Craig Gillespie did brilliant directing the film, and Steven Rogers did a flawless job on the original screenplay. The film is about the life and skating career of Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding, as well as her involvement with the 1994 attack on Nancy Kerrigan, her rival and Olympic teammate for Team U.S.A. It also chronicles her relationship with boyfriend Jeff Gillooly (played by Sebastian Stan), and her subsequent marriage to him. Most importantly, the film allows us to see the complex things that happened in her life from Tonya’s perspective, and it humanizes her, especially since she was constantly portrayed as a figure skating villainess by the media.
Margot Robbie is transformative as Tonya Harding, and Allison Janney delivers the performance of a lifetime as Tonya’s vindictive mother, LaVona Fay Golden. Both performances are controlled and convincing, and the entire cast of actors is exceptional. The film deserves all of the awards and accolades that are coming its way.
The Verdict
Overall, I, Tonya is a sensational film that will leave the audience drenched in a wide spectrum of contradictory emotions. Both Margot Robbie and Allison Janney should earn Oscar nominations for “Best Actress” and “Best Supporting Actress” respectively. Craig Gillespie ought to be recognize for an Academy Award in the “Best Director” category, and the same holds true for Steven Rogers for the film’s original screenplay. I, Tonya, which ought to be nominated for the coveted “Best Picture” category, earns an A rating.
