Review of I, Tonya (2017) by Troy C — 01 Feb 2018

U.S. Olympic figure skater and self-proclaimed redneck, Tonya Harding is anything but an ordinary figure in sporting history, so it makes sense that this biopic-based on "wildly contradictory" interviews, as we're told by the opening title card-is a rambunctious whirlwind of craziness.

Framed by re-enacted interviews that quickly establish the inconsistencies between stories and the overall untrustworthiness of everybody involved, the film wears its artistic licence proudly on its sleeve.

Some scenes are replayed from varying perspectives, whilst others brazenly break the fourth wall to emphasise the lack of dependability of the source; director Craig Gillespie never letting the (contested) truth get in the way of a good yarn.

There's no shortage of filmmaking bells and whistles on display either, Gillespie ambitiously employs crash zooms, unbroken tracking shots and split screens, among other things, to give off that energetic Tarantino-esque vibe.

Such brazen storytelling is hard to pull off-especially when trying to sustain it over two hours-so at times it feels like Gillespie is either in over his head or becoming a little too enamoured with his own flashiness, but never enough to derail proceedings.

He's also blessed to anchor his movie with a knockout performance from Margot Robbie. De-sexy-fied with prosthetics and 80s hairstyle wigs, Robbie is spellbinding as the crude, tenacious and super-talented Harding, able to simultaneously elicit sympathy and scorn in a single scene.

Playing out like a twisted comedy adventure, with a tinge of tragedy and pinch of crime thrown in for good measure, I, Tonya is one hell of a history lesson.