I, Tonya

Some of the early reaction to I, TONYA, a retelling of the life of disgraced Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding, was characterized by outrage.  There goes liberal Hollywood again! Making a hero out of a villain! Just like when Oliver Stone did that flattering portrait of Fidel Castro!! Et cetera.  Some folks couldn't imagine how/why anyone would dare suggest an alternative to what the media fed us way back in 1994 -  a white trash brat from Oregon sought to eliminate her competitor by having her kneecaps whacked.  The cause celebre dominated the news just prior to O.J. Simpson's even bigger circus the same year.

Director Craig Gillespie's 2017 film addresses the "incident" in its second hour, immediately acknowledging that some actually thought Tonya did the deed to Nancy Kerrigan herself.  The main players are shown in present day, recalling the sad story from modest confines.  We get at least three differing points of view on the events: Tonya (Margot Robbie), her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan), and her mother LaVona (Allison Janney).  Gillespie and writer Steven Rogers do not necessarily give anyone a more credible take, but as the events shown here reveal that Tonya was mostly the victim of bad associations, we do feel somewhat sorry for her.  When the judge hands down his sentence near the end of the movie, it's hard not have even a trickle of empathy.

And that's because, whether what we've observed is heightened or otherwise, we've been with Tonya on a two hour journey through her ten cent life.  Abandoned by her father early on and left with a miserable, tough love to the nth mother.  One who mocks and abuses her daughter, never letting her forget that every tip she earns as a waitress has gone to support her skating.  The kid is really good, amazing even.  She becomes one of the top skaters in the United States and makes the Olympic team more than once.  Not many others before or since could land a perfect triple axel.

But Tonya did not fit Committees' idea of a model athlete.  She used music by Z.Z. Top for performances and made her own modest costumes.  She had an attitude.  Her image cost her higher scores. Nancy Kerrigan, briefly shown to be a one-time friendly rival and on-road roommate of Harding's, conversely fit the squeaky clean mold.  I, TONYA effectively swipes at the judges almost as devastatingly as it does the media, mainly the tabloid show Hard Copy, which resorts to heinous activities like having Tonya's pickup truck vandalized and towed away to get her reaction on camera.

We don't see much of or learn much about Kerrigan in this movie.  Why doesn't she get to break the fourth wall like everyone else? I don't know if that is a flaw with this movie.  It's Tonya's story, and having Nancy Kerrigan barely seen, kept at a distance, may reflect the skaters' relationship.  It may also be a commentary on class structure, something else this film does fairly well.

And besides, isn't it more interesting to have a movie about a flawed loser? Harding's story is filled all manner of Classic Struggle, perfect for a movie.  I find tales such as hers far more dramatically rich than that of winners, often shown to be (falsely) angelic at best or insipid, moronic saints at worst.  Or just plain boring.   I, TONYA, while not exactly the RAGING BULL of ice skating movies, does paint a somewhat similarly (if nowhere nearly as artful) vivid and unflinching portrait as Scorese's film.

One film critic called this the GOODFELLAS of ice skating movies, and I believe this is because of Gillespie's directorial style at certain moments - fast cuts and rock songs that narrate scenes. Restless tracking.  It was quite recognizable, and less impressive than when Scorsese (or even David O. Russell) employed it.  I was more impressed with the performances Gillespie gets from his cast.  Robbie modulates her performance perfectly, knowing when to make it seem real and when to go for caricature; her choices always seem appropriate.  The same can be said for Stan and Janney, the latter of whom picked up an Oscar.  I liked her work, but it's awfully showy at times.

Watch that late moment when Tonya stares into the mirror, applying what is essentially war paint to her cheeks before a fateful final routine during the Olympics.  It may seem like a bid for Oscar, but I thought Robbie nailed it.

P.S. While many of the songs were used effectively, some were too familiar.  Particularly Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" which really needs a cinematic moratorium.