REVIEW: "I, Tonya"--Is Truth Really Stranger Than Fiction, Especially In the Media?

Many of us are familiar with the infamous scandal from the 1994 Olympics involving skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. The story goes that Harding staged an attack on Kerrigan that resulted in a broken knee, and eventually led to two-time gold-medalist Harding being banned for life from the sport.

I, Tonya, written by Steven Rogers (Stepmom, Love the Coopers) and directed by Graig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl), dramatizes this wild, shocking and unbelievable true story of the disgraced Harding, from her abusive upbringing (by mother LaVona Golden and ex-husband Jeff Gillooly) to her skating victories (including the famous triple axel) and what led to her downfall. What makes Rogers' script clever and insightful is that it's told from multiple (and contradictory) points of view, from Tonya, Jeff, and LaVona. There's even Tonya's former skating coach Diane Rawlinson (Julianne Nicholson), her self-appointed bodyguard Shawn  who tried to provide a healthy influence in her life, and a tabloid reporter (Bobby Cannavale).

The stellar, nail-biting casting of Margot Robbie (as Tonya), Sebastian Stan (as Jeff), and an almost unrecognizable Allison Janney (as LaVona) illustrate the different notions of what is true and what is not true in these characters, who occasionally break the fourth wall (with Tonya intervening most of the time) to remind us that this is Tonya's side of the story, hence the title of the film. "She always skated better when she was enraged," argues LaVona. Jeff describes her as "the Charles Barkley of figure skating." One critic even describes this film as "the 'Goodfellas' of figure skating."

Sebastian Stan and Margot Robbie

Allison Janney

Make no mistake, I, Tonya is a very profane and graphic story, often portrayed as a black comedy. But it's also a relevant one in light of the choices made by people (famous or not) and how success, the media--along with the love-hate relationship Americans have with it--and the world, for that matter, present them or choose to see them. The same goes for how out-of-control things can get, both in and out of the spotlight. "I was loved for a minute, then I was hated," Tonya tells us, "Then I was just a punchline."

Another aspect of Rogers' script that makes the story compelling is that it portrays these characters as more than mere punchlines that the media eventually made them to be. They're portrayed as human beings, and incredibly raw and flawed at that. The film doesn't tell viewers whether they should like these characters or not, but it does give a better understanding of them and, of course, certainly Harding, what she went through as far as complicated relationships and a bad reputation, and the story she never got to share at the time. One powerful scene shows Tonya putting on makeup before her final skating event, trying to push through her pouring emotions and tears.

One could argue that I, Tonya, in a way, gives Harding the opportunity to set the record straight, no matter how complicated or wild it may be. "The world's giving you a second chance," coach Rawlinson tells her during a low career point. "I know you don't believe in them, but I do." Kudos to Rogers, Robbie, and Gillespie, for believing as well.