I, Tonya (2017)

Up next in our Margot Robbie filmography watch through, we leave 2016 behind with Suicide Squad and move on to I, Tonya (2017).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2iy5y0YjGM

Title: I, Tonya

Director: Craig Gillespie

Runtime: 1 hour 59 minutes

Watched via: Hulu

IMDb synopsis: Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.

Wow does this one pack a whole lot into its runtime of just under two hours. We are given a look at the life of Tonya Harding from the beginnings of her figure skating career all the way through the infamous incident and the subsequent fallout.

We start very early on in her life, with her beginnings as a “soft 4” year old where she skates her way into lessons. As Tonya gets older and is beginning to climb the ranks, we see the beginnings of her relationship with Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan). These two are as good for each other as orange juice and toothpaste. It is an incredibly abusive relationship but given that “tough love” from her mother means she loves her, surely it is the same with Jeff. Right? Wrong. This relationship would prove to be the downfall of her career.

Look, everyone knows the story of the incident with Nancy Kerrigan. But do they know how everything really went down? Well, a large portion of this movie goes into explaining how and why everything built up the way it did and why things ultimately went down the way they did. And that is the most interesting part of the entire film for me. I will not go into the details here. If you have seen it, you know. If you haven’t seen it yet, well carve an hour and fifty-nine minutes out of your day to go remedy that.

Allison Janney won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as LaVona Harding and absolutely deserved it. The parenting philosophy of “tough love equals true love” that LaVona uses has a lifelong impact on her daughter and we see that, continuously, as the film plays out. A lot of the comedy is dark humor, and nobody delivers better than Janney here. Yes, LaVona says and does some absolutely horrible things to her daughter. However, Janney is able to leave a very small part of you feeling empathetic for LaVona despite what she has said and/or done.

When you think of someone who makes the most of their screentime no matter the role, who comes to mind? One of your answers should be Paul Walter Hauser. He keeps that trend alive here with his role as Shawn Eckardt, egomaniac and former bodyguard for Tonya Harding. While not on the screen for a substantial amount of time, he makes his time memorable with his comedic timing and delivery.

But let’s be real, with this film, it is Margot’s world and we’re all just living in it. No, she didn’t win the Academy Award for Best Actress, but she should have. Her performance here as Tonya Harding was nothing short of incredible. She was perfect to take on the role of the bad girl of figure skating. The look, the attitude, she nailed it all. While she might be best known for the role of Harley Quinn, this is hands down my favorite Margot Robbie performance that I have seen thus far on our journey. Actually, one could argue that this is my favorite overall Margot Robbie performance.

Well, that’s enough about what I think. What do you think? What are your thoughts on I, Tonya (2017)? Let me know in the comments below or by reaching out to me on social media!

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What is up next? Our next stop on the Margot Robbie filmography watch through will bring us to 2017’s Goodbye Christopher Robin. While not currently streaming anywhere, it is currently available to rent on most major platforms for $3.99.