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Rating: 4.5 out of 5
I, Tonya is a film based on the crazy life of former U.S. figure skater Tonya Harding. A younger generation might know Tonya Harding from her celebrity boxing stints. Back in the day, Harding was a very, very great figure skater who earned the distinction as being the first American woman to successfully land a triple Axel in competition. Yet, Harding is mostly known for her connection in the attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan and trying to win that Olympic gold medal. This crazy and entertaining biopic looks into the extraordinary life of Harding and explaining many of the events in Harding’s life. Get ready for an enjoyable ride.
Tonya Harding (Robbie) grew up on what you might call the wrong side in Portland, Oregon. Harding grew up under one of the most abusive, hard, tough as nails, speak her mind, gives absolutely ZERO F***S about anyone mother (Janney). Early on in the film, Harding was never really accepted into the world of figure skating as she is a country girl rather than a prissy princess. Tanya begins her career at the age of 4. Her mother takes her to a skating practice and pretty much demands that Diana Rawlinson coaches her. At an early age, Tanya wins competitions against competitors twice her age. Her only downside is that she lacks the grace, beauty, and lifestyle of what had become known worldwide as the image of a lady’s competitive figure skater.
Life is very interesting for Tonya as her life revolves around nothing but figure skating, even going as far as being pulled out of school. Life turns for her at the age of 15 when she meets her future husband Jeff Gillooly (Stan) and his friend, her future “bodyguard” Shawn Eckardt (Hauser). Things become crazier and crazier with young love and success. Tonya becomes a national champion, a world medalist, a member of the U.S. Olympic team twice, and made history by being the first-ever American woman to land a triple axel in competition. Even with all this success, life seems to be the same for Tonya as her life would soon spiral out of control with a crazy attack and a story no one would be able to believe.
Wow! Just wow! I, Tonya is one of the craziest but most entertaining movies about a sports figure who is quite mad in her own right. The sheer craziness that happens on the screen will make you scratch your head, followed by saying, “That is the stupidest thing I ever heard.” Major props need to be given to director Craig Gillespie. Gillespie’s tone and style for this film are genuinely entertaining. The way he made this movie will have you engaged from beginning to end. The film is pretty much a dark comedy told in an interview style. Each person brings their own side of the story humorously but one that shouldn’t be taken too seriously. You watch and know everyone is just trying to cover their own ass, and it truly works to perfection.
While watching the movie, you want to feel sorry for Tonya because of the childhood she lived in. Living with an abusive mother who seems to hate the entire world is one thing, but the film tries to make Tonya look like a victim is some respects, and in others, you knew she had a hand in it. One way the film does this is with her now ex-husband. As he hits, her she states that this is the way things are and should be. Then the next second, she shoots a shotgun at him. Now, no man should ever put his hands on a woman. Need to watch Madea!!! Yet, the primary theme of EVERYTHING is that Tonya never seems to take responsibility, and nothing is her fault. Throughout the whole movie, she claims nothing is her fault when clearly some of the things are her fault. The movie and filmmaking play beautifully into making you feel sorry for Tonya because she is the complete opposite of everyone else.
For the acting and characters. Each one of them was amazing in their own way. Margot Robbie was sensational as Tonya Harding. Robbie, a beauty in her own right, embodied Toya Harding almost to the very last detail. She played the redneck, country girl who didn’t care about anyone and just wanted to skate to perfections. Just her body language and the way she spoke was truly something to watch and should be enjoyed.
The person who stole the movie was Allison Janney as LaVona Golden, Harding’s abusive mother. The minute she came on the screen, you knew she was going to be a tremendous force to deal with. It seemed like Janney didn’t hold back with her foul language. There could be a second movie of Janney in this role, and it would be just as entertaining. I have seen some evil mothers lately, and Golden is right up there as the worse of them. She was just relentless and seemed to never show any love. One scene sticks out in my mind. It was when Tonya was getting ready to skate, and a person was hounding her. You think that the person was a true a**hole, but then a few minutes later, we see that Golden paid the man just to mess with Tonya’s mind. That is some cold-blooded s**t right there. For her role, Janney won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She definitely deserved it because she was terrific.
As far as the other characters go, Sebastian Stan, as Jeff Gillooly, was pretty entertaining. He was trying to be all innocent and charming, but really, he was a woman beater who needed his ass beat. A long way away from his Winter Soldier role. The secondary character who was also a scene-stealer was Paul Walter Hauser as Shawn Eckardt, the wannabe bodyguard, and friend of Gillooly. At first, I thought he was just a made-up character in the film. I was like, “No one can be this dumb along tell all these wild stories.” At the end of the film, you see that the dude was actually real, and everything that came out of his mouth was real. W.T.F.!! Julianne Nicholson, as Tonya’s skating coach Diane Rawlinson, is honestly the only sane person in the whole crazy movie.
I, Tonya is one of those sports movies that is crazy, entertaining, and somewhat puts a little spotlight on figure skating. The film is beyond entertaining as Gillespie brings you in for a nice ride. You will honestly never look at figure skating the same way. Robbie and Janney are fantastic in their roles and should be watched. This is a great sports movie and a movie to watch during the Winter Olympics.
