Critics’ reviews

I, Tonya (2017)

26 reviews from 26 publications. Critics’ score 71: 17 positive, 6 mixed, 3 negative.

Back to our review of I, Tonya

71
Positive
17
Mixed
6
Negative
3
Time Out
8 December 2017 · ★★★★★ · Joshua Rothkopf
100

Rothkopf calls the film a provocative biopic that gives Tonya Harding belated dignity. The standfirst describes it as a dazzlingly compelling take on her story, despite suggesting it may not be the movie she deserves.

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Screen Daily
9 September 2017 · festival review · Fionnuala Halligan
90*

Halligan’s standfirst gives Margot Robbie’s performance a glowing verdict. It singles out her portrayal of figure skater Tonya Harding for praise.

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Sight and Sound
5 March 2018 · Nikki Baughan
90*

The review finds the film stunning and sharply critical of the forces that constrained Tonya Harding. It especially praises Margot Robbie’s transformative performance.

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Variety
9 September 2017 · Critics Pick · Owen Gleiberman
85*

Gleiberman finds the film wickedly enjoyable and sympathetic toward Harding. He particularly praises Margot Robbie’s canny, live-wire performance and the thrillingly staged skating scenes.

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Empire
19 February 2018 · Helen O'Hara
80*

The critic finds the film gripping, darkly funny, and corrective in its portrayal of Harding. She praises Robbie and Janney’s performances, while noting that stylistic flourishes sometimes distract from Harding’s inner life.

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Total Film
19 February 2018 · ★★★★ · Matt Glasby
80

Glasby finds the film viciously funny, entertaining, and expertly made, though troubled by its tonal clash with domestic violence. He praises Margot Robbie’s performance and the breathtaking skating sequences.

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The Hollywood Reporter
8 September 2017 · festival review · John DeFore
76*

DeFore finds the film funny, lively, and oddly affecting, while noting that its true-crime section loses some excitement. He praises Margot Robbie’s compelling lead performance and the film’s fresh take on Tonya Harding’s story.

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Radio Times
19 February 2018 · Emma Simmonds
75*

The review presents the film as an irreverent, entertaining patchwork. It singles out Allison Janney’s icy performance as the one that dominates.

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Vulture
8 December 2017 · David Edelstein
70*

Edelstein finds the film moving and sympathetic toward Harding, though its broad comedy sometimes clashes with its depiction of abuse. He singles out Margot Robbie’s athletic, emotionally trapped portrayal and Allison Janney’s chilling performance.

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Slant Magazine
2 December 2017 · ★★½/4 · Christopher Gray
62

Gray finds the film’s satire and moral address too glib to convincingly implicate viewers. He praises Margot Robbie’s performance and the vivid recreation of Harding’s triple axel.

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Evening Standard
23 February 2018 · ★★★ · Matthew Norman
60

Norman finds the film tonally muddled and Robbie’s performance oddly dispassionate, though he says it is just about saved from mediocrity. He singles out Allison Janney’s glacial, fiercely vivid performance as its one sensational turn.

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The Guardian
9 September 2017 · festival review · Benjamin Lee
55*

Lee finds the film uneven and tonally awkward, though still diverting. He singles out Allison Janney’s towering performance as Harding’s mother for particular praise.

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Los Angeles Times
7 December 2017 · Justin Chang
50*

Chang finds the film’s sympathetic portrait of Harding and Robbie’s performance compelling, but judges its execution uneven. He particularly praises Robbie’s wrenching final moments while criticizing the film’s shallow, flippant treatment of abuse.

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The New Yorker
7 December 2017 · Richard Brody
25*

Brody argues that the film’s condescending tone undermines its attempt to empathize with Tonya Harding. He singles out its comic treatment of her abuse and its failure to portray her as a fully realized person.

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Consequence
7 December 2017 · Allison Shoemaker
90*

Shoemaker calls the film wildly entertaining, unapologetic, and deeply affecting. She singles out Margot Robbie’s funny, empathetic performance for praise.

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Deadline
7 December 2017 · Pete Hammond
90*

Hammond calls the film a welcome, darkly funny surprise and praises its cast. He singles out Margot Robbie’s performance and Allison Janney’s wickedly funny, three-dimensional turn as LaVona.

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Eye for Film
28 February 2018 · Angus Wolfe Murray
90*

The critic calls the film a powerful, darkly comic telling that leaves viewers emotionally bruised. They single out Margot Robbie’s transformative performance as the real revelation.

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Collider
6 December 2017 · B+ · Matt Goldberg
83

Goldberg praises the film’s biting, nuanced reconsideration of Tonya Harding’s story, while noting that its treatment of abuse can feel jarring. He singles out Margot Robbie’s performance as the film’s highlight, with Allison Janney and Sebastian Stan also earning praise.

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Den of Geek
4 December 2017 · ★★★★ · David Crow
80

Crow calls the film a biting triumph, praising its sharp balance of dark comedy and tragedy. He particularly singles out Allison Janney’s performance as Tonya’s mother as devastating and precise.

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NME
★★★★
80

The review finds the film very funny, energetic and unexpectedly affecting. It especially praises Margot Robbie’s performance for balancing comedy and drama.

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/Film
11 September 2017 · 7/10 · Chris Evangelista
70

The critic finds the film darkly comedic and sympathetic, though its catharsis may arrive too late. Allison Janney’s foul-mouthed performance is singled out as stealing the film.

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Paste
16 January 2018 · Kyle Turner
70*

Turner finds the film’s camp lens both exhilarating and troubling, arguing that it can challenge gender norms while risking the reduction of Harding’s experience to spectacle. He especially praises the dizzying, expressive skating scenes and their eventual focus on the technical achievement of her triple axel.

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The Playlist
9 September 2017 · festival review
65*

The page URL identifies this as a TIFF review of I, Tonya, but the review’s verdict is unavailable. The anti-crawler page provides no details about what the critic praised or criticized.

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The Ringer
6 December 2017 · K. Austin Collins
50*

Collins finds the film compelling but overstuffed, with an uneasy, sometimes too-cavalier treatment of domestic violence. He especially praises the skating scenes as exhilarating pure theater that captures Harding’s flair as a performer.

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The Skinny
14 February 2018 · ★★ · Philip Concannon
40

Concannon finds the biopic energetic but unfocused, glib and ultimately enervating. He praises Margot Robbie’s commitment but says she does not entirely convince in the lead role.

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The Wrap
8 December 2017
40*

The review finds the film lively and well acted but ultimately undermined by its treatment of Harding’s story. It praises Margot Robbie’s committed performance while faulting the film for letting the criminal side plot overwhelm its critique of media-driven vilification.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate