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Joyce McKinney, Jackson Shaw, Peter Tory, Troy Williams, Kent Gavin ... see more see more... , Jin Han Hong , Mark Lipson , Julie Bilson Ahlberg

Thirty years before the antics of Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears were regular gossip fodder, Miss Wyoming Joyce McKinney made her mark as a tabloid staple ne plus ultra. Morris follows the salacious... read more read more... adventures of this beauty queen with an IQ of 168 whose single-minded devotion to the man of her dreams leads her across the globe, into jail, and onto the front page. Joyce's labyrinthine crusade for love takes her through a surreal world of kidnapping, manacled Mormons, risqué photography, magic underwear, and celestial sex-until her dream is finally realized in a cloning laboratory in Seoul, South Korea. By turns funny, strange, and disturbing, Tabloid is a vivid portrayal of a phenomenally driven woman whose romantic obsessions and delusions catapult her over the edge into scandal sheet notoriety and an unimaginable life. -- (C) IFC Films

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113 critics

R, 1 hr. 27 min.

Directed by: Errol Morris

Release Date: July 15, 2011

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DVD Release Date: November 1, 2011

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Flixster Reviews (300)

  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    May 1, 2012
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "As Brigitte Bardot said, I gave my youth to men and my old age to dogs I can trust."

    A documentary on a former Miss Wyoming who is charged with abducting and imprisoning a young Mormon Missionary.

    REVIEW
    ... read morent>
    Joyce McKinney was former Miss Wyoming. She became a British tabloid darling in the late 1970's when she came over to the UK and kidnapped a young man, holding him hostage. The film tells the story of McKinney's various obsessions; she became obsessed with a young Mormon missionary, but his faith was compromised and, as far as Joyce was concerned, the Mormon church stole him away from her, taking him to England to restore his faith. The levels of obsession are exposed progressively throughout the film. Joyce's fixation on this one person who she claims to love unconditionally is actually quite sad.

    She states late on in the film that there is only one love, and she loves the Mormon, and will love no other. This stubborn focus on one love has seen through to her old age, as she fills this love with a dog. The obsession of one love is also propagated in her love of her dog, that once dead, she spends thousands of dollars to get it cloned in South Korea. As with all Morris documentaries, this is a little gem, and is never outwardly judgemental of it's subject matter. It is a tragic tale, and whilst it has been Joyce's own choice, her strong morals are quite touching. However, strip all sympathy aside, and she is simply mental!
  • paulsandberg
    March 19, 2012
    paulsandberg
    Usually in a documentary the director slants the facts to suit an agenda; either by judicious editing of talking head testimony, or by omitting certain facts. In the case of Tabloid, you have a refreshing expose of events portrayed through the usual witness testimonies, but with... read more a certain lightness and tongue in cheek that is totally apropos to the bizarre content being reported.

    Tabloid tell the sensational tale of Joyce McKinney, who was a tabloid sensation in the UK back in the 70's by "allegedly" kidnapping a Mormon acolyte for a weekend of debauchery. Director Errol Morris masterfully reveals the story by way of talking heads, including the editor of one of England's top tabloid newspapers of the time as well as Ms. McKinney herself (a natural born actress if ever there was one). She plays fast and loose with a lot of information, all told with a certain happy-go-lucky bit of glee; a raconteur who you could listen to for hours, even while telling of her temporary imprisonment and eventual escape from the British Isles.

    For his part, the Brit editor seems equally caught up in the outrageousness of the story, and uses several lovely English colloquialisms to further lighten up the festivities. But underneath it all there is a dark side - that of the beginnings of media sensationalism - the likes of which give the Paris Hilton's of the world constant attention, even though they have done absolutely nothing noteworthy. In the case of Ms. McKinney, what should have been a simple human interest story, barely worthy of Andy Warhol's' 15 minutes of fame, became the story that refused to die.

    The big question is whether McKinney, who "admits" to an I.Q. of 168, and was a former Miss Wyoming, was simply trying to pry her man from the clutches of the evil Mormon church by kidnapping the elder in training, or if, as she professes in lovely detail, he came with her willingly and then, facing excommunication, claimed to be a victim.

    The story should have ended after the trial and her release on bail before sentencing, after her daring incognito escape from Britain, but, just as the media wouldn't let go of her initial story, the film goes further, introducing the head photographer from the rival tabloid, The Mirror, who purports that McKinney spent time in LA as a call girl. This part of the film drags just a bit, but gives you the necessary doubt that all isn't as Ms. McKinney would have you believe.

