always understand a person's background

Rating: 9/10 (27 September 2018)

Right before the 1994 Winter Olympics, news came out that figure skater Nancy Kerrigan had gotten hit in the leg by an acquaintance of rival Tonya Harding. The media circus made it look as though Harding was a monster and Kerrigan was a saint. But as Craig Gillespie's "I, Tonya" makes clear, there was a lot more to it than that. Basically, Harding grew up poor and could only make something of herself through skating. Because she wasn't "cute", the skating organizations wanted to put on the ice. On top of that, the media wanted something salacious, so of course they hopped on the story of the attack (which apparently wasn't Harding's idea in the first place).
While Margot Robbie does an impressive job as Tonya, the real praise has to go to Allison Janney as Tonya's abrasive mother. This is one woman who makes you feel as if you're walking on eggshells. It's easy to understand her point of view, though. Janney won an Oscar for the performance, although I would've given it to Laurie Metcalf for "Lady Bird".
All in all, it goes to show that a person's public image - especially when amplified by media coverage - ignores their background. Tonya Harding is not a thug, even if she hooked up with a bunch of lowlifes. I recommend it.