Why It Ranks
I, Tonya is the most inventive sports biopic of the 2010s. Robbie's performance is career-defining. Janney's Oscar-winning turn is unforgettable. Gillespie's fourth-wall-breaking style reinvented how sports stories can be told on screen.
The Film
I, Tonya reinvents the sports biopic as a dark comedy, telling the story of Tonya Harding through unreliable narrators who contradict each other constantly. Margot Robbie is sensational as Harding — a genuinely gifted skater from the wrong side of the tracks who was judged as much for her class as her skating. Allison Janney won the Oscar for her terrifying portrayal of Harding's abusive mother. The film forces you to reconsider everything you thought you knew about the 'incident.'
Fun Facts
Margot Robbie learned to figure skate and performed some of her own skating sequences.
Allison Janney won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of LaVona Golden.
The film uses a mockumentary-style approach with characters breaking the fourth wall to address the audience.
Tonya Harding herself had a complicated reaction to the film, praising some elements while disputing others.
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