    After scandalous nudie pics start getting plastered all over the front page of The Mirror, pics that McKinney claims were composites (her head on another body - and believe what you will on that one), she retreats to a remote farm, trying to steer clear of the paparazzi and becoming agoraphobic (she claims). This of course leads to a further bizarre tale circa mid 80's where she buys a huge mastiff for protection, the dog is poisoned, the pharmacy messes with the doses of the poor dogs medicine, causing the dog to go bonkers and attack McKinney, and almost killing her (saved only by a pit bull stray she had picked up only a month earlier). This crazy tale just keeps on going, with McKinney then, years later, making contact with a South Korean geneticist who then clones her beloved pit bull. News of the event once again, of course, puts her back in the limelight.

    A crazy tale, told exceedingly well - a wild ride that's interesting and just plain fun. Probably the most fun I've had watching a doc ever - highly recommended.
  • SirPant
    March 12, 2012
    SirPant
    Kidnapping, magic underwear, religious cultism, the British Press, a sex scandal, a police investigation and the cloning of a dog called Booger. Errol Morris reads between the lines in this funny and fascinating and unbelievably true story of eccentricity at it's most glorious. I... read moret takes all sorts to make a world, here is the proof! Highly recommended.
  • lewiskendell
    February 14, 2012
    lewiskendell
    One of the most bizzare, unpredictable, and entertaining documentaries that I've seen. You have to see this one to believe it, and then you can make your own mind up about what really happened.
  • axadntpron
    January 5, 2012
    axadntpron
    How Morris finds these people is beyond me. However, he manages again to tell an incredibly bizarre story through the mouths and pictures of the odd players involved. He doesn't seek to understand these people, he more or less just presents the fiction that they weave. It is a un... read moreique approach, and can be annoying if you are looking for the gospel truth of the events that he covers, but Morris sure knows how to tell one hell of story. And this one is nothing short of fascinating.
  • tsigur
    December 12, 2011
    tsigur
    Funny and larger than life story told by one of the best. I would explain it to you, but finding out about it is half the fun. I could have watched this lady being interviewed for hours.
  • c0up
    October 8, 2011
    c0up
    'Tabloid'. The stranger than fiction true story of the larger than life, wacky Joyce McKinney. Ironic or not, it felt extremely satirical, given that through this documentary, McKinney has been once again-unwillingly or otherwise-been exploited.
  • 366weirdmovies
    October 5, 2011
    366weirdmovies
    "What do cloned puppies have to do with kidnapped Mormons?," asks Joyce McKinney. You'll find out in this documentary about the bizarre British tabloid sensation case in which the former beauty queen was accused of abducting a missionary, tying him up, and forcing him to have se... read morex with her for three days. It's a strange, funny and ultimately inconclusive story, told entirely through interviews. The only downside is the suspicion that McKinney, who doesn't seem to be on speaking terms with reality, may be being exploited for her entertainment value once again, thirty years after the initial scandal. P.S.: Decout Mormons should stay away from this movie, as the Church does not come off well.
  • mrbungle7821
    September 6, 2011
    mrbungle7821
    Legendary documentary filmmaker Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War) has always had a knack for telling quirky stories involving quirky real-life interview subjects. From people who taxidermy their dead pets to a capital punishment engineer/Holocaust denier, Morris h... read moreas a gift for making his subjects comfortably candid, and then the man gets out of the way of a good story. And if nothing else, Tabloid is a juicy story that seems too good to be true. As one journalist says, "It had everything." In 1977, Joyce McKinney, former Miss Wyoming beauty queen, was charged with kidnapping a Mormon man, who she claimed was her boyfriend and had been brainwashed by church leaders. This kidnapping included handcuffing the man to a bed and "three days of food, fun, and sex." Taking place in Britain, the sensational "Case of the Manicaled Mormon" fascinated the U.K. and turned McKinney into a prized media figure. When she escaped back to the U.S. posing as a deaf mute with a suitcase full of wigs and disguises, it made her even more famous. British tabloids were in a McKinney arms race, trying to out-scoop the other, unearthing secret lusty bondage pictures. Amazingly, McKinney agreed to appear on camera and tell her story, and boy does this woman speak her mind. Morris does not present McKinney up for easy ridicule. She presents a perky version of events, and it's easy to feel the pull of this woman who is a natural storyteller. Whether her version of the "truth" is real is another matter. I wish Tabloid had dug a little deeper and had more ambition to it. The nature of tabloid journalism, sensationalism, and the ambiguous nature of truth gets ultimately swept aside by the bizarre twists and turns of the story and the outsized personality of McKinney. Tabloid certainly isn't close to the best documentaries Morris has fashioned, but it's a fascinating story that sells itself.

