan's friends, who leads Tonya & Stan, into much trouble.
On the whole, 'I, Tonya' is an imperfect biopic about an imperfect woman. Do watch it though, especially for Janney's sterling performance. -
planktonrules19 October 2017Tonight I went to the opening night film at the Philadelphia Film Festival and it turned out to be "I, Tonya". I wasn't particularly thrilled about this, as I really didn't care much about seeing a biopic about Tonya Harding. In hindsight, I am glad I saw it as the film was exceptionally well directed and the acting was occasionally brilliant. In particular, Australian actress Margot Robbie was simply amazing as Harding-turning in the sort of performance that could mean an Oscar nomination. Likewise, Allison Janney was amazing as wellplaying Tonya's incredibly despicable mother. You really have to respect the great job both of them did in the filmas well as Robbie's learning to skate well in order to make this movie.
The film is about the life of Tonya Harding.yes, THAT Tonya Hardingthe one who gained infamy for her part in the attack on rival ice skater Nancy Kerrigan back in 1994. My daughter was only a small child at the time of the attack and I told her nothing about Harding because I wanted to see her perspective on the story. Both of us left very impressed. However, I must put in a warning about the film. It is very violent.filled with intense and very realistic domestic violenceamong the most realistic I have ever seen. With my background as a psychotherapist, this churned up a lot of memories for me and the film often had me in tears. If you have been a victim of domestic violence, then I strongly urge you to think twice before you see the pictureor at least see it with someone you love. Seeing Tonya being slugged, slapped and even shot was tough to watch. Interestingly, often the audience responded by laughingan inappropriate but thoroughly understandable coping mechanism for such ugliness.
Does the film excuse Harding's behaviors or paint her out to be a victim? Not reallyand if it had, the film would have been a waste of time. What it does do is help you at least understand who she was and why she did what she didas she was more than just an intense competitor who didn't come forward when she learned her husband and his friend had physically assaulted Tonya's competitor, Nancy Kerrigan. Overall, a fascinating look back to one of the most celebrated news stories of the 1990s.one that folks who are old fogies, like me, well remember! -
TheMovieDiorama24 February 2018Have 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.
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Art Snob18 September 2017If I could have voted online for the best movie that I saw at TIFF 2017 (the voting was limited to iPhone and Android users), it would have been for this film, which wound up second in the People's Choice award competition. Director Craig Gillespie has tackled a difficult subject brilliantly without removing the considerable number of warts from the main characters. This film should garner a considerable number of Oscar nominations, including best picture and director.
Margot Robbie should be a lock for a Best Actress nod, completely burying her Australian background to deliver American white trash with complete credibility. (She won't win of course, because ... Tonya.) Her skating sequences are edited brilliantly - you really believe that it's her.
THE surest Oscar bet has to be Allison Janney as Tonya's acerbic, domineering, Swisher-chain-smoking mother LaVona Golden. She gives what I call a "schizophrenia" performance - there's no way that anyone seeing JUNO and this film back-to-back would ever notice that the mothers in both films are played by the same actress. Robbie got the loudest applause when the actors were introduced before the film, but when they came out afterwards, Janney's applause was equivalent to hers.
The story sticks to facts and places most of the blame for the Kerrigan incident on Sean Eckhardt, played with spot-on obnoxiousness by Paul Walter Hauser. The rest goes to hubby-at-times Jeff Gillooly, played by Sebastian Stan. He handles the husband-to-a-celebrity role with a charm not seen since Eric Roberts in STAR 80.
The subject matter may cost the film at awards time, but it's still an excellent movie that you should definitely check out if you have any interest at all in the story. -
ThisisFizban12 July 2019While I found this movie somewhat entertaining, I got a strong sense of falsity as well. It's hard to describe but the most obvious thing was the nostalgia. Not sure what to do with the plot? Play a hit song every 5 minutes, that'll solve the problem. And then there was Tonya's redneck lifestyle. Who am I to say that her life wasn't as terrible as depicted but to me there was a lot that seemed a little over the top. Margot Robbie's performance in particular was all attitude all the time, swearing like a sailor. With the mockumentary style, I feel like they stylized certain elements which probably ended up bending the truth of what actually happened. There were a few times when the movie veered away from its' sarcastic style and for me those were the most engaging parts of the movie. The one that stands out is when the judge bans Tonya from figure skating. That was just heartbreaking. The movie changed some of the views I had about the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan incident. But overall I feel like the makers of this film had a specific kind of story they wanted to tell and weren't necessarily interested in authenticity. But that's movies for you.
