This Oscar season features a set of movies that seem to be some of the most divisive in recent memory. You thought the so-called La La Land wars were bad? Just wait until you see the Battle of Three Billboards. The lack of a front-runner in this year's race has caused the movies to cannibalize one another with thinkpieces and media hit jobs, and the cycle of online backlash has been moving quicker than ever. Since the moment it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, Craig Gillespie's I, Tonya has been one of the most controversial movies of the season. And honestly, that's not surprising in the slightest- how could a movie that positions Tonya Harding as a victim not spark some controversy? Some people have balked at the mere idea of I, Tonya, others have problems with the execution of its basic thesis, and others have fallen head over heels in love with the film. Reactions are all over the map.
One of the unfortunate things about the operation of the festival circuit is that critical opinion has been mostly decided by the time these films actually hit theaters. It sometimes feels like I'm reviewing the reviews, but when you live in the Film Twitter bubble, it's inescapable. By the time I got the chance to watch I, Tonya, I had been inundated with various takes on the film, and I tried my best to push them all out of my brain. What I found was somewhat surprising- a biopic that can't be easily labeled as "Masterpiece!" or "Disaster!" Consistently self-aware to an impressive extent, I, Tonya is an expansive and messy portrait of the life of an American icon equipped with unreliable narrators, energetic visual storytelling clearly inspired by Scorsese, and a rocking soundtrack. It accomplishes something that requires precision and skill- it humanizes and generates sympathy for a caricature, but it never entirely lets her off the hook. The result is a surprising amount of genuine emotion, a story that is both outrageously funny and truly, painfully tragic. I, Tonya had a difficult task, but with the talents of Margot Robbie and a brilliant supporting cast, it's a complex biopic that doesn't disappoint.
From a young age, Tonya Harding (played in the early scenes by McKenna Grace) displays an incredible talent for ice skating. When Coach Diane Rawlinson (Julianne Nicholson) tells LaVona Golden (Allison Janney) that she doesn't train girls under a certain age, Tonya is sent out to the ice to blow Diane away. But despite her status as a skating prodigy, Tonya's life is a series of horrible events. LaVona is brash and abusive, so intent on physically and mentally torturing her daughter that she basically stands as everything a mother shouldn't be. LaVona thinks she's turning young Tonya into a champion- but she's destroying her life at the very same time. Meanwhile, LaVona burns bridges with her husband (Jason Davis), causing Tonya's beloved father to leave her. But she pushes forward with her skating, becoming one of the most talented figure skaters of her generation.
Now a young woman (played by Margot Robbie), Tonya is beginning to do things that most skaters could only dream of. But then she meets Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan). And if you know anything about the story of Tonya Harding, you know that Jeff is a large part of Tonya's downfall. While Tonya tells the audience that Jeff was the first man who ever showed much interest in her, she also informs us that he's a serial abuser. In Jeff's version of the story, he denies these claims, but there's no denying what happens next. As Tonya grows to be more and more of a force in the sport, pulling off moves like the unprecedented "Triple Axel," the competition against her also grows more fierce. Tonya says that Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver) is her friend, but their rivalry quickly becomes notable in the sport. When a plan to send fake death threats turns into an assault masterminded by a close associate of Jeff, Tonya will take on a whole new level of infamy that eventually leads to a swift downfall. But is it all really her fault?
For all of the raging debate surrounding this film in online circles, I feel like what I, Tonya does in actuality is relatively uncontroversial. Director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Steven Rogers take a story that has been parodied and mythologized in modern American history and show the perspective of a person long considered to be a villainous, one-dimensional evildoer. And the goal isn't to free her of guilt or make her the hero- it just wants you to look at this story and feel something more complex than what you've been told to feel before. It's a comic tragedy of the highest order, taking the unshakable sadness of films like Raging Bull and Foxcatcher and applying an absurdist twist. It's a highly potent cocktail of acidic dialogue and pure entertainment value, so compulsively watchable that it never loses the viewer for even a second.
