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Tabloid

Play trailer Poster for Tabloid R 2011 1h 28m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 119 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
One of America's top documentary filmmakers, Errol Morris, turns his attention to the outrageous and nearly unbelievable story of Joyce McKinney. She's a former Miss Wyoming beauty queen who gained a great deal of notoriety after being accused of kidnapping a young Mormon missionary, restraining him in chains and raping him in England in 1977. The unbalanced McKinney is interviewed extensively, particularly about her ambition to write a memoir telling her side of the tale.

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Tabloid

Tabloid

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Critics Consensus

It's far from his most thought-provoking work, but Tabloid finds Errol Morris as smart, spirited, and engaging as ever.

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Critics Reviews

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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. Nov 18, 2011 Full Review Derek Malcolm London Evening Standard Morris suggests that you can sometimes find profundity in triviality - and though Joyce condemns herself out of her own mouth, it is always possible to feel sorry for a woman whose obsession has so totally ruled her life. Rated: 3/5 Nov 11, 2011 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian A vivid picture of the way we lived then. Rated: 4/5 Nov 10, 2011 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review While the film contains elements that prove sleazy, at times incredibly funny, but also carry an unquestionable sadness, Morris' camera remains trained on his interview subjects, and he does not judge. Rated: 4/4 Apr 4, 2022 Full Review Graeme Tuckett The Post NZ Lays out one of the most bizarre, compelling and jaw-dropping true crime stories you will ever run into. Mar 22, 2021 Full Review Dustin Chang Floating World In the age of Newscorp scandal and sensationalized murder trials, Joyce McKinney story seems fun and innocent. Morris is on top of his game and has never been any more entertaining than this. Mar 21, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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mark g If you are into cringe and the characters don't need to be likable, this steaming pile is for you. The material seems beneath Morris, more exploitation than investigation. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 10/08/25 Full Review Craig W. It’s really good, I didn’t even know about this until I saw the movie Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/22/25 Full Review Ted C saw this in theaters years ago, it is wild Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/03/25 Full Review Geke g Fascinating documentary. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/28/24 Full Review Munkhchimeg T Just watch it, please. Speechless about the story. Very good movie Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/27/24 Full Review Shael Actions have consequences and what the media writes about your actions have further consequences, that's the way it snowballs with this disaster, sad that our antagonist does not join the dots, perhaps too caught up about her own fantasy of herself. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Tabloid

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Cast & Crew

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Errol Morris

Director

Joyce McKinney

Self

Troy Williams

Self

Peter Tory

Self

Kent Gavin

Self

Jackson Shaw

Self

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Tabloid

Joyce Mckinney as seen in "Tabloid." Joyce Mckinney (right) as seen in "Tabloid." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis One of America's top documentary filmmakers, Errol Morris, turns his attention to the outrageous and nearly unbelievable story of Joyce McKinney. She's a former Miss Wyoming beauty queen who gained a great deal of notoriety after being accused of kidnapping a young Mormon missionary, restraining him in chains and raping him in England in 1977. The unbalanced McKinney is interviewed extensively, particularly about her ambition to write a memoir telling her side of the tale.
Director
Errol Morris
Producer
Julie Ahlberg, Mark Lipson
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Huber Bros. Productions
Rating
R (Sexual Content|Nudity)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 15, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$640.5K
Runtime
1h 28m
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