Craig Gillespie’s mockumentary biopic (and first directed film) I, Tonya tells the story of Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie), an Olympic figure skater from an abused and unloved background who is the first to successfully complete the triple axel, before being accused of sabotaging the competition and banned from figure skating altogether. Robbie shines as Harding, who is ambitious, direct, and full of life, yet in need of love and a friend. This is probably her best performance to date; she’s such a gorgeous and charming actress, but she really transformed herself almost unrecognisable for the role and really becomes Harding (sort of like when Charlize Theron became Aileen Wuornos in Monster). For what it’s worth, I also think the actress who plays Harding as a little girl was excellent too. Alison Janney (American Beauty, Finding Nemo) is also outstanding as Tonya’s narcissistic, horrible, abusive, lunatic mother LaVona Golden, a miserable old hag who uses her daughter as a vessel to fulfil her own inadequate life, and yet cannot recognise her daughter’s immense talent or display any forms of affection or acknowledgement for her. I appreciated the mother’s subversiveness, but hated her callousness and abusiveness, but Janney gives such a strong performance as Golden, and their chemistry was really interesting to see. I also hated her loser, piece of shit, abusive husband (I can’t even remember his name). The film indicts him as the one who arranges his loser friends to take out rival figure skater Nancy Kerrigan’s kneecap (and it basically falls to shit like everything else in their lives).
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