I wish I, Tonya had given Nancy Kerrigan’s perspective considering her key role in the story. If the creators can interview Tonya Harding and Jeff Gillooly beforehand, the so-called perpetrators, then they should also interview Nancy, the so-called victim, as well. From how it’s ultimately portrayed, I, Tonya is too underrepresented towards Nancy’s side of the story—wholly favoring Tonya’s version as an oblivious associate who had nothing to do with Nancy’s injury. I’m fine with (and often love) films that portray real-life morally ambiguous people in a fleshed out and/or sympathetic light—yet if you’re going to make a film based on multiple, wildly contradictory perspectives, then make sure to showcase all sides.
I, Tonya also assumes its audience is familiar with its key incident—an incident that occurred over 24 years ago when I was one. I went into I, Tonya with only basic knowledge of what transpired. That’s why I couldn’t get fully invested in Tonya’s narrative, as the film leaves out a vital part of the story—that I knew little about—all the while mildly roasting Nancy. Despite its shortcomings, I, Tonya still succeeds as an entertaining, humorous and well-made film—containing one of Margot Robbie’s finest performances as well as a highlight comical and potent performance from Allison Janney.
The Post:
The Post is right up Steven Spielberg’s alley. The director can make excellent thrillers out of any material, with The Post being no exception. The film is a well-written drama with solid characters and character development, a constant sense of tension, effective moral ambiguity, fluent pacing, splashes of comedy to lighten the mood, a great cast to give its characters personality and impact, and a successful balance between making events comprehensible to uninformed audiences without needing to slow down and tediously explain. The Post does suffer from issues with historical inaccuracy and contrived politically correct moments, yet they do little to drag down the film’s overall effectiveness.
