I, Tonya
Staff Picks
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1h 59m
I, Tonya is a 2017 American biographical sports mockumentary black comedy film directed by Craig Gillespie from a screenplay by Steven Rogers. It follows the life and career of figure skater Tonya Harding and her connection with the 1994 attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan. The film states it is based on "contradictory" and "true" interviews with Harding and her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, suggesting they are unreliable narrators. This means the viewer must decide for themselves whether to see the film as the truth or as a version concocted by Harding herself. It features darkly comedic interviews with the characters in mockumentary style, set in the modern day, and breaks the fourth wall. Margot Robbie (who also produced) stars as Harding, Sebastian Stan as Gillooly, and Allison Janney as Harding's mother LaVona Golden. Julianne Nicholson, Caitlin Carver, Paul Walter Hauser, and Bobby Cannavale also star.
Loosely based on actual events, the film depicts Harding as a victim, reframing the narrative around her implication in the aftermath of the crime and other criticism of her actions. I, Tonya premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2017, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 8, 2017. It grossed $53 million worldwide on an $11 million budget, and received positive reviews from critics, who mostly lauded the performances of Robbie, Stan and Janney.
At the 90th Academy Awards, Janney won for Best Supporting Actress, while the film also earned nominations for Best Actress for Robbie and Best Film Editing. It earned three nominations at the 75th Golden Globe Awards, winning Best Supporting Actress for Janney, who also won at the Screen Actors Guild and Critics' Choice Movie Awards. Robbie herself was nominated for Best Actress at both shows. At the 71st British Academy Film Awards, the film earned five nominations, winning Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Janney.
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