Documentary Movie Reviews

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The Price of Gold (2014)

Rate: 7
Viewed: 3/15

PriceGold
3/15: I remember the events that unfolded between Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan in 1994.

While listening to the former rivals in The Price of Gold, I took offense when they didn't believe that Oskana Baiul deserved the gold medal. At the time, I watched the Olympics competition and thought she, who was in pain the entire time, was the true winner.

The documentary didn't reveal anything new, save for the fact that Tonya Harding looked almost unrecognizable. I knew Nancy Kerrigan wouldn't appear because it's exactly who she was. She came out of nowhere to be famous under unfortunate circumstances and then quietly disappeared after the saga was over. I took points off in my rating because, no matter how many times I heard the story, it simply failed to explain the sequence of the attack in a clear manner. It's like they rushed through it and moved straight for the Olympics stuff.

Let's be fair: Tonya Harding had spunk and overcame the impossible to be a national champion in figure skating. I can understand where she was coming from in terms of looks and class. It's obvious that Nancy Kerrigan was the darling that everybody preferred only to be undone by her offhand snide comments and bitchy behavior. Do you know why the documentary never aired what she said during the parade in Disneyland? It's because ESPN is owned by Disney. So much for objectivity.

Tonya Harding came from the gutter and had an abusive childhood, but it doesn't excuse her for the attack on Nancy Kerrigan. When that happened, it was a moment that changed both of their lives forever. Hence, whenever people think of figure skating, Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan are the first to come to their minds for the wrong reasons.

If I have to sum everything about whole thing in one word, it'll be "bizzare." The bottom line is: the attack didn't have to happen. The excessive media attention on those two women was unwarranted and needless because, all of a sudden, figure skating had become more popular than football which only lasted just a month.

Anyway, what's that stupid ass, Tony Kornheiser, doing in the documentary? He has no shred of credibility when it comes to making opinions about sports, let alone figure skating. Connie Chung, a horrible interviewer (her husband happens to be Maury Povich!), looks ridiculous, and Tonya Harding should've punched her lights out.

All in all, The Price of Gold is a decent documentary about what happened with Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan.