Tabloid (2011)
Sexual references
| Director: | Errol Morris |
| Actors: |
Tabloid follows the much stranger-than-fiction adventures of Joyce McKinney, a former beauty queen whose single-minded devotion to the man of her dreams leads her across the globe and directly onto the front pages of the British tabloid newspapers. Joyce’s crusade for love and personal vindication, as illustrated by Morris, takes her through a surreal world of gunpoint abduction, manacled Mormons, oddball accomplices, bondage modeling, magic underwear and dreams of celestial unions. This notorious affair is barking mad.
Equal parts love story, film noir, brainy B-movie and demented fairy tale, Tabloid is a delirious meditation on hysteria – both public and personal. A phenomenally driven woman whose romantic obsessions and delusions catapult her over the edge into scandal-sheet notoriety and an unimaginable life. Long before the days of Lindsay, Britney and the 24-hour news cycle, Joyce McKinney reigned as the ensnaring Femme Fatale accused of sexual defiance. In Tabloid, she is back, and Morris offers up his best guilty treasure.
| Status: | QuickPick |
|---|---|
| Run time: | 88mins |
| Origin: | UNITED STATES |
| Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 |
by Simon Miraudo, 6/10/2011 11:05:00 AM
The hilarious documentary Tabloid, from director Errol Morris, tells the stranger-than-fiction tale of former beauty queen Joyce McKinney. If you’re unfamiliar with Ms. McKinney, simply Google the following keywords: ‘Mormon’, ‘Sex Scandal’, ‘Kidnapping’, ‘S&M’, ‘Cloning’. McKinney became a tabloid star in England when she reportedly “abducted” her fiancé from his Mormon Church, took him to a Devon getaway and forced him to be her sex slave (believe me; this is just the start of it). Of course, that’s but one version of events. McKinney claims her partner was both in on it, and into it; reporters from competing rags The Daily Express and The Daily Mirror disagree. What’s most interesting about Tabloid is that it is based almost exclusively on the testimony of three totally untrustwo...
The hilarious documentary Tabloid, from director Errol Morris, tells the stranger-than-fiction tale of former beauty queen Joyce McKinney. If you’re unfamiliar with Ms. McKinney, simply Google the following keywords: ‘Mormon’, ‘Sex Scandal’, ‘Kidnapping’, ‘S&M’, ‘Cloning’. McKinney became a tabloid star in England when she reportedly “abducted” her fiancé from his Mormon Church, took him to a Devon getaway and forced him to be her sex slave (believe me; this is just the start of it). Of course, that’s but one version of events. McKinney claims her partner was both in on it, and into it; reporters from competing rags The Daily Express and The Daily Mirror disagree.
What’s most interesting about Tabloid is that it is based almost exclusively on the testimony of three totally untrustworthy subjects. Is at least one of the three telling the truth? Are all of them lying at different times? McKinney even acknowledges that some people lie for so long they begin to think it’s true. To quote critic Matt Singer’s pithy tweet on the film, this is basically “Rashomormon”. Errol Morris, for all his acclaim, has always fended off accusations that he is not an “objective documentarian” (which would be impossible anyway); he always makes his voice heard, his opinions known, and his films have even interfered with the course of his subjects lives. Tabloid is a nice commentary on his particular style of ‘truth-telling’ and objectivity. In the end, we’re all lying simply by telling our version of the truth.
4/5
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Member Reviews (12)
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Reviews
matman
says
Fascinating and fun docu where both sides of the coin explored are equally rich. Great style, too. As good as a fictional feature-- and better than many!
PeterF
says
Truly beguiling insight, that is so very relevant today. In a world where a Kardashian's bum gets more media attention than starving children, this is gold.
Mike Brindley
says
A fascinating hour and a half of the interaction between the media and a deluded attention seeker. Like watching a car crash: you can't look away.
Nadine
says
Odd and wrong and bamboozling, yet totally compelling right to the very unexpected ending.
Macmillan
says
Joyce is so eccentric and watchable. For those who like documentaries
Art S.
says
Errol Morris takes his interrotron into less weighty territory (after Fog of War and Standard Operating Procedure tackled politics and deceit head on), here focusing on a "barking mad" former beauty queen who attracts tabloid attention through some pretty weird and obsessive acts. Where sex was involved, the British tabloids followed -- especially in 1977. At best, the 4 or 5 talking heads produce a "Rashomon" type feeling about the nature of truth, but the content, though somewhat lurid, is something we've seen many times before now that we've reached 2012. Morris has taken us on better trips in the past, although he certainly has honed his skills at putting together a film.
Eve
says
Watching this doco left me with more questions than answers. Which personality belongs to this woman scorned? What really happened in the country cottage and what does he say about it all? It's a pity not every angle was investigated but still it makes for a very entertaining jaunt into the eccentric life of a lonely extrovert, obsessed with a man that she can never have. Sad at at times and refreshingly self-deprecating, I kinda warmed to her character even if the man of her dreams didn't. This woman sure sticks to her guns! The ending was as intriguing as the beginning.
Cindy
says
A delightful peek into the decidedly odd world of Joyce McKinney; a woman who provides the term "obsessive love" with new meaning. If you enjoy quality, character-driven documentaries, Tabloid will impress.
Kim
says
It was like watching a train wreck but we couldn't look away.....we were fascinated and very intrigued. This was a very clever and entertaining film.
alister
says
a great doco/film .very entertaining
Janette
says
A fascinating movie. We heard Joyce interviewed last year on the radio, so was great to see the movie.
TNT
says
Had no idea what this movie was about when I came across it (never even read a review or description of it), but when I sat down to watch it, I was hooked; it was funny, interesting with twists and turns at every corner. Maybe because I was not old enough to remember this happening on the news at the time or that it could be an elaborate faux documentary, it kept me glued until the end. Only point I don't like was the editing of some of the scenes. But overall, great movie/doco.