The only girl in the world

[gwyn]

I just got back from seeing I, Tonya, and I am blown away. Just…fucking blown away. I kind of face-palmed when I heard that Sebastian Stan was taking the role of Jeff Gillooly, and that this movie was even being made, and kind of afraid of it (especially since he often takes really…weird roles). I had been into figure skating for a long time but was kind of getting out of it around the time of what they refer to in the movie as "the incident," and I had never been a fan of Harding's, athough I admired her strength and skills. I confess I liked watching Nancy Kerrigan skate, I'd seen her before many times and I liked her style--but most of all I was a fan of Surya Bonaly at the time (another athlete who was really fucked over by the skating establishment, the racist asshats). And I remember being appalled by the whole thing, and the way it played out, and when the story began to leak out one piece at a time, I was disgusted enough by everything to really break off with watching skating. That mindset that pushed Tonya into the background--whether I was a fan or not--because she didn't present that upperclass, refined, wholesome image and the corruption of the judging just shoved me out.

And what I loved among many things about the movie is how freaking well they deal with that, about what social class and poverty and education and money all mean in America and how toxic it all is. And the patriarchy, and misogyny, and toxic masculinity…it's incredible in the midst of a dramedy. It couldn't have come out in a more appropriate year.



First, because I know a lot of folks are Sebastian Stan lovers: I'm not just saying this because I'm Sebastian fan--he was fantastic. Wait, no. He was astounding--I don't know how an actor and a script can do that: make a vile, abusive asshole into someone who's horrifying and dangerous and heartbreaking and almost endearing from moment to moment. It's an amazing tightrope to walk, and he did it so, so well. Alison Janney and Margot Robbie have the showier roles, and the story is naturally Tonya's, so Sebastian's being overlooked by the awards so far but not the critics, at least, and he deserves every accolade. I went to see this mainly for him, and I was pumped by all the good buzz I'd heard about it, but I honestly didn't feel confident that I'd like it that much, or that I wouldn't have second-hand embarrassment. He just melts into the role, and I think everything that his fans have been saying about him for so long is fully realized here. This is a mature, dynamic, thoughtful performance, and it's so, so good for someone who's loved him for years to see him finally break out as he's deserved for so long.

Though it's hard to watch sometimes, the domestic violence is so unexpected much of the time. Margot Robbie gives so much dimension to someone who's become such a punchline, and I've never really thought all that much about her, but I'm a fan now. She's up against a lot of prestige pictures and prestige actresses for the awards season, which is a shame, because again, this is probably not going to get the recognition it deserves--she shows you all the heartbreak and tragedy about her abusive upbringing, and how much abuse was tied in to what she thought was love (and Mackenna Grace from Gifted has a small role as young Tonya and is equally heartbreaking). The desperate way she fights against the skating establishment makes you both cringe at Tonya and want to cheer her on to take a box of matches and burn those elitist assholes all to the ground.

Alison Janney won the supporting actress Golden Globe the other day, and it's yes, very well deserved. I've been a fan of hers forever, but I can't think of a single performance of hers like this--LaVona really is a monster, but she knows it and she's very clear about who made her that way and why she thinks that's the right way to raise a daughter and have a marriage and just be in the world. Over and over again you see the effects of poverty and class on the way it's shaped her and her daughter, and how deeply that drags women down, the limits it imposes on them in a way it doesn't to men.

I appreciated that the movie takes a specific path based on interviews and the documentation, that they never really say "we think she planned it." I was also glad that they didn't put a spotlight on Nancy Kerrigan, because I think that would have been a mistake, would have clouded the storyline. When I left the theatre, there were three older women discussing the child abuse Tonya suffered, and the way that makes you act, and I didn't hang around to listen to them but I could hear one of them talking about growing up like that--I think it's the kind of movie that can spark more conversations than just "did they really do it." And i hope it does, now that it's in nationwide release.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this movie for some people--the violence and child abuse/spousal abuse might be very triggery, but I think if it's something you think you can handle, do yourself a favor and see it in a theatre. Also, I wish to hell someone'd warned me about the bunny--look, I grew up in a hunting family, but I still don't want to see animals being hunted. If Sebastian hadn't been in it, I would probably have waited to see it on TV or DVD, but I'm so glad I didn't. I've been texting everyone all evening about how blown away I was, and am even going again on Saturday. I haven't seen a movie more than once in the theatre outside of the Captain America movies and Gifted, so that's saying a lot.



I will also say that it's taken forever for Seattle to get theatres with recliney seats in them, and I specifically went to the one in Bellevue, which is quite a ways away, to see this, because I've wanted to try it out. I didn't realize it was in an enitrely other building and wow, that was quite a hike from the theatre's main location to the recliner location, but man can I see why people are willing to pay $$ for those. I don't have that kind of money to throw around, so I won't be going over there often, but that was so comfy! And no one can kick your seat or hit you in the back of the head with their bag or tear your hair out when they put their feet on your seatback! (All things that have happened.) I definitely want to at least see Black Panther there once when that comes out.

