Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the sport is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.
Margot Robbie
Tonya
Sebastian Stan
Jeff
Allison Janney
LaVona
Julianne Nicholson
Diane Rawlinson
Paul Walter Hauser
Shawn
Bobby Cannavale
Martin Maddox
Bojana Novaković
Dody Teachman
Caitlin Carver
Nancy Kerrigan
Maizie Smith
Tonya (3 ½ Yrs)
Mckenna Grace
Tonya (8-12 Yrs)
Suehyla El-Attar Young
Skater Mom
Jason Davis
Al
Mea Allen
Snooty Girl
Cory Chapman
Chris
Amy Fox
Skating Judge
Cara Mantella
Choreographer
Joshua Mikel
Heckling Spectator
Lynne Ashe
Shawn's Mother
Steve Wedan
Shawn's Father
Brandon O'Dell
Policeman #1
Davin Allen Grindstaff
USFS Judge
Daniel Thomas May
Sheriff
Anthony Reynolds
Derrick Smith
Ricky Russert
Shane Stant
Al Bianchi
Sports Bar Manager
Miles Mussenden
Policeman #2
Annie Livingston
6 Year Old Girl
Jan Harrelson
FBI Agent #1
Luray Cooper
FBI Agent #2
Dan Triandiflou
Bob Rawlinson
Kelly O'Neal
Interviewer
Lisa Kaye Kinsler
Lillehammer Skating Judge
Cecil Love
Bailiff
Alphie Hyorth
Judge Londer
Sean Goulding
Restaurant Employee
Bobby Browning
Joe
Little Man
LaVona's Sixth Husband
Heather Jocelyn Blair
Bathroom Witness (uncredited)
Raven Wynn
Chinese Waitress (uncredited)
Evan George Vourazeris
Diner Patron (uncredited)
Joe Heath
Spectator (uncredited)
Director
Craig Gillespie
Writer
Steven Rogers
September 15, 2017
7
I had zero expectations going into this as not much is known about the movie except for the cast - and obviously the story as it was a huge news event in the 90s - but it turned out to be a wildly entertaining albeit flawed biopic. The film settled on a style and tone that falls somewhere around the Coen brothers territory, but also gave me Christopher Guest vibes with its talking head moments and Paul Thomas Anderson level soundtrack use. It had a lot of cinematic elements, but overall it's a super accessible crowd pleaser.
There are two big problems I have with this film, however. Its soundtrack, while filled to the brim with classic songs, often felt out of place or completely unnecessary at times. For an iconic 90s story, having only 70s songs was an interesting choice. A lot of the songs played at strange moments as well and sometimes they were just too on-the-nose. For example, Supertramp's "Goodbye Stranger" plays as Jeff and Tonya separate for the first time. The other problem with this film involves the inclusion of the fourth wall breaking moments. This happens maybe 10 times throughout the film, but it didn't add anything and in fact distracted me from the story when it happened.
That said, what's great about this movie is how *truly* funny it is. I was expecting a few laughs because of the ridiculousness of the story, but the comedy here was really smart. It plays like a crime-gone-wrong Fargo-esque tale in its latter half and it works this way really well. The performances are strong especially from the always good Allison Janney (who is a huge scene stealer) and Margot Robbie. I've never seen Robbie give a performance like this before and I consider this her first big, meaty roll that allows her to use all of the acting bones in her body. She's funny, charming, brash, and you can tell she really committed herself to this role. Very impressed.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$11,000,000.00
Revenue:
$53,900,000.00