I, Tonya (2017)

Margot Robbie keeps turning to the camera in I, Tonya to argue with the scene she’s standing in, and that trick is the whole movie: nobody agrees on what happened, so everybody gets a turn. The mockumentary frame is sharp and very funny. It’s also the problem, because the film cuts from abuse at home straight to a punchline, and the whiplash doesn’t always feel earned. Robbie is fierce as Tonya, a working-class kid who skates like she has something to prove to every judge in the building, and the skating sequences actually soar. Allison Janney plays LaVona with a bird on her shoulder and not one ounce of warmth, and she’s terrifying. Sebastian Stan makes Jeff pathetic and frightening at once. The biggest laughs belong to Shawn, a bodyguard who believes his own spy fantasies. It made $53.9 million worldwide on a reported $11M. An 8.2 because it’s angry, funny and finally hands Tonya the microphone. $30.03 says you hear a ZZ Top song this week and picture someone landing a triple axel to it.

What works: Margot Robbie and Allison Janney are ferocious, and the mockumentary interviews give the story a sharp, funny bite.

What doesn’t: The comic tone sits awkwardly next to the scenes of abuse, and jumping from one to the other can feel jarring.

Who it’s for: People who like true stories told with attitude and want to hear the side the headlines skipped.