i finally saw it last night (on a large screen computer with rewind options) and think it's a very poorly made movie in every respect. watched it to the end only because it is part of skating world/reality, but could not wait for it to end. if one loves a sport, one has to "see it all".. i guess.
- acting is not bad, but everything else is almost amateur. not a fan of "removal of 4th wall" element (actors stepping out of a story line and addressing audience directly or giving narrative), but if it is done well technically and fits the plot, then i can appreciate it, but not in this case. some segments were put in for sensation (rabbit killing, knife in the arm, etc.) and did not help the plot.
- many scenes dragged on while the event itself had no significance. except for "evil mother" none of the main female characters looked even close to real people they were portraying, especially "nancy" and "tonya". camera work was not good at all, not at all! editing was probably done by a film student intern. "skating/competition segments" superimposed on the "arena and audience" for back ground are not well executed, and too obvious as computer generated "splicing".
- most of all, i hated, yes hated, the "beautification" of "Tonya" character, who in my opinion is very unattractive person with very repulsive behavior and style. I can feel sorry for her family situation, and probably would have tried to stop her mother if she hit a child in front of me, but having to watch the "results" of it all, is not pleasant or something general audience signed up for when attending skating events.