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Turfseer17 November 2017I, Tonya, is director Craig Gillespie's take on the mercurial rise and fall of Tonya Harding, the figure skating champion who threw away her career through her association with an abusive ex-husband. Gillespie tells Harding's story through a series of interviews with the principals, most made up to appear how they might look in the present time, speaking directly to the camera, and insisting that their version of events is the correct one.
The real star of the film is not the actress who plays Tonya (Margot Robbie) but Allison Janney, who steals the show as Tonya's mother from hell, LaVona Golden, a serial psychological abuser, who still manages to garner sympathy through her abrasively witty comments directed toward Tonya throughout her childhood and into adulthood (as well as directed toward us, the enraptured audience). One can't help sense that LaVona heaped abuse on her daughter both out of love and jealousy-love in the sense that she wanted Tonya to be more successful in life than she was (LaVona being a waitress at a greasy spoon) and jealous once Tonya had achieved the fame and recognition that eluded her mother who was nonetheless a highly intelligent woman.
If it wasn't for Janney, I, Tonya, might have been a complete flop, as Robbie, the Australian actress who plays Tonya, is all wrong for the part. This is especially true when Robbie plays Tonya as a teenager-she simply looks too old to be believable. What's worse is how Robbie is unable to convey Tonya's likable qualities-that odd mixture of naivety and "trailer trash" aggression that initially endeared the public to her. Instead, Robbie comes off as too harsh, compromising her attempts to convey Tonya's more vulnerable side. While Robbie is an accomplished skater (and this is probably the reason why she was cast), I think it was a big mistake for Gillespie to use her for that reason. Without a compelling protagonist, the necessary verisimilitude is lost.
Gillespie's approach, akin to the Japanese classic, Rashomon, works best when Tonya's and husband Jeff Gillooly's differing points of view are contrasted in high relief. Gillooly denied that he ever physically assaulted Tonya but that seems highly unlikely as Tonya's description of what happened has the ring of truth. At a certain point, Tonya had enough of the abuse and decided to walk away from Gillooly-she even had to get a restraining order as he continued to stalk her (once putting a gun to her head, threatening to shoot her). But why did Tonya feel that she needed to go back to Gillooly after separating?-even though she claimed it was only a temporary arrangement. Despite being on the verge of complete success in the skating world, the old demons reared their ugly head-her crushing insecurities from her mother's put-downs and lack of a father figure-this led to her inevitable fall from grace.
The bizarre plot to injure Tonya's rival, Nancy Kerrigan concocted by Gillooly's moronic pal, Sean Eckhardt, is so ludicrous that it's hard to believe that he actually thought he could pull something like this off undetected. I happen to believe both Gillooly and Harding's assertions that they were unaware that the plot was going to turn into a physical attack on Kerrigan. Gillooly insisted the initial plan was to send Kerrigan some threatening letters which might perhaps cause her to withdraw from the tournament or throw her off her game. It makes sense that Gillooly would confront Eckhardt over his lame-brain decision to have one of his confederates actually break Kerrigan's knee cap with a baton, suggesting that Gillooly had no idea what Eckhardt was ultimately up to.
Much of what happens after the attack on Kerrigan, is anti-climactic. Gillespie basically presents a basic recap as to what happened as the story reaches its not so fitful conclusion. Of interest of course are the courtroom machinations, particularly Tonya's decision to take a plea bargain and accept a lifetime ban from figure skating. Benjamin Lee, writing in the Guardian, sums it up perfectly when he writes: "The zippy fun of the first half dissipates once we reach the overly familiar scenes of the second, the focus on the harebrained criminal scheme feeling particularly sub-Coenesque. It's hardly dull but it's not quite as biting and sharply realized as it could be given the wealth of stranger-than-fiction drama surrounding Harding."
