---
title: "I, Tonya: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/i-tonya/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/i-tonya"
critics_score: 71
critics_reviews: 26
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# I, Tonya (2017): what the critics said

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

## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf

Rating 5/5. 8 December 2017. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/i-tonya)

## Screen Daily — Fionnuala Halligan

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2017. Festival review. 

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

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/i-tonya-toronto-review/5122194.article)

## Sight and Sound — Nikki Baughan

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 5 March 2018. 

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

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/i-tonya-review-chilling-story-thwarted-ambition)

## Variety — Owen Gleiberman

Rating Critics Pick. 9 September 2017. Festival review. 

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.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/i-tonya-review-margot-robbie-1202552743/)

## Empire — Helen O'Hara

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 February 2018. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/tonya-review/)

## Total Film — Matt Glasby

Rating 4/5. 19 February 2018. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/i-tonya-review/)

## The Hollywood Reporter — John DeFore

Fi1m's normalised score 76/100 (inferred from the text). 8 September 2017. Festival review. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/i-tonya-review-1037074/)

## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 19 February 2018. 

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

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/i-tonya-review-an-irreverent-entertaining-patchwork/)

## Vulture — David Edelstein

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 8 December 2017. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2017/12/i-tonya-turns-tonya-harding-into-a-sympathetic-character.html)

## Slant Magazine — Christopher Gray

Rating 2.5/4. 2 December 2017. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/i-tonya/)

## Evening Standard — Matthew Norman

Rating 3/5. 23 February 2018. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/i-tonya-film-review-skaters-gonna-hate-a3773956.html)

## The Guardian — Benjamin Lee

Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2017. Festival review. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/09/i-tonya-review-margot-robbie-toronto-film-festival-tiff)

## Los Angeles Times — Justin Chang

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2017. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-i-tonya-review-20171207-story.html)

## The New Yorker — Richard Brody

Fi1m's normalised score 25/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2017. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/i-tonya-reviewed-a-condescending-biopic-of-tonya-harding)

## Consequence — Allison Shoemaker

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2017. 

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

[Read the review](https://consequence.net/2017/12/film-review-i-tonya/)

## Deadline — Pete Hammond

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2017. 

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.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2017/12/i-tonya-review-margot-robbie-allison-janney-tonya-harding-1202222038/)

## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 February 2018. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/i-tonya-2017-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

## Collider — Matt Goldberg

Rating B+. 6 December 2017. 

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.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/i-tonya-review/)

## Den of Geek — David Crow

Rating 4/5. 4 December 2017. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/i-tonya-review/)

## NME

Rating 4/5. 

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

[Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/i-tonya-harding-film-review-margot-robbie-2240615)

## /Film — Chris Evangelista

Rating 7/10. 11 September 2017. Festival review. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/553232/i-tonya-review-tiff-2017/)

## Paste — Kyle Turner

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 January 2018. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/i-tonya-spits-in-the-face-of-camp)

## The Playlist

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 2017. Festival review. 

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.

[Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/itonya-tiff-review-20170909/)

## The Ringer — K. Austin Collins

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2017. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2017/12/06/movies/i-tonya-film-review-margot-robbie-tonya-harding)

## The Skinny — Philip Concannon

Rating ★★. 14 February 2018. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/i-tonya)

## The Wrap

Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 8 December 2017. 

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.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/i-tonya-film-review-margot-robbie-harding-allison-janney/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/i-tonya.md