And it all starts with Margot Robbie. Sure, she's not even the first actress we see as Tonya Harding, but she leaves a lasting impression that makes this one of the best performances of the year. The beautiful Australian actress, who broke onto the scene in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street, undergoes a full physical transformation to practically become Tonya, a product of both an impressive makeup and hairstyling team and Robbie's own go-for-broke determination. But Robbie's dynamic, layered performance captures Tonya Harding in a way that goes beyond simple mimicry or physical parallels. There's real attitude here, a brash and unbreakable "Me vs. Everyone Else" spirit that keeps the character feeling unpredictable. But for all of Harding's pointed remarks and "That wasn't my fault!" denials, there's a broken emotional core to the character, a desperation that reveals itself in the most unexpected of moments. Robbie manages to play with the emotional elements of the story in a way that is both understated and overt, holding the viewer captive as she takes over the screen. There's a scene towards the end of the film (not the one everyone else has talked about) that really hit me, and that was truly, honestly surprising. What Robbie does here is brilliant.
As good as she is, Robbie is far from the only star in this film, backed up by excellent supporting turns from Allison Janney and Sebastian Stan. Janney has been getting Oscar buzz ever since this film premiered, and deservedly so. She's a force of nature as the despicable LaVona Harding, so vile and mean-spirited that you just can't take your eyes off her. She's probably the least dynamic character in the movie, as her actions can pretty much be explained entirely by one scene. But that doesn't make her any less gripping to watch. The unsung hero of I, Tonya is Sebastian Stan, who gets the chance to show that he's more than just Marvel's Winter Soldier. Stan's Jeff Gillooly is one of the many narrators of the story, telling his version of the events in a mild-mannered and calm fashion. That's the genius of Stan's performance here- he's both likable in a dopey, "Aw shucks" kind of way, and deeply terrifying as Tonya's villainous abuser. That Stan basically plays such opposing characters in the same film is a feat of acting, and he deserves more credit for what he's done in this film.
In the midst of the intense (and necessary) discussions centered on I, Tonya, I feel like online sentiment has overlooked the fact that this movie could have been a dull mess in the hands of another director and screenwriter. So many rote, standard-issue biopics are released every year that it's almost a miracle when something as thrillingly alive as I, Tonya comes around. From the very first moments to the final image, this film is a shot of adrenaline that moves like lightning, a fourth wall-breaking, musically-charged roller-coaster ride. Steven Rogers' screenplay is vivid and smart, taking a big, sprawling narrative and making it feel compact and effective. Director Craig Gillespie translates the material well, adding some visual flair of his own and a soundtrack that underscores and accompanies the best moments. I, Tonya feels uncontrollable, as it tells a story that is both positively ridiculous and genuinely intense. It's thanks to the talents of Gillespie and Rogers that each element of this tricky combination works so well, that none of the pieces feel out of place.
As a result of this film, Tonya Harding has been back in the news lately, and the press hasn't exactly been positive. She doesn't seem to want to talk about what happened, and she likes the fact that the movie portrays such a sympathetic image of her. In fact, there was a New York Times article the other day called "Tonya Harding Would Like Her Apology Now." But she doesn't want to talk about what happened. She doesn't want to acknowledge any culpability. She just wants the world to know that it wasn't her fault.
At its worst, the film indulges (but doesn't endorse) Harding's view that she's the real victim of the story, not Nancy Kerrigan. There's a truly awful scene towards the end where Harding points the finger at the audience, saying that we're all her abusers too. That stuff is rough, but it's not the lasting impression of the film. In fact, I don't even think that the filmmakers believe that. I, Tonya presents a lot of different perspectives on Harding's life- some positive, some negative, all sympathetic. In the end, all that's left is sadness. As funny and fresh as it always is, Gillespie's film always returns to the tragedy of Tonya Harding. She had talent to spare, but her class, her family, and while she'd never want to admit it, her own behavior all did her no favors.
The brilliance of I, Tonya lies in its ability to fill you with an immense sorrow for such a flawed, difficult individual. It pulls no punches regarding the inconsistency of Tonya's story and the stories that come from those around her. But it also knows that the story of Tonya Harding isn't one about an rotten human being with a cold and malicious heart who got her comeuppance in the end. It's a tragedy about a woman who suffered endless abuse, making a series of bad choices along the way. She couldn't escape that cycle, and eventually it destroyed her. That's nothing to celebrate. It's tragic in every sense of the word. Gillespie, Rogers, Robbie, and everyone else involved with this film know that. I, Tonya may ultimately be an imperfect film, but it's a perfect portrayal of the absurdity and tragedy of a woman with a life that has been one-dimensional for far too long.
THE FINAL GRADE: A- (8.4/10)
Images courtesy of NEON
One of the unfortunate things about the operation of the festival circuit is that critical opinion has been mostly decided by the time these films actually hit theaters. It sometimes feels like I'm reviewing the reviews, but when you live in the Film Twitter bubble, it's inescapable. By the time I got the chance to watch I, Tonya, I had been inundated with various takes on the film, and I tried my best to push them all out of my brain. What I found was somewhat surprising- a biopic that can't be easily labeled as "Masterpiece!" or "Disaster!" Consistently self-aware to an impressive extent, I, Tonya is an expansive and messy portrait of the life of an American icon equipped with unreliable narrators, energetic visual storytelling clearly inspired by Scorsese, and a rocking soundtrack. It accomplishes something that requires precision and skill- it humanizes and generates sympathy for a caricature, but it never entirely lets her off the hook. The result is a surprising amount of genuine emotion, a story that is both outrageously funny and truly, painfully tragic. I, Tonya had a difficult task, but with the talents of Margot Robbie and a brilliant supporting cast, it's a complex biopic that doesn't disappoint.
From a young age, Tonya Harding (played in the early scenes by McKenna Grace) displays an incredible talent for ice skating. When Coach Diane Rawlinson (Julianne Nicholson) tells LaVona Golden (Allison Janney) that she doesn't train girls under a certain age, Tonya is sent out to the ice to blow Diane away. But despite her status as a skating prodigy, Tonya's life is a series of horrible events. LaVona is brash and abusive, so intent on physically and mentally torturing her daughter that she basically stands as everything a mother shouldn't be. LaVona thinks she's turning young Tonya into a champion- but she's destroying her life at the very same time. Meanwhile, LaVona burns bridges with her husband (Jason Davis), causing Tonya's beloved father to leave her. But she pushes forward with her skating, becoming one of the most talented figure skaters of her generation.
For all of the raging debate surrounding this film in online circles, I feel like what I, Tonya does in actuality is relatively uncontroversial. Director Craig Gillespie and screenwriter Steven Rogers take a story that has been parodied and mythologized in modern American history and show the perspective of a person long considered to be a villainous, one-dimensional evildoer. And the goal isn't to free her of guilt or make her the hero- it just wants you to look at this story and feel something more complex than what you've been told to feel before. It's a comic tragedy of the highest order, taking the unshakable sadness of films like Raging Bull and Foxcatcher and applying an absurdist twist. It's a highly potent cocktail of acidic dialogue and pure entertainment value, so compulsively watchable that it never loses the viewer for even a second.
And it all starts with Margot Robbie. Sure, she's not even the first actress we see as Tonya Harding, but she leaves a lasting impression that makes this one of the best performances of the year. The beautiful Australian actress, who broke onto the scene in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street, undergoes a full physical transformation to practically become Tonya, a product of both an impressive makeup and hairstyling team and Robbie's own go-for-broke determination. But Robbie's dynamic, layered performance captures Tonya Harding in a way that goes beyond simple mimicry or physical parallels. There's real attitude here, a brash and unbreakable "Me vs. Everyone Else" spirit that keeps the character feeling unpredictable. But for all of Harding's pointed remarks and "That wasn't my fault!" denials, there's a broken emotional core to the character, a desperation that reveals itself in the most unexpected of moments. Robbie manages to play with the emotional elements of the story in a way that is both understated and overt, holding the viewer captive as she takes over the screen. There's a scene towards the end of the film (not the one everyone else has talked about) that really hit me, and that was truly, honestly surprising. What Robbie does here is brilliant.
