Chaotic and violent soap opera

Rating: Null/10 (16 March 2020)

15Mar2020 {3/10stars = D} Stupid people doing stupid things with other stupid people. Recommend? No; This is a profanity filled and occasionally violent movie about the assault on Nancy Kerrigan that involved Tonya Harding and a few guys.
I did not choose to watch this movie. I happened to be present while it was playing so I typed a review. Out of curiousity about the accuracy of the movie I read some articles online. I quoted two articles below that have some interesting tidbits of information.
The following questions and answers are part of a Newsweek interview from 07 December 2017 of "I, Tonya" Film Creator/Writer Steven Rogers.
What made you want to tell Tonya's story now? "There were things about Tonya's story that interested me about truth, the perception of truth and the things that we tell ourselves in order to be able to live with ourselves-how we change the narrative. It's also about media and class in America. I tracked down Tonya, and I tracked down Jeff Gillooly, and they agreed to talk to me. Their stories were so wildly different; I felt like they were telling themselves what they needed to in order to be able to live with themselves. I thought, "Well that's my in. I'll present everybody's point of view of what happened and let the audience decide for themselves."
When Harding told you about her childhood, how her mother, LaVana Golden and her husband Jeff physically and emotionally abused her, did you feel more empathy for her? "Of course. I mean, that's what I really wanted to do with the screenplay. I felt all the characters had been reduced to a punchline, or to just one thing. Nancy the good one, Tonya the bad one, and Jeff the villain. But nothing is that black or white. There were no heroes. I really wanted to make everyone human."
Was Tonya involved in other aspects of the movie, beyond the interviews? "No. You know, you're dealing with a real person, so I did let her read the script and she has seen the movie. But she wasn't involved in the making of it."
What was her reaction to the movie? "I was very nervous because can you imagine someone saying to you, "I'm writing a movie about your life, which we're gonna whittle down to two hours. Here, watch it!" But she said she laughed, she cried. She said there were things that she didn't like, but she's written me two emails thanking me. She's happy. I think it was just important for her to get her side of it out."
The movie is both hilarious and unbearably sad. Like Harding said, it makes you laugh and cry. How did you find the right balance between respecting the seriousness of what happened and keeping it funny? "I didn't want to tell a conventional story, and, to me, the story is very funny, as well as very tragic and very crazy. And it is very true-ish. (Laughs) It's all those things. Life isn't one thing, it's everything. So I used that tone very deliberately."
What do you hope people pick up from the film? "Life isn't fair, but to me there's a fairness you have to have with everything and everybody. There are people who are eager to write their opinion in the comments section without knowing anything about what they're talking about, and I hope those people see the film. We were all so quick to judge Tonya. I wanted this movie to say, "You know what, just take a step back. Why don't you examine all of the facts before you come out here with your good opinion?" I wanted to humanize the characters-that's really what I wanted to do-because Tonya and Jeff didn't have that then."
After getting to know Harding and hearing her side of the story, do you feel she deserves an apology for how she was treated-from the Skating Association and the media? "Absolutely, yes. Like I said, I remember thinking, "Oh she just wants attention." That's what we were fed. And she was kicked out of the Skating Association, which means that even if she wanted to train a skater, she can't. I feel like she was treated unfairly. Do I know if she was really involved in the Kerrigan attack? No. I'll never know. But I didn't care about that. I cared about putting all points of view out there."
From another interview: Tonya Harding finally stated once and for all that she was aware of a possible plot to attack one of her fellow competitors ahead of the 1994 Olympic games in the ABC special Truth and Lies: The Tonya Harding Story.
'I knew something was up,' says Harding of the clubbing that nearly ended Kerrigan's career. She denies playing any role in planning the attack however, which was later revealed to have been set up by her husband Jeff Gillooly and bodyguard Shawn Eckardt, who Harding describes as 'dumb as a post.'
'I did, however, overhear them talking about stuff where, "well, maybe we should take somebody out to make sure she gets on the team." I go what the hell are you talking about?' confesses Harding, marking the first time she has plainly stated she knew Kerrigan or another American was prone to attack.
CONTENT ADVISORY: F-word said often and in various ways, c'nt said once, probably a few other expletives I'm forgetting, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, scene's filmed in a bar. Assault, violence and fighting in various ways.
Domestic violence shown between Jeff and Tonya, Jeff pointing a revolver at Tonya's face threatening to kill her followed by pressing the gun against his head threatening to kill himself. Tonya defends herself against Jeff kicking and punching him to get away, one scene when she escapes he fires the gun at her and forces her into a car while onlookers watch and he drives away.
Scene of Tonya boxing at the end with blood, swollen faces and eyes, slow motion shots of Tonya being punched, blood flying and Tonya spitting blood on the mat after being knocked down.
{1=F 2=D- 3=D 4=C- 5=C 6=B- 7=B 8=A- 9=A 10=A+}