With a more convincing protagonist in the lead role, I, Tonya, might have been a tad bit more enjoyable; nonetheless, there's still Janney's performance to marvel at. And for all those who long for nostalgia, Tonya's story will bring you back to the heady days of the early 1990s, a time that feels way distant from our own. -
jon.h.ochiai15 January 2018"I, Tonya" is amazing. Margot Robbie gifts a career defining performance. Margot plays disgraced 1994 US Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding. Her performance as Tonya is fearless, vulnerable, sad and poignantly flawed. Harding is notorious for knowing about the attack upon US figure skating Champion Nancy Kerrigan which led to her eventual ban from competitive skating which was her life.
Director Craig Gillespie neither vilifies nor justifies Tonya offering the experience of being her. That she wanted to be loved, to be gotten, and to be the best. At the time Tonya was the only women's figure skater in the world to land the impossible triple axel in competition. Robbie as Tonya in an interview in the movie acknowledged when she landed the triple axel in the trials she knew, "I was the best!" Tonya was driven, the figure skating phenom, but she was less than phenom in her life. I think that is the poignancy of Gillespie's direction and Steven Rogers's story.
"I, Tonya" is not really dark comedy. "I, Tonya" is just dark with laughs in its irony and the stupidity of those closest to Tonya. The movie is the dichotomy that defines the tragedy of domestic violence and abuse. In one scene Tonya's husband Jeff, played by convincing Sebastian Stan, slams the freezer door in Tonya's face, because she questions why he didn't buy Dove ice cream bars. That is so wrong. That makes you so angry.
Gillespie depicts that pattern of abuse throughout of beating on screen. And Tonya takes it, and stays until she can no longer. The abuse originates with Mom LaVona, played by focused Allison Janney, who thinks she is tough love as she pushes her daughter in her skating career. No, Mom is an abuser. Janney's LaVona could have been comic caricature; instead she brilliantly nuances the single Mom working waitress raising her kid the way she was raised. Robbie is touching humanity as Tonya, who has the self awareness that she is uneducated, but she is smarter than she thinks and way smarter than those surrounding her.
"I, Tonya" and Robbie in contrasts of edgy humor and human cruelty touchingly tells the story of how we are raised and the people we choose to spend life with either define or curse. Much about Tonya seems to be the in order to, to prove something. In the great scene before her competition her new Coach Doty, played by strong Bojana Novakovic, tells her "You show them." That I think becomes the conversation that dominates Tonya's life.
Needing her Mom's help after she leaves husband Jeff, Tonya sees her Mom. She asks her Mom that when she was a kid, "Did you love me?" Robbie's Tonya is in tears. That breaks your heart. Really Tonya just wanted to be loved, like we all do. That may be the point of Gillespie's "I, Tonya" with all its emotional extremes and uncomfortable laughs. Perhaps, most of the laughs come from the blatant stupidity of Jeff and his idiot friend Shawn, played by good Paul Walter Hauser.
Maybe "I, Tonya" works in its profound sadness as well. Toward the end Tonya says, "I am not a monster." No, she's not. She is just the little girl who wanted to be loved and never got it. She was driven and wanted to be the best. Tonya is just human. She is both lightness and darkness. Perhaps within "I, Tonya" are loud laughs and the subtle lesson of having compassion. "I, Tonya" is one of my favorite movies of the year. -
Semisonic7 March 2018So, you have watched Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and thought that story was tough and Frances McDormand was terrific and nothing could ever be more tough and more terrific. Especially something with that hot blonde chick from The Wolf of Wall Street. Right? Wrong! So get ready for a big fat kick in the nuts, because sh!t has just got real.
From the very beginning of the film you realize that it won't be pretty. An abusive ever-smoking and ever-cussing mother who would rather wipe the floor with her daughter than say a nice word to her. So destructive that even her rifle-shooting husband loses it and flees leaving a poor child completely unprotected. And when it turns from verbal abuse to the physical one, by her mother, by her boyfriend and later her husband, it's clear that it's not just not pretty - it's damn ugly, and that it's gonna get even uglier still.
