“I, Tonya,” a redemption story for one of America’s most controversial figure skaters, Tonya Harding, was released Jan. 19. The greatly anticipated film, starring Margot Robbie and Sebastian Stan, has been highly praised by reviewers like rottentomatoes.com. Photo used under fair use guidelines from commons.wikimedia.org.
“I, Tonya” is the powerful story of one of America’s most legendary yet infamous athletes. No matter what the viewers may think of Tonya Harding, they will not be able to look away from the screen while watching this incredibly well-done telling of her story.
Based on the unbelievable true story of American figure skater Tonya Harding, “I, Tonya” was released in theaters Jan. 19. With extraordinary performances from the actors and wonderful execution of a complicated storyline, this movie exceeds all expectations of viewers and will leave them wanting to spend the day reading about Harding and her legendary triple axel jump.
Produced in a “mockumentary” style, the movie tells Harding’s story in a very different light than the media did while the events were taking place.
The skater has an extremely controversial past. Harding made history in 1991 by becoming the first American woman to complete a triple axel jump in competition, but was later banned from the sport for her involvement with the infamous attack on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan. The movie gives a different perspective on the story than the one we are used to, with more sympathy towards Harding and a highlight on the abuse she overcame by her mother and husband.
The movie’s production and storytelling make it so engaging that viewers and will not be able to look away while watching. That being said, the movie could not have been the same without the incredible actors. Margot Robbie, as Tonya Harding, and Sebastian Stan, as her husband Jeff Gillooly, bring the movie to a new level with their performances.
Although it would take a lifetime to parallel Harding’s spectacular athletic ability, Robbie spent four months intensively training at ice skating in order to do her character justice. She certainly did nothing less than that.
It is important to note that “I, Tonya” has been rated R for potentially disturbing content, such as graphic domestic violence and child abuse and vulgar language throughout the movie. For a certain audience, nothing about this movie will disappoint.
Simply put, “I, Tonya” is a wonderfully-executed redemption story for a woman whom America loved to hate, and is more than worth spending 120 minutes watching.
