Funny, but actually serious in nature

Rating: 7/10 (19 May 2018)

Overall I do like the movie. Even though many of the protagonists are what I would call "unlikeable" they are being portrayed in a dualistic way. We get to see them at their worst and their best. One good example would be Tonya's mom. Yes, she is a very cruel person but at the same time her motherly love shines through sometimes (like e.g. in the diner scene). On a fundamental level she does care but prefers to shield herself behind a cloak of phlegmatism and profanity.
Another thing that I liked was the movie's postmodern approach. There were a lot of scenes where the protagonists broke the 4th wall. I love that stuff, it makes you feel involved even though you're only an observer. Not many directors go this route because it's tricky to implement it properly. If yo do it wrong it seems gimmicky but if it's done right (like e.g. in Fight Club and the Deadpool movie) it's a real experience that you won't forget. Kudos for the execution.
A funny thing that I noticed; some of the protagonists call Tonya Tanya throughout the movie. And yes, although the names may seem similar their etymological origins are not;
Tatiana -> Tanya
Antonina -> Tonya
My biggest gripe with the movie was the message that it was sending. All the violence and abuse that Tonya had to endure from both her mother and husband, that's not funny. But the movie kind of makes it seem that way. With the way everything was shot the movie went a little overboard with the whole "gratuitous violence"-shtick. It was funny the first time but then became worrying as it continued. I mean, I get it. Hollywood is currently obsessed with the strong female protagonists archetype and there is nothing wrong with that. One of my favorite protagonists of all time is Ellen Ripley from the Alien franchise. But... , and this is a big "but", in this movie they should've just kept it real instead of simply going with the whole "this is normal to me"-narrative.
It's not! Domestic abuse is a serious problem and it's not going to get solved by joking about it.
Another thing that I didn't like was the fact that the movie didn't really portray the intense rivalry between Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. If you're old enough to remember the "incident" you'll know exactly how intense their rivalry was. There were also other movies about Tonya and Nancy back in those days which focused more on the rivalry between them. I really liked those. For someone who doesn't know the backstory the "baton attack" would seem totally ridiculous and unbelievable, but considering the circumstances it's anything but. And that's where the movie falls short. It only focuses on Tonya and totally leaves out Nancy, to the point where people who are unfamiliar with the story would think that the "incident" was totally unexpected. But in stories of intense rivalry there is always that one person who's willing to go the "extra mile". Just like in the movie Rush where Niki Lauda foolishly jeopardized his health in a daredevilish attempt to win the championship. These things actually happen in the real world; people who compete at the highest level tend to have risk-seeking personalities (think professional gamblers and Olympic athletes who dope). It's a well-defined psychological phenomenon.
Final verdict: recommended (for it's entertainment value)