Tuesday 26 June 2018

I, Tonya (2017 Craig Gillespie)

Before I forget: make up and hair - Deborah La Mia Denaver and Adruitha Lee. BAFTA nominated. Gillespie directed the similarly offbeat Lars and the Real Girl.

Who's Steven Rogers? He also was BAFTA nominated. I'll tell myself. He wrote Hope Floats (1998) which I thought was 'flabby', Kate and Leopold (2001) - 'Can't say it's particularly well written' - P.S. I Love You (thought we'd seen it but haven't, 2007), Christmas with the Coopers (2015). I thought the approach was interesting - take all points of view and expose the conflicting claims in the story, have characters give knowing asides to the camera, use straight-to-camera 'documentary' scenes... but, ultimately, get the truth of Tonya Harding out there. But -- I came away not really caring about anyone in it, even Tonya, despite her brutal upbringing and stupid relationship choices. Because we weren't given anything to like. Just one scene with her doing something nice would have made all the difference.

Margot Robbie is great (BAFTA and Oscar nominated - lost to Frances McDormand of course), and Allison Janney deservedly won both Oscar and BAFTA. The rest of cast is good - Sebastian Stan (husband), Julianne Nicholson (the trainer, August Osage County), Paul Walter Hauser (deluded dude who organises crime) and Bobby Cannavale (sports writer - didn't even recognise him).

Good editing by Tatiana Riegel (The Way, Way Back). Photographed in Panavision by Nicolas Karakatsanis.

Margot does an awesome job on the ice. She's gives a great performance, also.



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