The trio of Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan and Allison Janney does an unbelievable job of focusing a huge amount of anger, hate and frustration onto the single character, Tonya Harding, making almost every second of her screen time a pure pain to watch. You see her going through things you'd be waking in cold sweat from if you saw them in your dream. But, then again, for someone it was not a dream but an everyday routine. A vicious circle of abuse and humiliation, and the only way to forget it, even just for a minute, was through that ice rink, doing the only thing that would make you feel like something more than a pathetic loser with no single bright perspective ahead.
And with that ugliness comes the true power of this film, of Robbie's performance, and of the real Tonya. The power that channels all the hate she received from all around into the thirst for skating, as if that ice rink is your arena where you fight for your life - or die trying. And when it's your life at stake, things are never chivalrous or graceful - so the way the Hollywood sex symbol dies and gives birth to a relentless competitive monster is a true miracle. And, just like a miracle of a real birth, it's full of pain for both the participant and for the ones witnessing it.
What makes I, Tonya an even more shattering experience is that it's not just a made-up story, it's something that a living human being once went through. When you see her husband beat her and threaten her and even shoot a gun at her, you wish you could simply tell yourself that it's just cinema - but this time it's not quite so. When you see her mother come to her, pretending to be offering a helping hand when she's the most vulnerable - to end up being yet another vulture that came to feast on the prey that looks done but still keeps twitching - you wish you could say that no real child has come through such pain and betrayal, but you can't once again. You see a girl whose story was simply meant to be a tragedy from the very beginning - and you just wish it to be over. But she takes another hit, falls, yet for some reason refuses to stay on the floor.
I guess I realize why this film missed the Best Picture Oscar, just like Margot Robbie missed the Best Leading Actress one. Just like the real world Tonya who outskates her rivals but fails to meet the expectations about her presentation, this film is technically the most riveting and intense story this year, with the leading performance being a big shiny diamond of a masterpiece, twice as precious because it wasn't an established Oscar winner who delivered it but a girl who till now was the most famous for doing a full frontal nude shot a few years ago.
I'm not saying that the scores are rigged and that the competition was flabby. On the contrary, Three Billboards was a great film that I loved, and McDormand's performance is 100% Oscar worthy. The point is that I, Tonya is just not the image the Western cinematographic establishment is ready to associate women with yet - ugly and abused and blood-spitting. But, if in the figure skating world you could at least say that such are the house rules, and a pretty dress and a smile are something that matters at least as much as - if not more than - a triple axel, then the film industry community screaming "equal rights to women!" at every corner and not acknowledging the most glaring case of one woman, fighting for her right for her skills to be valued and for herself to be treated as a human being, and another woman, incarnating all that fight and suffering that comes with it on the screen, is pure hypocrisy. Inclusion rider or not. -
RobTheWatcher2 May 2021This was a creative way to share a true story. I liked how the movie provided context and history of the characters as well as presenting it in a movie/biography style which was unique. Margot was great as well.
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michaelRokeefe13 March 2020An unsuspected entertaining glimpse at the troubled life and tainted career of ice skater Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie). Her doomed career destroyed by the intervention of her ex-husband and one of sports infamous scandals: the attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver) leading into the 1994 Winter Olympics. The skating scenes are commendable. Miss Robbie's efforts may have been her best so far. And Allison Janney as Tonya's mother is a character very easy to dislike...for a long time. Also starring: Sebastian Stan, Bobby Cannavale and Paul Walter Hauser.
Nice soundtrack featuring: Dire Straits, Bad Company, Heart, Laura Branigan and Fleetwood Mac. -
phd_travel8 January 2018Margot Robbie is a terrific actress - eminently watchable. But she is bit too mature and large for the role of Tonya Harding. When she and Sebastian Stan as Jeff Gilooly take over from the child actors they look ludicrously too old. But then the whole movie is done in an over the top parody style so I guess it's forgivable.
The scenes of abuse from Jeff Gilooly and her mother are quite shocking. Alison Janney does a great job as the mother from hell. Sebastian is a bit too clean cut looking - white trash don't look like him. All the abuse she suffered invokes a lot of sympathy for her overcoming such grinding poverty and sacrificing so much to get where she did.
Just as in real life the events of the attack are not that clear cut.
