I, Tonya – I must confess, I entered the theater to see I, Tonya with conservative expectations and a liberal curiosity. When the true-life 
events at the center of this story unfolded in January 1994, like the rest of the world, I was mesmerized by this battle between good and evil. Tonya Harding’s Olympic skating foil, Nancy Kerrigan was attacked by a plan which ran amok, executed by Tonya’s ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, and her bodyguard, Shawn Eckhardt and the “gang that couldn’t shoot straight” hit men Eckhardt hired. “Why, why?” was Kerrigan’s cry when she was crippled, inches above her knee by a telescopic baton. She became the symbol of an innocent victim, full of grace, poise, and style that the skating world rooted for. Harding, on the other hand, was perceived by her peers and the media as “white trailer trash,” yet she was a talented, physically-strong competitor, the first figure skater to successfully execute a triple axel in a competition event. Tonya lacked the financial backing and the good judgment to present herself in the manner the judges expected. She was rough around the edges, displaying poor taste in her costumes and her language in a sport that gave high marks to femininity and athleticism. Harding played the victim when she thought it would help her cause. She was in fact both a victim and a conspirator in her own demise. Without revealing a spoiler, the theme of the film for me, was in the end, how do we judge Tonya Harding? What worked for me was the convention of characters breaking through the fourth wall, sharing their point of view and perception of their lived experience. The screenwriter, Steven Rogers, and director, Craig Gillespie depict the story as a black comedy, a dysfunctional family dramedy, and twisted biopic. Margot Robie successfully executes a role that is both physical and challenging to portray. She transforms herself, sometimes over the top, which is exactly how Tonya presented to the world. Allison Janney, as Harding’s chain-smoking, abusive, and vulgar mother, is captivating in every scene, like witnessing a car crash unfolding. The rest of the cast is convincing. The soundtrack from the 90’s, the settings, the skating, and the effective use of actual news footage filled in any gaps to make this a solid morality play with a laugh track.
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