{"id":245,"date":"2018-02-02T00:44:48","date_gmt":"2018-02-02T00:44:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.granitecitynow.com\/?p=245"},"modified":"2018-03-31T00:44:25","modified_gmt":"2018-03-31T00:44:25","slug":"i-tonya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.granitecitynow.com\/?p=245","title":{"rendered":"I, Tonya"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>There\u2019s that old saying: If you can\u2019t beat \u2019em, take \u2019em out at the knees. Right?<\/p>\n

The 1994 conspiracy on ice that was so bizarre it seemed like it had<\/em> to be a prank is now detailed in a motion picture that on its surface also seems like it must be farcical.<\/p>\n

But even with all the bewilderment brought about by the Nancy Kerrigan assault and the tongue-in-cheek manner in which this flick has been marketed I can tell you with every degree of certainty that it\u2019s no joke.<\/p>\n

\u201cI, Tonya\u201d is 100 percent dysfunctional fun, starting off by announcing that it is (snicker) \u201c\u2026based on irony-free, wildly contradictory, totally true interviews\u2026\u201d and progressing to show us those direct statements, along with flashbacks to flesh out this timeline of twisted events.<\/p>\n

Addressing the camera and describing things as they<\/em> remember them are, among others: Jeff Gillooley (Sebastian Stan), Tonya\u2019s first love and ex-husband; Jeff\u2019s doughy and expressionless buddy Shawn (Paul Walter Hauser), a self-proclaimed \u201cinternational counter-terrorism agent and professional bodyguard\u201d (snicker, snicker); LaVona Golden (Allison Janney), Tonya\u2019s unfeeling, foul-mouthed, and chain-smoking mother; and the woman herself, Tonya Harding (Margot Robbie \u2013 genius!<\/em>)<\/p>\n

We\u2019re walked through the most significant events and incidents, competitions and experiences that molded the Tonya Harding we all saw in the public eye in 1994; it\u2019s an attempt to help us understand the how<\/em> that led to the why<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The skating sequences put us right there on the ice, the sweeping camera work expressing the exhilaration as well as the pressure \u2013 from the crowds, from the judges, from Tonya\u2019s mother<\/em> \u2013 of fulfilling expectations and executing precision routines.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s not forget that 90s fashion \u2013 err, \u201cfashion.\u201d \u00a0There\u2019s the big, big<\/em> hair; the mock turtleneck shirts; the Girbaud jeans (why the hell <\/em>did we pay $90 for a pair of jeans<\/em>?!?!). While laughable, seeing all of this again was nevertheless nostalgic.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that the incident \u2013 \u201cthe f*cking<\/em> incident\u201d \u2013 is the big draw here, but \u201cI, Tonya\u201d is so much more; it goes beyond<\/em> the figure skating feud that headlined every news station and newsstand and introduces the woman behind the man who had a friend who knew a guy who willfully turned Olympic safety on its head with that infamous \u201cwhack\u201d heard \u2019round the world.<\/p>\n

The movie exhibits a campy and spirited feel, with bits of humor and those out-of-the-ordinary instances of characters breaking through the fourth wall, helping to offset the heavy and jolting moments of verbal and emotional abuse that are so prevalent they almost require a mention in the cast list.<\/p>\n

Be prepared for a litany<\/em> of swearing. There\u2019s so<\/em> much, and I\u2019m not sure if this was for real or simply a Hollywood embellishment to enhance the persona of \u201cthe girl from the wrong side of the tracks\u201d that Harding clearly was suggested to possess.<\/p>\n

Doesn\u2019t matter. Robbie doesn\u2019t miss a beat when slinging vulgarities, and Janney recites that sh*t like a f*ckin\u2019 champ.<\/p>\n

Never has the f-word sounded so poetic, complemented by Janney\u2019s patented emphatic sighs and bothered gazes, during which her eyes are half-open yet still filled with overwhelming disapproval and condescension.<\/p>\n

All of that accompanied by jaw-dropping blasphemy raises her character to next-level bitch status. She\u2019s absolutely heartless yet so stealthily wicked that you are inexplicably fascinated and actually will beg<\/em> for more.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to see why Janney received an Oscar nod for this role (psst\u2026 she\u2019s gonna win).<\/p>\n

The playfulness with which \u201cI, Tonya\u201d is presented doesn\u2019t take away from the gravity of the incident at its center but rather expresses the absurdity in its process and the disbelief that it ever was carried out \u201cby two of the biggest boobs in a story populated solely by boobs.\u201d<\/p>\n

That it happened at all is a head scratcher, and I give credit to director Craig Gillespie for making this feel less like an episode of \u201c20\/20\u201d and more of a quirky behind-the-scenes look at, well\u2026 how sh*t went down.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was loved for a minute. Then I was hated. It was like being abused all over again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI, Tonya\u201d is shocking and smart and sarcastic. It\u2019s completely unfiltered and wholly entertaining. And I feel like this flick helps shed some light on the longing ambition of this skater who just wanted to make a name for herself.<\/p>\n

It may not have been what she intended, but\u2026 mission accomplished.<\/p>\n

You have just enjoyed the insights of Movie Addict Mel, a cinema dork and conversational writer. Follow her on Twitter\u00a0@movieaddictmel<\/a>, and \u201clike\u201d her Facebook page\u00a0www.facebook.com\/movieaddictmel<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0You also can email her at movieaddictmel@outlook.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=KuDQOMICfr0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s that old saying: If you can\u2019t beat \u2019em, take \u2019em out at the knees. Right? The 1994 conspiracy on ice that was so bizarre it seemed like it had to be a prank is now detailed in a motion … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-245","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nI, Tonya - Movie Addict Mel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"I, Tonya - Movie Addict Mel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There\u2019s that old saying: If you can\u2019t beat \u2019em, take \u2019em out at the knees. Right? 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