I, Tonya

Director Craig Gillespie uses a fake documentary style to illustrate the Tonya Harding story that I quite enjoyed.  There are mock  interviews with a variety of people who played a part in her life.   Margot Robbie’s Tonya Harding is a tough-as-nails skater whose horrible childhood feeds her competitive nature.  Allison Janney plays her mother in one of the great supporting performances as an abusive mother who abysmally maltreats her daughter, then has the audacity to declare she should be thanked for giving her the drive to succeed.  For those of you unfamiliar with Tonya Harding, the basic plot line leads up to the time that her ex husband hired someone to break Nancy Kerrigan’s knee, thus allowing Tonya to have a better shot at an Olympic medal.  Poor Tonya was used and abused by family, husband, and even Olympic judges.  I came away with a new respect for Margot Robbie’s acting talents as well as Tonya Harding herself.  If  you are interested in the world of figure skating or have always wondered about this dark event in Olympic history, I recommend you check out this movie.