- Actors: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Julianne Nicholson, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney
- Director: Craig Gillespie
- Writer: Steven Rogers
- Producers: Margot Robbie, Bryan Unkeless, Steven Rogers, Tom Ackerley
- Film Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Region: Region A/1
- Rated: R
- Studio: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
- Release Date: March 13, 2018
- Run Time: 119 minutes
The strangest
thing about I, Tonya is the way that
the real Tonya Harding was central to promoting the film, especially since it
is a satirical dark comedy that doesn’t have much positive to say about the
former figure skater. Maybe this is ironic, but I think it actually speaks to a
larger point that the film itself makes about Harding. She is so preoccupied
with receiving more time in the spotlight that she is willing to do anything.
In the film, we see this in her willingness to be an accomplice to an attack on
her competition, and in real life we see it in her willingness to promote a
film that shows her unwillingness to take responsibility for anything just
because it gives her the fame and attention she desires.
Although the
central event of the film involves the scandalous attack on Harding’s fellow
Olympic competitor, Nancy Kerrigan, there is a great deal of backstory before
getting to that point. The narrative almost seems to justify Harding’s behavior
by showing the alleged abuse she endured from both her mother (Allison Janney)
and her husband, Jeff (Sebastian Stan). The abuse is alleged because the film
makes clear from the very beginning that it is not based on facts. Instead, the
screenplay is based on the recent interviews taken from the parties involved in
the scandal, and makes entirely clear that they are contradictory. Believing
everything Harding says in the film is about as reliable as the shifting
stories that the skater has provided over the years, making the entire film something
of a farce.
Even in the
seriousness of the film’s topics, including child and spousal abuse, the tone
of the film stays comical, and this only works because of the filmmaker’s obvious
skepticism over the validity of the facts being presented by Harding. For those
who have suffered from abuse, this approach to the subject may come off as
insensitive, but somehow it seems fitting for the circus that is Harding’s
story. I, Tonya is a character study,
but one that has very little respect for its subject, which is clear by the
comedic tone used in approaching material which might have easily been turned
into melodrama.
Helping along
the screenplay’s delicate balance between ridicule and sincere depiction of
events are the performances in the film. While many of characters are almost
cartoonish in their depiction, there is also an deep sense of empathy in the
way the actors embody the roles. It is yet another way that I, Tonya is as contradictory as the
versions of events contained within its narrative. At the center of the film is
Margot Robbie as Harding, destined to be praised for her performance if only
for the chameleon way her beauty was dulled to play the role. While there is
certainly a fire to Robbie’s performance, there is also some inconsistency in
her chosen dialect, which occasionally slips into more of a Southern accent (an
odd choice considering Harding is from Oregon).
Even though
Robbie was the one celebrated for her performance early on, it was Allison
Janney’s depiction of Tonya’s mother, LaVona, which ultimately garnered the
film its only Academy Award. Janney has long been an award-winning television
actress, and she transforms herself effortlessly into the role. Any doubts
about her abilities in imitation will be put to rest with comparison footage at
the end of the film. While it can be obnoxious to watch how often the Academy
tends to award actors playing roles based on real people, there is no question
that Janney deserved this win.
The Blu-ray
release of I, Tonya also comes with a
DVD and a digital copy of the film. The special features on the discs include a
handful of deleted scenes, as well as a behind-the-scenes featurette. The
highlight of the extras, however, is a commentary track with director Craig
Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl, The Finest Hours).
Entertainment Value:
8/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8.5/10
Historical
Significance: 8/10
Special Features: 7/10
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