Day 72 - I, Tonya



Day 72            I, Tonya [2017]
                          
Screenplay                    Steven Rogers
Director                         Craig Gillespie
Cinematography            Nicolas Karakatsanis
Music                            Peter Nashel
Leads                            Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney, Julianne Nicholson, Bobby Cannavale
Production                     LuckyChap Entertainment, Clubhouse Pictures, AI Film

IMDb                                7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes                90%

Love Margot Robbie and she smashed this as the infamous American figure skater Tonya Harding. Academy Award nomination for her in the leading actress role and for Allison Janney in the supporting actress role. Janney will probably win her category, playing Tonya’s hardy, unforgiving mother LaVona. The acting is the best thing about this film, but that’s not to say it’s the only good thing. The story of Harding’s rise and fall from grace is told in an exciting way, emphasising Tonya’s tough ‘redneck’ upbringing. Rogers creates a lot of sympathy for Harding, and rightly so. She is beaten physically by her mother and her husband, and verbally by America’s media. Yet she still became the first American woman to successfully land a triple axel in competition (second woman ever) and dominated skating for a brief period as no-one else could land the move. It’s a thrill ride and we are with Harding every step of the way. Thanks mainly to how ghastly her mother is towards her, and how stupid her husband Jeff (Stan) and his delusional friend Shawn (Cannavale) are. Judges also give Tonya a hard time as presentation seems to be just as important as skating ability (a debate for another time – some sports can be so pretentious – you know something is wrong when simple sporting ability is not the only thing in play to make someone the best at a sport). Back to the film though. The music is fun, tracks from the 70s, I especially liked the use of ‘Goodbye Stranger’ by Supertramp as I’ve always wanted to use that if I get around to making a movie. Karakatsanis’ work is good with the camera, and certainly easier on the eye than his name. Weak joke that but I don’t pretend to be a comedian. It’s a ridiculous story and enjoyable movie.

Acting                            4 / 4
Writing                        3.5 / 4
Cinematography             3 / 4
Music                             3 / 4
HWF rating                3 / 4