TROUBLED TONYA

Rating: 8/10 (29 March 2018)

When I first heard a new movie was coming out about the life of Tonya Harding I wondered what type it would be. I mean sure it would be biographical but what direction would it take? Would it praise her, condemn her or attempt to straddle the line between both? Depending on your point of view concerning Harding the answer will be a personal one.
The film opens with Harding being led to the skating rink at 4 years old by her mother LaVona (Allison Janney). The chain smoking, hardworking, abusive and foul mouthed woman sees that Tonya has a natural ability and she plans to use that to help her make it through life.
But that life is not the best that a young woman can go through. On top of the failed marriages of LaVona that happen, she is also beaten by her mother at various moments. This leads to a lifetime of verbal and physical abuse in the decisions she makes down the road, both in how she treats others and how she is treated.
Tonya (Margot Robbie) begins developing as a skater but always makes the wrong choices when it comes to winning competitions. While others are taking the standard route of classical music and well-made costumes Tonya enters in costumes she or her mother sew and rock music that inspires her to a great performance but not what the judges want.
At 19 Tonya meets Jeff Gillooly (Stan Shaw), a young man attracted to her and from the same social strata she hails from. If you hadn't guessed it already Tonya comes from what is stereotypically referred to as "poor white trash". It isn't long before the pair begin dating, at first accompanied on dates by LaVona. In no time flat they marry and begin a tumultuous relationship with Jeff adoring her one moment and shoving her face into a mirror the next. The relationship ends in divorce but with the couple unable to part ways and Jeff always there.
Also always there is Jeff's friend Shawn Eckhardt (Paul Walter Hauser). As depicted here Shawn does little more than eat (he's seen with food in nearly every shot) and imagine himself to be more than he is, claiming to work for the CIA as an undercover operative. But he's there for his friend Jeff whenever needed.
In 1991 Tonya gets her big break when she becomes the first woman to do a triple axel successfully in competition. It's enough to pave her way towards the possibility of a chance at the Olympics. But after that year while her performance slide downward. Still, she has that chance. Before it can happen the "incident" occurs.
Gillooly and Eckhart formulate a plan to disrupt competing skater Nancy Kerrigan. The end result is the hiring of someone to do her damage by taking a telescopic baton and smashing her knee. As depicted in the film all Jeff wanted to do was send her death threats to mess with her concentration, it was Eckhardt that came up with the damage plan. The end result was not favorable for Harding.
The movie is quite well made with terrific performances by all involved, resulting in an Oscar nomination for Robbie and an Oscar win for Janney. That Janney can come off as such a despicable character shows how she well she did her job and that she deserved the award. One thing to marvel at, if it was indeed her, is the skating ability of Robbie. Not the leaps and such but just being able to skate convincingly in the role. The shots of her in competition show a great skill with the camera as well as editing techniques that are seamless when it comes to stunt doubles.
Now the personal issue. While the movie doesn't shy away from portraying the roots of Harding it seems to want to elevate her to hero status. It paints a portrait of a woman who finds the fault always lies in someone else and never on herself. Her mother, the judges, her ex-husband, the press, we the viewers are all presented as the reason she is who she is. How that makes her a hero or can be seen as an inspiration for young women is beyond me. And after all that we are presented with here I found it still difficult to believe she was innocent when it comes to the "incident".
If the language used here, dotted every few minutes with a wide assortment of F bombs, doesn't bother you then you might find this movie an interesting take on the life of Harding and the struggle she had. If you remember the "incident", the release of sex tapes, her appearances in reality TV and her recent outburst during an interview then you'll wonder at the altered view of her life as seen here.