Whatever it is the story is one of the most interesting scandals of the sports world and worth watching. -
UniqueParticle5 June 2021Well deserving of award nominations years ago, highly entertaining and perfectly story driven! Craig Gillespie created such a captivating piece of cinema with an exceptional soundtrack that flows so well with everything. The cast is gold too I love Margot Robbie and Paul Walter Hauser along with everyone else. The abuse is sad though but I'm sure it's based on real events.
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henrypat614 November 2019The acting performances are amazing. I do wish this movie had been made more like a traditional movie though. The fact that it's this quirky intercutting movie between the story and documentary style interviews with Tonya and her mom prevented me from getting pulled into the story. I was always aware that I was watching actors pretend to be these famous people. I never got lost in the movie. It felt like a little gimmicky when it could have been better.
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Danusha_Goska14 January 2018Do you want to be shocked? Here goes: "I, Tonya" is a great movie. That's right. A film about a tabloid scandal in the world of women's figure skating is not just a good movie, it's a great one. I cannot think of any other film that made me laugh out loud and cry so hard, and to do both at once, in reaction to the same scene.
"I, Tonya" is as frightening and heartbreaking a depiction of child abuse as I have ever seen. It is as profound a meditation on class. Its depiction of "white trash, redneck, trailer trash" loves, lifestyles, dreams, delusions, smeared kitchens, underdone bedrooms, and dimly-lit living rooms ripped my heart right out of my chest. If you love movies and you care about social class in America, and how the 24/7 news cycle brainwashes gullible audiences and destroys lives, you owe it to yourself to see "I, Tonya."
Allison Janney just won the Golden Globe for her portrayal of LaVona Fay "Sandy" Golden, Tonya Harding's mother. Janney's performance is one of the most powerful performances I have ever seen in any movie. When Janney is onscreen, you can't take your eyes off her. There is something very compelling about a mother who abuses her own daughter. You want to understand. You want to find the mechanism that runs this monster. You search for some sign of humanity, of redemption, of love. Though "I, Tonya," is sometimes a campy movie, Janney is never campy. She is a force of nature, like a scorpion or Bubonic plague. There is a scene in "I, Tonya," where Tonya's mother performs an act of betrayal of her daughter so severe that it took my breath away. This betrayal, the real Tonya Harding says, took place in real life. What a lousy "mother."
There is a special hatred for white trash in America. This hatred has no easy name like "racism." We all know that racism is evil, but Americans are always eager to mock and denigrate working-class whites, especially poor white women. The 24/7 tabloid news cycle bashed Tonya Harding far harder, and for far longer, than Gillooly's goons bashed Nancy Kerrigan's knee.
Tabloids told gullible audiences too lazy to think for themselves that Tonya Harding herself planned the attack. The legal record, and the film "I, Tonya," tell a different story. Teenaged Tonya married the first man she dated. He beat her, as did her mom. It was he, and his delusional friend Shawn Eckhardt, court records say, who orchestrated the attack on Kerrigan. Tonya learned of this after the attack and did not turn him in. She was punished for that. Though she had no means of earning a livelihood outside of skating, she was forced out of skating for life.
In fact, the world of women's figure skating never much liked Tonya Harding. She was a superior athletic skater, but she wasn't pretty, patrician and ethereal as the judges preferred. Tonya Harding has been screwed over by many for a long time, and for all the wrong reasons. I'm glad she has this film to tell another side to her story.
"I, Tonya" does not whitewash or glamorize her. She is shown fighting and breaking up with Gillooly, and then going back to this man she knows is bad for her. Tonya is foul-mouthed and she gets angry at judges who cheat her on scores. She sabotages her own training by drinking, smoking, and partying. Margot Robbie is terrific. She does almost all of her own skating, after months of training. The had to CGI the triple axel, because only Tonya Harding, and a handful of other women, could do that.
"I, Tonya"'s depiction of Jeff Gillooly and his bizarre goons is both hysterically funny and dreadful. Sebastian Stan plays Gillooly. Though he is repeatedly shown beating Tonya, I never lost sympathy for him. I loathed him as a loser, but I could see his skewed humanity. He acknowledges, with regret, destroying his wife's exceptional skating career. The real Jeff Gillooly acknowledged the same thing, and also expressed regret.
