By Jake Coyle, AP Film Writer
"I, Tonya" is the Tonya Harding film you never knew you wanted: an outrageously entertaining reappraisal of the Olympic figure skater who, in 1994, was involved in a scheme to injure her main rival, Nancy Kerrigan.
Resurrecting Harding from the yellowed pages of '90s tabloids may seem about as necessary as a production of "Lorena Bobbitt on Ice." But yesterday's media spectacle has been very good for today's movies. It's no surprise by now that the tabloid caricatures sketched in a sensational news stories don't always do justice to the truth.
The more layered truths behind scandals of the past have made for some great documentaries (particularly last year's "O.J.: Made in America" and "Hot Coffee," the illuminating story behind the coffee that was "too hot") and a number of recent dramatic highlights, like Aaron Sorkin's upcoming "Molly's Game," about the woman callously dubbed the "poker princess" by the tabloids.
Director Craig Gillespie's movie — an "I, Claudius" for less regal times — isn't a sober reassessment of Harding. It's a winking, rollicking dark comedy both empathetic and pugnacious. It reframes Harding's story as an American tragicomedy with some of the unapologetic, this-is-the-real-America sneer of "GoodFellas." ''I, Tonya" is a peek behind a media circus that can't help going along for the ride, too.
"I, Tonya," written by Steven Rogers, is introduced as: "Based on irony free, wildly contradictory, totally true interviews with Tonya Harding and Jeff Gillooly." It begins in a mock-documentary style with the characters — Margot Robbie as Harding, Sebastian Stan as Gillooly — giving present-day interviews recalling "the incident." Their stories sometimes converge, sometimes deviate and the movie — in a well-worn gimmick — playfully pauses at various points with characters turning to the camera to relay their perspective.
The approach sometimes spoils the fun of "I, Tonya" but Tatiana S. Riegel's editing is kinetic and the performances keep "I, Tonya" hurtling forward. Especially Allison Janney. She plays Harding's bitter, abusive chain-smoking mother, LaVona, and her performance is a monument of brutal, caustic wit. In the film's early scenes at their Portland, Oregon, hometown, she puts a 4-year-old Tonya on the ice and smirks as she skates loops around much older and more well-to-do competitors. But she's downright mean, too. In one scene, she refuses to let Tonya go to the bathroom. When Tonya pees herself, LaVona declares, "Skate wet!"
And that is, on the scale of things, not the worst of the abuse heaped on Harding. Once she finally flees her mother's cruelty, she moves in with Gillooly — a leap from the frying pan to the fire if ever there was one. Their romance is sweet at first, but he soon begins hitting her, especially as Harding's career blossoms. (She was the first U.S. skater to land a triple axel.)
"I, Tonya" casts its infamous protagonist, nicknamed "Trashy Tonya," as a working-class insurgent in a glitzy and prim sport. She's proudly "poor and redneck," jogging with bags of dog food hoisted on her back and performing skating routines set to ZZ Top. Gillespie ("Lars and the Real Girl," ''Their Finest Hours") fills his movie with tasteless interiors and period scrunchies, and scores it with a blaring rock 'n roll soundtrack that plays across Harding's on-ice triumphs and domestic poundings, alike.
Robbie, in her finest performance yet, plays Harding as above all a survivor, smiling through pain and prejudice as she pursues her dream, only to be dragged down by those around her. She's a punching bag who should be pitied, but is instead made a punchline when the Coen brothers-esque scheme by Gillooly — likewise a victim of his associates — and bodyguard Shawn Eckhardt (Paul Walter Hauser) rapidly spins out of control.
"I, Tonya" has fun with the various versions of the Kerrigan attack, treating it like "Rashomon" for idiots. But the main takeaway is a believable one: that Harding, just 23 at the time, deserved better than yet another beat-down meted out by a much-entertained public.
"America," she says. "They want someone to love, but they want someone to hate."
"I, Tonya," a Neon release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for "pervasive language, violence, and some sexual content/nudity." Running time: 121 minutes. Three stars out of four.
Director Gillespie, whose roots are in commercialmaking, continues to helm spots and branded content through production house MJZ.
Oscar and Emmy-Winning Composer Kris Bowers Joins Barking Owl For Advertising, Branded Content
Music, audio post and sonic branding house Barking Owl has taken on exclusive representation of Oscar and Emmy-winning composer Kris Bowers for advertising and branded content.
Bowersโ recent film scores include The Wild Robot and Bob Marley: One Love, alongside acclaimed past works such as The Color Purple (2023), King Richard and Green Book. His contributions to television are equally impressive, with scores for hit series like Bridgerton, When They See Us, Dear White People, and his Daytime Emmy Award-winning score for The Snowy Day.
In addition to his work as a composer, Bowers is a visionary director. He recently took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for his directorial work on The Last Repair Shop. The emotionally touching short film spotlights four of the people responsible for repairing the musical instruments used by students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The Last Repair Shop reflects the positive influence that musical instruments have on the youngsters who play them, and the adults in the LAUSD free repair service who keep them working and in tune.
Barking Owl CEO Kirkland Alexander Lynch said of Bowers, โHis artistry, diversity of style and depth of storytelling bring an unparalleled edge to the work we create for global brands. His presence on our roster reflects our continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of sound and music in advertising.โ
Johanna Cranitch, creative director, Barking Owl, added, โKris first caught my attention when he released his record โHeroes + Misfitsโ where he fused together his jazz sensibility with a deeply ingrained aptitude for melody, so beautifully.... Read More