Nominated for three Academy Awards, and winner of one (Allison Janney for Best Supporting Actress), I, Tonya comes home on DVD, Blu-Ray and digital download utterly victorious on numerous levels.
Margot Robbie is electric as Tonya Harding, the figure skater who became embroiled in one of the sporting world’s most notorious scandals when one of her associates assaulted her rival, Nancy Kerrigan), attempting to take her out of contention – thus clearing the way for Harding to skate clearly into the Olympics.
The film masterfully chronicles Harding’s life from her childhood-robbing early years, thanks to her overbearing and less than doting mother (Janney), to her unlikely rise through the figure skating ranks and how her falling for her husband Jeff Gillooly (perfectly played in I, Tonya by Sebastian Stan) would exponentially influence her professional and personal life. One could argue that she is still living under the shadow of that poor choice in men to this day. After all, if she never met Gillooly, she never would have become the focus of the ire of the world (and even the FBI).
I, Tonya uses the breaking the fourth wall masterfully as we truly get to hear all sides’ version of events in what can only be described as a complicated situation from beginning to end. Think you know the story of Harding? Think again. One will emerge from the experience of director’s Craig Gillespie harrowing, humorous and thrilling tale with a new appreciation for the skater. Given her upbringing and who she associated with on the way to those Olympic appearances, it is no wonder that controversy swirled around her around every bend of her life journey. Steven Rogers’ script deserves a mountain of credit for humanizing an individual that popular consensus had decided their opinion on years ago. It is a stunning achievement and above all else, it is sublimely entertaining and isn’t that what we want from our cinematic experience when all is said and done?
Robbie deserved that Oscar nod for Best Actress as she turns in an earth-shaking performance that is complex, layered and all force of nature. Everything the actress has done prior to this film is all pretense to I, Tonya. After Robbie’s work on this film, history will mark this moment as a turning point in a career that will find her becoming thought of as one of the great actresses of our time. She mesmerizes and gives what is essentially a masterclass in finding character and having that cinematic soul grab audiences by the lapel and never let them go. In fact, it is still a performance that haunts to this day and I first saw the film months ago!
Janney is a hurricane as Harding’s mother LaVona. Often times thespians seek to find a shred of redemption in their characters that allows them to sink their teeth into the role and come out the other side as a different person. The thing is, with LaVona, there is no redeeming qualities. Janney embraces that and triumphantly runs with it… all the way to the Dolby Theatre stage where she scored that Best Supporting Actress Oscar. So much of why Harding is what and who she is is because of her maternal influence. In many ways, the entire film rides on the performance of Janney and with her powerful talents, it is another reason why I, Tonya scores on so many levels.
I, Tonya weaves its wickedly intelligent and amusing web by showcasing several and often contradictory perspectives on the events that made up Harding’s life story. It is a challenge from a filmmaking standpoint to achieve that mode of storytelling, but the payoff – if it is done right – is huge. The winner here, even with Harding’s failings in life and on the ice, is the audience. It firmly belongs on the list of Best Films of 2017 and will be long remembered as a benchmark of Robbie’s talent, but also how to tell a nuanced and complex story efficiently and effectively.
On a side note, the film also is a righteous salute to the talent that Harding wielded on ice rinks across the globe. She was the first American woman to complete the triple axel in a competition and for a period there, Harding was the best skater in the world. That fact has been largely lost as the years passed, of course due to the scandal that surrounded her. What else is fascinating is that Kerrigan and Harding shared hotel rooms on their journey to the Olympics and were friendly. These are all aspects of the I, Tonya tale that enlightens while it is entertaining us profusely.
We wish there was more to the bonus features of I, Tonya. But, this is one of those home video releases where the film itself is enough to warrant adding it to one’s collection. There are deleted scenes, that we could live with or without, but a don’t-miss is a truly amazing featurette entitled Irony Free, Totally True: The Story Behind I, Tonya. The cast and filmmakers shed light on the making of the Oscar-winning gem and add layers to the viewing experience that only enhances its power.
With three Academy Award nominations, and one triumphant win, clearly the performances of this film elevate it from awesome to supremely awesome. That is the focus of All Sixes: The Perfect Performances of I, Tonya. Sometimes looks at how actors and actresses find their characters can seem pedantic and mundane. But the way this featurette shines the spotlight on the thespians of the Harding story is done in a manner that mirrors the film itself – highly entertaining and extremely enlightening.
Working with Director Craig Gillespie is a terrific look at how the helmer managed to bring the wickedly smart script to life and channel career best performances out of his cast. Although on the shorter end, it is a great featurette that will easily make you want more from the director and that arrives in the form of the always entertaining feature commentary that is a don’t-miss for a subsequent viewing.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: B