As good as she is, Robbie is far from the only star in this film, backed up by excellent supporting turns from Allison Janney and Sebastian Stan. Janney has been getting Oscar buzz ever since this film premiered, and deservedly so. She's a force of nature as the despicable LaVona Harding, so vile and mean-spirited that you just can't take your eyes off her. She's probably the least dynamic character in the movie, as her actions can pretty much be explained entirely by one scene. But that doesn't make her any less gripping to watch. The unsung hero of I, Tonya is Sebastian Stan, who gets the chance to show that he's more than just Marvel's Winter Soldier. Stan's Jeff Gillooly is one of the many narrators of the story, telling his version of the events in a mild-mannered and calm fashion. That's the genius of Stan's performance here- he's both likable in a dopey, "Aw shucks" kind of way, and deeply terrifying as Tonya's villainous abuser. That Stan basically plays such opposing characters in the same film is a feat of acting, and he deserves more credit for what he's done in this film.
In the midst of the intense (and necessary) discussions centered on I, Tonya, I feel like online sentiment has overlooked the fact that this movie could have been a dull mess in the hands of another director and screenwriter. So many rote, standard-issue biopics are released every year that it's almost a miracle when something as thrillingly alive as I, Tonya comes around. From the very first moments to the final image, this film is a shot of adrenaline that moves like lightning, a fourth wall-breaking, musically-charged roller-coaster ride. Steven Rogers' screenplay is vivid and smart, taking a big, sprawling narrative and making it feel compact and effective. Director Craig Gillespie translates the material well, adding some visual flair of his own and a soundtrack that underscores and accompanies the best moments. I, Tonya feels uncontrollable, as it tells a story that is both positively ridiculous and genuinely intense. It's thanks to the talents of Gillespie and Rogers that each element of this tricky combination works so well, that none of the pieces feel out of place.
As a result of this film, Tonya Harding has been back in the news lately, and the press hasn't exactly been positive. She doesn't seem to want to talk about what happened, and she likes the fact that the movie portrays such a sympathetic image of her. In fact, there was a New York Times article the other day called "Tonya Harding Would Like Her Apology Now." But she doesn't want to talk about what happened. She doesn't want to acknowledge any culpability. She just wants the world to know that it wasn't her fault.
At its worst, the film indulges (but doesn't endorse) Harding's view that she's the real victim of the story, not Nancy Kerrigan. There's a truly awful scene towards the end where Harding points the finger at the audience, saying that we're all her abusers too. That stuff is rough, but it's not the lasting impression of the film. In fact, I don't even think that the filmmakers believe that. I, Tonya presents a lot of different perspectives on Harding's life- some positive, some negative, all sympathetic. In the end, all that's left is sadness. As funny and fresh as it always is, Gillespie's film always returns to the tragedy of Tonya Harding. She had talent to spare, but her class, her family, and while she'd never want to admit it, her own behavior all did her no favors.
The brilliance of I, Tonya lies in its ability to fill you with an immense sorrow for such a flawed, difficult individual. It pulls no punches regarding the inconsistency of Tonya's story and the stories that come from those around her. But it also knows that the story of Tonya Harding isn't one about an rotten human being with a cold and malicious heart who got her comeuppance in the end. It's a tragedy about a woman who suffered endless abuse, making a series of bad choices along the way. She couldn't escape that cycle, and eventually it destroyed her. That's nothing to celebrate. It's tragic in every sense of the word. Gillespie, Rogers, Robbie, and everyone else involved with this film know that. I, Tonya may ultimately be an imperfect film, but it's a perfect portrayal of the absurdity and tragedy of a woman with a life that has been one-dimensional for far too long.
THE FINAL GRADE: A- (8.4/10)
Images courtesy of NEON
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