I, Tonya – Harley does figure skating

I know it’s really bad to typecast an actor, but all the way through ‘I, Tonya’ I couldn’t help but see Harley Quinn from the –debatably-popular – ‘Suicide Squad’ wielding her baseball bat all the way through.  However, don’t take that as a negative.  Whether the cinema-going public loved or loathed DC’s villain ensemble, most seemed to agree that Margot Robbie was a stand-out point.

Back in the early nineties I remember hearing about the story ‘I, Tonya’ was based on, but never really knowing too much about it, i.e. an American Olympic figure skater was so determined to win the gold medal that she had a rival on her own team beaten up.  Now, upon watching that brief summary stretched out into a two-hour movie, I’m still little clearer about the details of the event, but then I think that’s the point.  Many stories that are based on real life (or ‘inspired by true events’ as seems to be the popular phrase these days) are debateable as to how true they really are.  However, right from the beginning, this film states in some opening text that it’s based on multiple versions of many unbelievable events.  I liked that.  Not only does it suggest that what you hear is subjective, but it also sets the tone of the movie.

Once the ‘characters’ have been introduced, the story progresses and, quite often, we see different versions of the same event – as seen by the different person who witnessed it/is telling that portion of the story.  I know I mentioned that Margot Robbie gives off a real ‘Harley Quinn’ vibe, but it works.  I hope she’s not actually going to just get typecast as the – borderline nutty – woman of the big screen, as I’m sure she can play numerous roles.  However, in this case, I dose of ‘Daddy’s Little Monster’ is just the ticket and she steals every scene she’s in.  And she has to work for that accolade, as the supporting cast all do their best to upstage her.  There wasn’t a single bad performance in this movie and it was a real treat to watch.

I’m not sure how much actual skating Margot Robbie did and how much is some form of CGI trickery.  I did my best to stare intently to see if I could pick out anything that would give the effects away and either my eyesight isn’t that good, or the CGI was just better, as it looks like she’s on the ice the whole time.

I don’t know how true to what really happened this film is, but I do know it’s great entertainment and has a great cast on display.  Special mention to Allison Janney, who plays possibly the worst on-screen mother since poor Carrie White’s single parent!  Only after I’d seen this film did I understand that one marketing quote was something along the lines of ‘The Goodfellas of ice skating.’ I’m not sure I saw the similarities, but I would say it’s an epic tale that’s definitely worth watching.  It’s like Harley Quinn gave up crime, became a figure skater and then took up crime again (maybe!).

9/10 almost as perfect as The Godfather