I, TONYA - Acad. Award Noms. go to Margot Robbie and Allison Janney Doesn't Earn a Place on the Podium

The doc/drama based on true events accessing verbatim transcripts & news footage is directed by Craig Gillespie (b Australia 1967).  Perhaps, Gillespie cast fellow Aussie Margot Robbie (b Australia 1990) for the lead role.  Or he chose Robbie ("Wolf of Wall St.") who plays the blowsy broad (Tonya Harding) for her solid gold portrayal of the much maligned Olympian skater; the 1st to land a triple axle.  Well, they can't take that 1st away from the real Tonya but Gillespie direction takes several spills by having the actors talk to the camera out of bounds from "direct interviews incorporated" interviews.  This spin deters from the credibility of on camera interviews.  I'm also taking points off for the fast paced attempts at earning our sympathy for Tonya knowing her brutal upbringing and background.  Tonya is abandoned by her father at an early age despite screaming "take me with you" at the top of her lungs while her cruel mother, LaVonna Harding looks on smoking her endless chain of cigarettes.  LaVonna is told by the skating coach there's no smoking on the ice.  LaVonna tells the coach "I'll smoke quietly then."  There's no telling LaVonna what to do and LaVonna will never tell her daughter she's loved or worthy of love.   Robbie deservedly received an Oscar nomination for her leading role.  LaVonna Harding, played by the multi-talented TV/movie actress Allison Janney ("Mom" "The West Wing") received an Oscar nomination for her supporting role but her character is a one dimensional; the mean ice queen.  The on camera interviews of LaVonna with her bird pecking at her face were hard to tolerate.  Dir. Gillespie got winning performance from Sebastian Stan as Tonya's abusive husband Jeff Gillooly and Paul Hauser as Sean whose ill conceived & carried out assault against ice princess Nancy Kerrigan lands everyone in the cooler, except Tonya.  Tonya is irreverent & irascible.  She has the audacity to argue with the judge at her sentencing pleading for jail time rather than a lifetime ban on competitive skating because that's all she has in life is her skating.  The technical scoring for the film's flaws are countered by higher scores for the film's artistry and entertainment elements building to the crescendo to the "incident" on Nancy.  But just as Tonya who won't take the blame for her actions or apologize for anything, the film felt like how she described Nancy on the 2nd place podium, "like stepped in poop!" The movie doesn't prove there's more to the story or to Tonya's character for that matter.  It only proves that this is a story that has been kept on ice just waiting to leap onto the big screen.