GO MARGO ROBBIE

Rating: 7/10 (2 June 2018)

'I, Tonya' may miss the mark of being a great film, but it's held up by phenomenal performances and overall style. Margot Robbie leads out this film portraying the immensely talented and infamous Tonya Harding and she certainly delivers; she pulls of the character brilliantly, making every emotion, every rage and skate seem believable - as if you're watching a real documentary. Allison Janey is also fantastic in her role as Harding's mother and it's great to see Janey take on a serious role for a change, because she does it quite well, with just the right amount of subtle humour. However, in relation to the film as a whole, I believe that the humour may have been a little out of place. Every movie should have witty lines and occasional comedic relief, but it seemed to get a bit muddled in this film and made light of some quite serious issues, such as domestic abuse. Given the fact that this is also a true story makes it a little more off-putting. But the real flaw in the film is the structure of the plot, and what stories got told. Now for those who don't know, the whole Tonya Harding controversy is entered around the attack of her rival Nancy Kerrigan - who is hardly seen in the film! I honestly believe that there should have been more scenes of Kerrigan as it would have made the film far more effective. Instead of just focusing on Harding, and her experiences at home and her personal skating journey, there should have been an empahasis on her relationship (or lack thereof) with Nancy Kerrigan. Apart from that, there's not many other fatal flaws of the film are detrimental to it's decline. The way the film is put together, with reenactments of real interviews of key people in the story (except Nancy!), works really well especially since it tells contradictory sides to the story. It leaves the big question on whether Harding knew about the attack or not subject to opinion. The film shows both her aggressive and unfair side, as well as showing that she was a victim herself too. This ultimately makes the film an engaging watch that is worth your time.