When I first heard a new movie was coming out about the life
of Tonya Harding I wondered what type it would be. I mean sure it would be
biographical but what direction would it take? Would it praise her, condemn her
or attempt to straddle the line between both? Depending on your point of view
concerning Harding the answer will be a personal one.
The film opens with Harding being led to the skating rink at
4 years old by her mother LaVona (Allison Janney). The chain smoking,
hardworking, abusive and foul mouthed woman sees that Tonya has a natural
ability and she plans to use that to help her make it through life.
But that life is not the best that a young woman can go
through. On top of the failed marriages of LaVona that happen, she is also
beaten by her mother at various moments. This leads to a lifetime of verbal and
physical abuse in the decisions she makes down the road, both in how she treats
others and how she is treated.
Tonya (Margot Robbie) begins developing as a skater but
always makes the wrong choices when it comes to winning competitions. While
others are taking the standard route of classical music and well-made costumes
Tonya enters in costumes she or her mother sew and rock music that inspires her
to a great performance but not what the judges want.
At 19 Tonya meets Jeff Gillooly (Stan Shaw), a young man
attracted to her and from the same social strata she hails from. If you hadn’t
guessed it already Tonya comes from what is stereotypically referred to as
“poor white trash”. It isn’t long before the pair begin dating, at first
accompanied on dates by LaVona. In no time flat they marry and begin a
tumultuous relationship with Jeff adoring her one moment and shoving her face
into a mirror the next. The relationship ends in divorce but with the couple
unable to part ways and Jeff always there.
Also always there is Jeff’s friend Shawn Eckhardt (Paul Walter Hauser). As depicted here
Shawn does little more than eat (he’s seen with food in nearly every shot) and
imagine himself to be more than he is, claiming to work for the CIA as an
undercover operative. But he’s there for his friend Jeff whenever needed.
In 1991 Tonya gets her big break when she becomes the first woman
to do a triple axel successfully in competition. It’s enough to pave her way towards the
possibility of a chance at the Olympics. But after that year while her
performance slide downward. Still, she has that chance. Before it can happen
the “incident” occurs.
Gillooly and Eckhart formulate a plan to disrupt competing skater
Nancy Kerrigan. The end result is the hiring of someone to do her damage by
taking a telescopic baton and smashing her knee. As depicted in the film all
Jeff wanted to do was send her death threats to mess with her concentration, it
was Eckhardt that came up with the damage plan. The end result was not
favorable for Harding.
The movie is quite well made with terrific performances by all
involved, resulting in an Oscar nomination for Robbie and an Oscar win for
Janney. That Janney can come off as such a despicable character shows how she well
she did her job and that she deserved the award. One thing to marvel at, if it
was indeed her, is the skating ability of Robbie. Not the leaps and such but
just being able to skate convincingly in the role. The shots of her in competition
show a great skill with the camera as well as editing techniques that are
seamless when it comes to stunt doubles.
Now the personal issue. While the movie doesn’t shy away from
portraying the roots of Harding it seems to want to elevate her to hero status.
It paints a portrait of a woman who finds the fault always lies in someone else
and never on herself. Her mother, the judges, her ex-husband, the press, we the
viewers are all presented as the reason she is who she is. How that makes her a
hero or can be seen as an inspiration for young women is beyond me. And after
all that we are presented with here I found it still difficult to believe she
was innocent when it comes to the “incident”.
If the language used here, dotted every few minutes with a wide
assortment of F bombs, doesn’t bother you then you might find this movie an
interesting take on the life of Harding and the struggle she had. If you
remember the “incident”, the release of sex tapes, her appearances in reality
TV and her recent outburst during an interview then you’ll wonder at the
altered view of her life as seen here.
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