Movies and food go together like cheese and potatoes, or salt and potatoes, so naturally when I decided to start writing movie reviews, I decided comparing movies to potatoes was the logical choice. And since this we’re talking about Independent Women this week, what better movie to kick this whole thing off than the new biopic about the first woman to complete a triple axel in the short program, to successfully execute two triple axels in a single competition, and to complete a triple axel combination with the double toe loop; I, Tonya.
This movie has countless strengths – from Margot Robbie’s impeccable acting, the cinematography, the subtle humor, and the attention to detail, I, Tonya captivated me from the first shot. This movie deserves the numerous award nominations it has received. Obviously one of the most striking aspects of this movie is how Margot Robbie transforms herself into the character. As we all know, Margot Robbie is… stunning. She’s played seductive beauties in Wolf of Wall Street, Suicide Squad, The Legend of Tarzan, the list goes on. To take on this role of the athletic “red neck” ice skater that the US Olympic Committee resisted allowing be the face of the US ice skating team, and to do so successfully, is a testament to Robbie’s acting ability (also shout out to the makeup department for helping make Robbie look even slightly close to not heart stopping). When I was watching I, Tonya, I wasn’t thinking about how truly, incredibly beautiful she is (like I am in most of her other movies), I was thinking about Tonya Harding’s life and her experiences contributed to her successes and the reaction to ‘The Incident.’ This isn’t new – Margot Robbie has always been an incredible actor, it just has never been as highlighted as it is in this movie.
She is also supported by an incredible cast – Sebastian Stan and Allison Janney give the audience such solid foundation to empathize, and understand Robbie’s journey. Because of this, the audience quickly gets sucked into the world of the movie, and forget that they’re even watching actors. However, one aspect that I was waiting for was the inclusion of Nancy Kerrigan’s story. Obviously the point of the movie was Harding’s life, and the movie was meant to show how her experiences influenced the public perception of her before and after ‘The Incident.’ Despite this, I was still hoping to get some kind of understanding of Kerrigan’s experience. As well-rounded as the movie was, and as much effort as I could tell they were putting into showing every side of the story, the hole that was left where Kerrigan’s story should have been felt really obvious to me, and I wish they had included at least some aspect of her experience into the movie.
So, here’s the part where I tell you what form of potato I think I, Tonya is. Now look, I am not necessarily a ‘potato expert,’ but I have my fair share of experience. And obviously not everyone has the same taste in potato, so don’t attach your emotions to these decisions, because I can’t have that on my conscience. Maybe it’s because the movie featured a good number of diners where Tonya and her mother worked, but my decision is that I, Tonya is a classic diner hash brown (think IHOP, Village Inn, Denny’s, Original Pancake House, etc.). Delicious, predictable, and accessible, this movie gives you exactly what you expect, but leaves you more satisfied than initially expected (even though you have some moments that make you sad about the state of the world and classism). Overall, I highly recommend I, Tonya (and diner hash browns), and my fingers are crossed for the Oscars.
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