This past weekend, my wife and I went to check out Margo Robbie's latest movie outing I, Tonya. I had been vaguely was aware of the shocking true life events regarding champion ice skater Tonya Harding back in 1994 so a biographical adaptation retelling the sordid saga in full, was something not to be missed. So, given a great actress in the lead role as well as a stellar supporting cast, can this movie do justice to their real life off-screen counterparts and dig deep into the dark, twisted world of Tonya Harding?
First off, it should be mentioned that the movie's background narrative is recounted by the three main stars of the movie. That being Tonya Harding herself (played by Margo Robbie), her mother LaVona Fay Golden (played by Allison Janney) and Tonya's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly (played by Sebastian Stan). We follow Tonya's life from a young girl of four as she embarks on a glittering career in ice skating after her mother discovers her gifted talents early on. Taken under the wing of trainer Diane Rawlinson (played by Julianne Nicholson), she slowly works her way up the rankings to become one of the best figure skaters in the USA. In the meanwhile, she meets a guy named Jeff and begins a relationship with him that soon turns serious. However, despite her valiant efforts to make it to the top of her chosen career, the two most prominent people in her life also prove to be the most destructive and things quickly take a turn for the worse... Much worse.
I went into this movie with little to no expectation. Which could possibly have been the best way to watch something like this. Even if the Olympic subject matter doesn't do it for you, the underlying story itself certainly should. I absolutely loved this movie. Tonya herself, being a shy, retiring sort of girl, is surrounded by some of the most despicable and loathsome individuals yet committed to screen. It's hard to ascertain how much of her mother's on-screen presence is exaggerated or not, as the case may be, but you feel nothing but empathy for Tonya's and her unfortunate plight. This movie deals with some harsh realities of her life, recreated with as much brutality as the acts themselves portray. The relationship between herself and Jeff is no better, further causing us as an audience to root for her even further. The raw emotion driven by a fast-moving script, great acting and some excellent editorial work, all gel seamlessly. You can see the huge influences from Goodfellas in it's tonal styling and "breaking the fourth wall" narrative segments. It all adds up to a rich, vibrant and compelling story that never seems to have a dull moment. And a standing ovation must be given to Margo Robbie for one of ( if not "the") best performances of her entire career.
Though I've never had any interest per se in figure skating itself, the choreography and fluidity of Tonya's scenes on ice, were mesmerising. The effects team did a stellar job in making you believe that you are actually watching Margo pulling off every elegant move, as well as the fabled and extremely difficult "triple axel jump" that became the signature move of Tonya. The key element to this movie being as great as it was is a very strong beginning. The established roles the trio perfected, setup for the big "incident" later on in the third act that, sadly, Tonya became more well known for in the end. It's a tale of "what could have been" had all the pieces of the puzzle fit perfectly together for her. But at the same time, how the dreams and ambitions of one young hopefully took her higher than most in her situation could have ever hoped for. In terms of any problems with the movie, I struggled to find any. I guess some may be put off by the depiction of violence against children or other physical domestic abuse, but other than that, you have a solid grade brilliant movie on your hands.
I was very impressed with this unexpected surprise hit. I actually read up on the online critical consensus "after" viewing the movie with a neutral biase and it appears I'm not the only one who was suitably entertained. I, Tonya was a rip-roaring ride into the life of one of the greatest figure skaters the world has never known. Check this movie out if you get the chance. Believe me, you could do a lot worse.
