I, Tonya (2017)

Directed by

Craig Gillespie

Genre

drama film, biographical film, black comedy film

Country

France, United States

Runtime

1h 59m

Rated

R

Rating

7.5 of 10 from 6,223 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This biographical black comedy follows American figure skater Tonya Harding from her harsh upbringing through her rise in skating and her connection to the 1994 attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan. The film uses conflicting interviews and fourth-wall breaks to show Harding as both a victim and a complicated figure.

darkly comicbittersweetrawenergeticunreliabletragicomicvisceralsardonic

What happens

I, Tonya is a 2017 biographical comedy-drama sports film directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Steven Rogers. It follows the life and career of American figure skater Tonya Harding and her connection to the 1994 assault on her rival Nancy Kerrigan. The film states it is based on "contradictory" and "totally true" interviews with Harding and her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, suggesting they are unreliable narrators. It features darkly comedic interviews with the characters, set in the modern day, and breaks the fourth wall. Margot Robbie (who also produced) stars as Harding, Sebastian Stan as Gillooly, and Allison Janney as Harding's mother LaVona Golden. Julianne Nicholson, Caitlin Carver, Paul Walter Hauser, and Bobby Cannavale also star. Loosely based on actual events, the film depicts Harding as a victim, reframing the narrative around her implication in the aftermath of the crime and other criticism of her actions. I, Tonya premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, and was released theatrically in the United States on December 8, 2017, by Neon and 30West. It grossed $67 million worldwide on an $6 million budget, and received highly positive reviews from critics, who particularly praised the performances of Robbie, Stan, and Janney. At the 90th Academy Awards, Janney won for Best Supporting Actress, while the film also earned nominations for Best Actress for Robbie and Best Film Editing. It earned three nominations at the 75th Golden Globe Awards, winning Best Supporting Actress for Janney, who also won at the Screen Actors Guild and Critics' Choice Movie Awards. Robbie herself was nominated for Best Actress at both shows. At the 71st British Academy Film Awards, the film earned five nominations, winning Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Janney. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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