    Nate's Grade: B
  • hobster1
    August 11, 2011
    hobster1
    Errol Morris' unbiased presentation of the facts, or at least how the principals see them, is riveting. On the one hand, there is a woman who claims she went to England to rescue her husband from the Mormons who brainwashed him. On the other hand, you have a man who alleges he wa... read mores kidnapped at gunpoint, then raped while shacked to a bed. Perhaps reality is somewhere in the middle as one ex-Mormon suggests. He recounts how the church exploited the controversy as an ominous reminder of the feminine wiles of the fairer sex. Despite the sensational and salacious details, the tone is clearly tongue in cheek. The information is presented with animations and collages that recreate scenes and old film stock that illustrates the points being made. They're humorous and keep things interesting. However, none of that even comes close to being as affecting as the conversations with the woman at the center of the situation.

    In the end, we really aren't any closer to a certainty than we were in the beginning. It's not even clear what the director thinks about his subject. But Morris definitely shows an interest in his topic that comes through. The drama is intriguing and worthy of his talent. Tabloid may not have the sense of importance of his best work, but it is entertaining and well produced. It's like a good mystery that lacks an ending that neatly explains everything. In a documentary, that's actually kind of admirable.

View All Tabloid Reviews

Critic Reviews

William Goss
November 18, 2011
William Goss, Film.com

Operates as both an examination of the dominating media mentality at the time and an embodiment of it, no less keen on delving into the juicy details now as tabloid rags were then. Full Review

Roger Moore
September 6, 2011
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

In Joyce McKinney, Morris has found a fittingly weird and funny muse. Full Review

Bill Goodykoontz
August 11, 2011
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic

Errol Morris is a genius, a gifted documentarian who has made better movies than "Tabloid," but none so entertaining. Full Review

Dana Stevens
July 28, 2011
Dana Stevens, Slate

Though the events Tabloid recounts took place in the pre-digital age, the film also functions as a kind of prehistory of modern celebrity culture and tabloid journalism. Full Review

David Denby
July 24, 2011
David Denby, New Yorker

Morris's subject is sexual fantasy and a particular kind of American stupidity-the ability to substitute self-justification for self-knowledge. His tone is merry. Full Review

Tom Long
July 22, 2011
Tom Long, Detroit News

It is quite simply one of the craziest stories ever told, made all the crazier by the fact that it's true. Or at least some version of it is true. Full Review

Chris Vognar
July 21, 2011
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

Tabloid, Errol Morris' latest wild and woolly portrait of human self-delusion, is a scandal-sheet dream come to life. Full Review

Steven Rea
July 21, 2011
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

A tale of obsession and abduction, self-delusion and sexual confusion, Errol Morris' Tabloid stands as an almost giddy affirmation of the old cliche: Truth is stranger than fiction. Full Review

James Berardinelli
July 20, 2011
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

The viewer is left with no clear indication of what really happened, but with a vibrant portrait of a compelling character. That's what Morris is after. Full Review

J. R. Jones
July 15, 2011
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

Morris adds to the hilarity with his signature device of superimposing key words onscreen in giant type; the movie is a welcome reminder that he got his start immortalizing American oddballs. Full Review

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    • Joyce McKinney: Worms crawl out of the woodwork when you become famous.
    • Joyce McKinney: It's like putting a marshmallow in a parking meter.
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Tabloid Trivia

  • True or False Harvey Stephens, who portrayed Damien in the 1976 version of The Omen, appears in the 2006 remake as a tabloid reporter?  Answer »
  • What's tabloid editor Sid Hudgens (Danny DeVito)'s tag line in "L.A. Confidential?" "Remember, dear readers, you heard it here first: Off the record, on the QT, and very ...  Answer »
  • er personal life was perennially the stuff of tabloid gossip, including the suicide of her second husband, producer Paul Bern, her relationships with gangsters, nude photos at the age of 17, problems with a greedy stepfather, and a reported abortion of a child fathered by William Powell.  Answer »
  • 15 minutes (2001). Robert Hopkins hosts which tabloid news show which covers the story of the two criminals?   Answer »
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