Mike’s review published on Letterboxd:
I mean, it's a solid biopic.
The strongest aspect of the film is the performances, namely Margot Robbie and Allison Janney. Robbie gives her first true leading lady performance, and god is she a force to be reckoned with. When I say that this was her first "true" leading lady performance I mean that this is the first film where the spotlight was truly on her. The Wolf of Wall Street mainly focused on DiCaprio, and Tarzan focused on Alexander Skarsgård, so this was the first film of hers where I feel that she was the center of attention. For not looking a whole lot like the real Tonya Harding, Robbie gives an incredible performance. The physical side of her role alone is impressive. I can't wait to see Robbie in more lead roles, because this film really does prove that she can pull her own.
Allison Janney is also great as LaVona Harding, Tonya's mother. Her character is short tempered and bitchy, something that Janney does a great job at portraying. I can definitely see an Academy Award nomination for her. Paul Walter Hauser and Sebastian Stan give great performances as well as Shaun Eckhardt and Jeff Gillooly, respectively. Again, it's really the performances that carry this film forward and make it as entertaining as it is.
The screenplay, I felt, dragged sometimes. There are a handful of great moments and dialogue, but there were just some parts that felt like a chore to get through. The film could've been at least 20 minutes shorter, cutting out some filler and moments that didn't really contribute to the story.
The soundtrack kinda succumbed to what I like to call the Suicide Squad effect. There were just some tracks played that had no relevance to the film, and ultimately served as another recognizable song that sounds cool, but means nothing in the context of the film. Sure some of the tracks were good, but they just didn't relate to the film whatsoever.
Overall, I felt that I, Tonya was a solid biopic, telling a good story with great performances. However there were some parts of the story that didn't 100% work, and the music was used kinda haphazardly.