Review of I, Tonya (2017) by Donovan M — 15 Dec 2017

NICE, NICE, BABY - My Review of  I, TONYA (5 Stars).

Michael Ritchie and Jane Anderson's 1993 TV movie, THE POSITIVELY TRUE ADVENTURES OF THE ALLEGED TEXAS CHEERLEADER-MURDERING MOM set the gold standard, in my opinion, for blistering, darkly comedic social satire. It depicted a uniquely American experience of a mother (Holly Hunter), who takes the "family first" concept too far by getting way too involved in her daughter's life. When I heard that director Craig Gillespie (LARS AND THE REAL GIRL) and screenwriter Steven Rogers (HOPE FLOATS) had set out to tackle the story of disgraced Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding, I immediately thought of the aforementioned predecessor.

I love dark satire, counting NETWORK, ELECTION, and DR. STRANGELOVE amongst my all-time favorite films. We so rarely get to experience this genre in this irony-free world we live in, unless you enjoy tuning into the still-great SOUTH PARK. I couldn't wait to see I, TONYA, which one critic astutely called the GOODFELLAS of figure skating. As it turns out, that's pretty accurate, and then some.

I, TONYA is a blisteringly entertaining, sweeping, fantastically written, directed and performed look at the seeds planted on American soil in the 70s and 80s that got us to this hell of brainlessness, unchecked ambition, and mean-spiritedness we find ourselves in today. As such, it's one of the greatest American films I've seen this year or any other. It stands beside THE FLORIDA PROJECT, my favorite film of 2017, as a perfectly calibrated, cold, hard look at our class system and culture.

Based on interviews Rogers conducted with Harding and her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, the film presents its story using multiple points of view, often conflicting, to show how elusive the truth can be in our lives. In addition to Harding and Gillooly, we also hear from Harding's monstrous mother LaVona (a towering performance by Allison Janney) and Gillooly's shady slob of a friend, Shawn Eckhardt (the scene stealing Paul Walter Hauser). By using those interviews, to frame the story, sometimes using quotes in scenes where our characters break the fourth wall and address us even while action takes place. While this adds energy and a satirical element to the storytelling, the filmmakers take their characters seriously, giving us rich, bold, startling portrayals of Americans seemingly at war with each other.

Margot Robbie, in a career-defining performance, plays Tonya from her late teens through her 40s. Prior to that, she's portrayed by the very talented Mckenna Grace (GIFTED), who nails Tonya's grit and, in one stellar scene, sheer terror when her father leaves her alone with her abusive mom. When we first see Robbie as Tonya, she's a gawky, feather-haired, braces-sporting teenager who isn't shy to push her fellow skaters around and flirt with Gillooly (Sebastian Stan) who hangs around the rink with his pal Shawn. Unlike the other skaters, Tonya is poor and makes her own costumes. She eschews classical music and performs instead to the likes of ZZ TOP. There's no way around it, Tonya's kinda trashy, but she's also extremely talented. She's the first American skater to ever perform the triple axel in competition. But the judges refused to award her the scores she deserved because her appearance and presentation went against the "wholesome princess" image they preferred. This elitism really forms the crux of this film. It shows the consequences of how we treat our "deplorables" in this country. Push them too hard, count them out and they may do something drastic, like harm another person, or elect a fool for a president.

In Tonya's case, the judgement she feels from the world, and especially from her mother, seems to fuel her ability to excel in skating. She's got an axe to grind and she's fearless in how she wields it. This, despite or because of the abuse she suffers at the hand of her mom, her husband, and her country. I, TONYA doesn't necessarily side with Harding in the "incident" with skating rival, Nancy Kerrigan, but it goes a long way towards helping us understand her mindset.

As great as Robbie is in the role, she doesn't quite capture the real Harding, who had a softer quality at times, desperate to be liked. Robbie makes the role her own, interpreting Harding as a fearless force of nature. It may not be a perfect imitation, but it's memorable and deeply felt. She reminded me of a younger Jamie Pressly (MY NAME IS EARL) in her redneck mannerisms, all of which adds up to a thrillingly entertaining character.

A lot of the credit must go to cinematographer Nicolas Karakatsanis (THE DROP), who clearly speaks Scorsese. So many shots have energy and sweeping movement, perfectly capturing Janney's cocked head or pushing past a skating Harding to zoom in on an enraptured Gillooly. Unfortunately, the CGI superimposing of Robbie's face over the skating double looks a tad wonky, but the footage truly captures the speed and strength required to pull off Olympic-level figure skating. Editor Tatiana S. Riegel (THE WAY WAY BACK) also contributes spectacularly with a film constantly in motion, never boring for a second. By mixing together interview footage with the narrative and sprinkling it with breaks where the characters address us in scene, Riegel achieves a grand scale tapestry on what was clearly a limited budget. It's the most epic small film I've seen in ages.

In addition to the great performances I've noted above, I also loved Julianne Nicholson as Harding's first coach, Diane Rawlinson. Closely resembling the real person, with her 80s coif and detached cadences, she nails her role as someone who knows how to quietly handle divas like Tonya and her mother. I don't think she'll be remembered come awards time, but she's an MVP here.

Many may feel this film mocks its lower class characters, but as someone who grew up in the Midwest, it feels just right. There's no getting around the fact that people could be delusional, uneducated, and easily prone to violence. Gillooly's abuse of Harding, while shockingly portrayed, feels earned. We understand why his character would struggle with feelings of emasculation as Harding rises through the ranks. Tonya's mom also strikes at surprising times, especially in a shocking scene involving a kitchen knife. Janney's tough love performance never waivers, never softens. Her interview scenes, with a parakeet on her shoulder may strike comedy gold, yet her scenes with Tonya ring true. Tony can be a brat at times, and her mother will stop at nothing to remind her daughter of her shortcomings. Every moment she has on screen, especially when she hurls expletives at anyone within earshot, makes for some of the most searing, entertaining moments on film in 2017.

Like Scorsese, I, TONYA fills its soundtrack with wall-to-wall songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s. While most are extremely on the nose ("Goodbye Stranger" plays over a couple splitting up), the choices feel true to its characters. I especially enjoyed the sweet use of Dire Straits' "Romeo And Juliet" as Tonya and Jeff share their first kiss, and Heart's "Barracuda" is the perfect hard rock trash classic to let Tonya's aesthetic cut through the prim and proper classical music all the other skaters preferred for their routines. In fact, taking into account the utter lack of education of this film's main characters, being on the nose makes perfect sense. This especially rings true with Tonya's final lines as she defines America for the audience as she's covered in blood and sweat. The truth isn't important in a country where it's no longer valued, so make up your own mind about Tonya Harding, because she doesn't give a fuck....and THAT'S the America I, TONYA wants you to see.