Comments

[wickedwords]

Bellevue is my neck of the woods, so let me know when you want to go, and I will be your buddy in the comfy seats!

[gwyn]

Awesome! The way they're set up, it's definitely more fun with someone you know in the seat next to you.

[klia]

thevetia and I recently stumbled on recliney seats when hunting for a theater still showing Thor: Ragnarok at a reasonable hour, and then when we and sakana17 wanted to see TLJ again, we went to a different recliney theater. They're no more expensive here -- it seems as though several old, worn out multiplexes replaced stadium seats with recliners when they were updated. You may be able to find one in SoCal during Escapade to see Black Panther.

I just watched Sebastian Stan in another figure skating movie, The Bronze.

[gwyn]

This theatre is definitely more expensive (I mean, the price of tickets these days is relative, I suppose, because they all seem grotesquely expensive to me), but I guess not all the lounger theatres are--there's apparently one in downtown that isn't, but it's a pretty crappy cinema they made some improvements to but not totally refurbed. But this theatre is also one of those dine-in ones, and they have a full bar and it's incredibly nicely decoated, with these really nice midcentury style tiles in the bathroom and soft mood lighting in the hallways and a concierge type person. Of course it's in Bellevue. :-D (Sort of like Palo Alto I suppose)

[dine]

the more I hear about it, the more I want to see I,Tonya - it was a big story here, and while I wasn't really a figure skating fan, one couldn't avoid it on the local news

[gwyn]

It's weird to see people's reactions to it--I just heard on the daily show tonight they said it portrayed her as a hero, and I thought wow, how obtuse do you have to be to see it that way. But never underestimate people's intelligence, I guess. It's not very easy to watch Sebastian being a wife-beater, though.

[kore]

We're lucky, we can walk to the Meridian downtown and it has reclining seats and better screens, and it doesn't seem to be that much more than regular movies, altho frankly I'm horrified at even matinee movie prices now. It's amazing how much my panic disorder DOES NOT get set off when I'm not jammed up against people on other side and front and back and feel like I can't get out.

The movie sounds really interesting, but I dunno if I'll ever be able to see it, especially if the DV is unexpected. Gianduja gave much the same description you did. It does sound like it's focusing much more on the roots of abuse and how people repeat abusive patterns, which I think even the ESPN doc glossed over.

[gwyn]

I was surprised when min told me they had recliner seats--I remembered that theatre being so shitty I swore I'd never ever go back there. She said the concessions still sucks, though--that was the nice thing about this Cinemark theatre, they had a full bar and menu and it's a dine-in. Very posh decor too. But it might be worth it for me to go over there from time to time, just because of how much less pain it causes me. Though I was annoyed that they don't have popcorn salt, only those little teeny packets of table salt. Like, wtf? I'm very, very picky about that because theatres are the only time I get to eat popcorn anymore (I shouldn't, but I do).

It's hard to say about the violence. Like, for me, it was the stuff with her mom that was tough to handle--her mother is very abusive, mentally and physically, but even as much as that's normally a no-go for me, I ended up okay. But it is random in that you don't always know when it's coming, though when I saw it the second time I realized that every single instance with Jeff and Tonya is telegraphed. But it's pretty harsh because it's very, very realistic and you can see how there's absolutely no way for a woman to know when a guy is going to find a reason to go off on her.

And honestly, it sounds shallow but one of the hardest things was seeing Sebastian doing it--like, I love his face so much that even the Flanders mustache doesn't bother me, but then you're looking at that lovely face and it's just…so awful. Which, again, has that realistic quality, because that's one of the factors that causes so much conflict in victims of domestic abuse. He starts out so charming and sweet, and you almost forget what he was like in reality until bam.

It was just such a good movie all the way around, but it's not that easy to watch.

[kore]

And honestly, it sounds shallow but one of the hardest things was seeing Sebastian doing it--like, I love his face so much that even the Flanders mustache doesn't bother me, but then you're looking at that lovely face and it's just…so awful. Which, again, has that realistic quality, because that's one of the factors that causes so much conflict in victims of domestic abuse. He starts out so charming and sweet, and you almost forget what he was like in reality until bam.

Nooo, that doesn't sound silly at all, and I really like your description of it. It does sound like a very good movie, just also pretty harrowing, which is true for the subject.

[vaysh]

Thank you for writing up this detailed review, I loved to read it. I Tonya won't come out in Germany for months (we can count us lucky that it's showing in Germany at all) but I am excited to see it.

[gwyn]

I do hope it shows up in a theatre for you! It's not easy to watch in most respects, but it is definitely good, and I think this may turn out to be one of the roles of a lifetime for Sebastian.

[ratcreature]

How does a cinema with reclining seats work? Are the rows really wide? The cinema I go to for original versions only has them in the first row where there's more space for the foot rests to fold out and nothing blocks the view. All the other seats just recline the usual little bit. But it has a bit wider seats and rows wide enough to stretch your legs. So I never saw the need to buy a ticket for the recliners.