Shawn Eckhardt, who was happy to identify himself as the attack mastermind, may have been mentally ill. In an interview with Diane Sawyer, he claimed to be a terrorism expert. In fact, he was a loser who lived at home with his parents. He died young. Both Jeff Gillooly and Shawn Eckhardt changed their names after the attack. Gillooly, now Jeff Stone, has had repeated run-ins with the law. His second wife committed suicide.
Tonya Harding has worked hard to keep her head above water. That, after all she'd been through, she did not become a criminal, is testimony to her inner strength. That so many people gave in to bread-and-circuses demonization of her, without knowing all the facts of the case, says nothing good about people's eagerness to hate, and the tabloid press' eagerness to profit from hate. -
tareqzaghal3 September 2023If I had a penny for each time Sebastian Stan played an emotionally or physically abusive partner in a famous relationship that took place in the 1990's, I'd have two pennies. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.
An enjoyable watch, great performances, nice visual style, lots of funny moments, tells an interesting story that feels too bizarre to be true, but overall it didn't do much for me.
It's a good film, just not a great one. Pacing was a bit off most of the time, and a bit of an imbalance in the direction of the narrative, and the third act was very messy, ended like 4 times. For some reason, although abuse and domestic violence is a large factor and theme, I didn't always feel its weight in the film. Margot is great, and so is Sebastian, but I don't believe Allison Janney's Supporting Actress win is deserved, she starts off strong but then doesn't do much overall to earn that honestly, or she maybe wasn't given much.
Individually there are scenes, like the mirror one and the one between Tonya and her Mom at the house, that felt levels above the rest of the film. Sometimes the film was trying to do a lot of different things, not all of them worked, lots of obvious inspiration from Scorsese and Adam McKay, but not pulled off as expertly.
A stronger screenplay and a stronger focus on the implications of American celebrity and the toxicity of the sports industry could've elevated this film for me in some areas, still a good experience though. -
With "I, Tonya", your views on former figure skater Tonya Harding and the scandal surrounding her and the Nancy Kerrigan attack could change entirely when you see this outstanding darkly comedic biopic.
The story, like I've stated before, surrounds the life of Tonya Harding, a former figure skater, and the scandal surrounding her and the attack on competitor Nancy Kerrigan that inevitably ended Harding's once promising career for good.
Margot Robbie plays the title character. Her performance is one that will have you in utter star-strucken amazement. That, and the performances of Allison Janney of "West Wing" and "Mom" fame, who plays Harding's abusive mother, as well Sebastian Stan of "Captain America" fame, who plays Jeff Gillooly, Harding's ex-husband.
Then comes director Craig Gillespie. It's hard to put in to words how brilliant Gillespie's direction is in the movie. He is truly an unsung voice that deserves a little more credit. What he does with this film is carefully-knitted art. He and writer Steven Rogers are able to poke fun at the character's obvious lies and stupidity while being respectful about Harding's circumstances.
Overall, "I, Tonya" is one to see for those who love scandalous stories, skating, and the truth. -
2001ASOfan23 January 2018"I, Tonya" is a film based on an undeniably startling series of events in the ice skating and entertainment-gossip worlds of its era, but it ultimately comes off as a cruel stunt rather than a riveting dissection of all that went down and the societal implications of same, which it pretends to be. From the very first moments of the film the actors come off as actors commenting on, and impersonating, the real-life people they play rather than becoming them (with the usually-reliable Bobby Cannavale the worst offender of all), and that queasy feeling lasts throughout the film, even when it pretends to be sympathetic to their violent, lost, and confused world. Allison Janney, who I usually enjoy tremendously as an actor, summed up what I suspected about the actors' and creators' misguided, even clueless actions regarding the making of this film: On a talk show she condescendingly described the real Tonya Harding's behavior at the recent Golden Globes Awards show while seated at her table by implying Tonya had the clueless audacity to approach Oprah at a nearby table, when, in fact, you also get from the story that Tonya innocently thought Oprah would remember her from interviewing her back during the actual high-profile peak of the events' turmoil. That same condescension toward the (at the time) clueless real people involved showed through in the film itself as well, and it makes for uncomfortable viewing. Yes, it is true the real-life people depicted were then-clueless and confused, lost participants in life-destroying antics, but everyone involved in this present-day production should have realized their depiction of them is just as lost, clueless and confused.