Following FX's American Crime Story: The People Versus OJ Simpson, wherein the much - maligned prosecutor Marcia Clark got her due, many have felt that I, Tonya replicates that redemption narrative for Harding, exposing her tough childhood and abusive relationship that took place alongside the infamous crowbar to Nancy Kerrigan heard around the world. (screenrant.com)
A familiar late - in - life redemption narrative, made surprisingly palatable by Pacino's winning comic bravado, a superb supporting cast, and currents of real feeling that cut through the expected bromides about the emptiness of fortune and fame. (rottentomatoes.com)
The film is very smart, most of all because it resists the urge to devolve into a sentimental redemption narrative. (metacritic.com)