[gwyn]

I think you could probably find some examples of them in a search, but basically the one I went to (this is the only one I've been in) has very wide spacing between the rows, and the seats go back probably about five or six inches (they're not a full recline). They have tray tables that swing in and out, and it's a dine-in theatre, so even when you're reclined there's space for the server to bring your food and beverages without anyone having to pull the footrests down or anything. Obviously that means fewer seats in total, but in this one the ticket prices are slightly higher for non-matinee shows. Most theatres make their money off concessions, anyway--which are as grotesquely overpriced as ever. In this one, the seats are sort of…in pairs. Like, we sat in row C 7 & 8, and there was one armrest (wide like on a reclining chair such as a LaZ Boy) with a cupholder in between our seats, and then on the outside there was my arm rest with the tray table and the next seat's armrest--which was super nice because that meant they were about six inches away from me, rather than just a couple, and since I have space-sharing issues that suits me very well. Most newer theatres these days in the US are very stadium style--the pitch of the incline is dramatic so that people's heads won't be in your way. So you step up a couple steps for each row. I suppose if someone doesn't recline and they're super tall and you're super short, you might get a head in your way, I don't know.

[kore]

I don't think the theatre I was at was quite as well-appointed, but yeah, there is A LOT of room between the rows (as in, room for people to walk past comfortably when the seats are fully extended) and there are cupholders on either side, so you're not jammed right up against another person like when you're expected to share an armrest. (I LOATHE this.) Sort of the difference between coach and business classes on an airplane, I guess.

[killabeez]

Ooh, I really want to go to Black Panther with you. Can we?

[gwyn]

Yes, definitely, I would love that.

[musesfool]

I love the recliners! I first encountered them out on Long Island, but I'm so glad they've come to the city, because it is so worth the extra money - not just for the reserved seating part, which I adore - but because of the comfort and not being elbow to elbow with random people. I get enough of that on the subway.

[gwyn]

Yeah, I loved the reserved seating, although I'm never totally sure I can get over there so I rarely use that because traffic is just such a nightmare in this town and we have no decent transportation. I never feel comfortable not being able to guarantee attendance.

[minim_calibre]

I haven't seen a movie more than once in the theatre outside of the Captain America movies, so that's saying a lot.

I think you're forgetting one. ;P

SATURDAY! (OH! The M16 near the Convention Center also has reclining seats. I saw Gifted there two or three times.)

[gwyn]

Ah ha ha ha you're right. Is it weird that I meant Chris Evans movies but said Captain America? Lordy.

I heard about the M16. I only remembered how unbelievably lousy that theatre was so I vowed never to go back after the last time I went, when Serenity came out. Maybe they've improved it so much it's worth it!

[minim_calibre]

The seats are so nice! If only they'd upgrade the rest of the theatre, like the concessions stand...

The changes they've made make the screens feel a lot larger than they did when the theatre was cramming people into tiny seats. It's one of my preferred places now. Also, reserved seating is my friend and I love it.

[kore]

Reserved seating is AWESOME. T is starting to kick up a fuss about going to theatres that don't have it.

[mmouse15]

I want to see the movie, but the domestic abuse...kind ofREALLY nervous about that part.

[gwyn]

Yeah, I can't try to sugarcoat that. For me, it was a lot worse about the stuff with her mom, who was so emotionally and physically abusive that she kind of paved the way for Tonya's disastrous marriage, but I did okay in the end. But it's really hard especially when you see Sebastian doing it--like, I'm never not aware that he's portraying Jeff and bashing Tonya's head against a wall, and it makes the whole thing that much more disturbing and unsettling. Despite being a dramedy, it's rough going, but I have to say, it's one of the best movies of 2017.

[mackiemesser]

Surya Bonaly got so very fucked over; I remember being furious on her behalf! I read an interesting article a little while ago (drawing a blank on where) that discussed how technically stagnant women's figure skating is, especially compared to how rapidly men's skating has taken up challenging moves, and I wonder where women's skating would be now if Bonaly had gotten fair treatment.
(I never did get why people liked Kerrigan; I always though she looked really uncomfortable while she was skating--both personally and technically.)

The reclining seats are very nice! I like them much better than the regular seating coz I'm short and the headrests of the other seats are in a position that makes me have to hold my head and neck in a weird way, so I almost always have a headache when I come out of the movies. I saw The Shape of Water at our local "art" theatre and they have the really old seats that only come up to mid-back and I was way more comfortable with those than in the newer seating!

[barkley]

I was reading about who made the Olympic team for the figure skaters this year, and I realized I couldn't even remember who was skating four years ago, by, my word, Surya Bonaly's little flip on the ice is ingrained into my head forever, and I loved her for it.

[geckoholic]

See, I don't know what I expected when I watched it, and I will admit I mostly watched it for ~reasons, but I do agree with bunch of what you say here. Definitely some fantastic performances.

[roga]

Oh man, what a great review. I am def looking forward to seeing it now :D