Errol Morris has been responsible for some of the finest documentary films of recent decades, including The Thin Blue Line (1988), Mr. Death (1999), The Fog of War (2003) and Standard Operating Procedure (2008). His latest, Tabloid (2010), is a different beast altogether. Absent are the penetrating political insights and sociological commentary in favour of a wacky true story mostly ripped straight from the pages of 1970’s tabloids. Though essentially frivolous, this is undoubtedly a story with high-grade entertainment value.
Joyce McKinney is quite the catch for Morris. A former beauty pageant star who fell in love with a strict Mormon named Kirk. When Kirk is lured to London to continue his indoctrination Joyce follows, determine to ‘rescue’ him from the clutches of his church. She goes to extreme measures to re-align this robotic version of her man to the one she fell for, tying him to a bed and forcing three days of sex upon him which he eventually enjoys.
But she’s made the London tabloid headlines, accused of kidnapping and so begins a media circus with Joyce as its headline act. Morris really only needs to point the camera as Joyce is allowed to run loose with her version of events and those of a few accomplices. The woman is more than a bit loopy which assures that we’re never short of a dull moment of recollection.
Though Tabloid is consistently laugh out loud thanks to the inimitable presence and storytelling gifts of McKinney, this is ultimately one of Morris’ less substantial works. At certain junctures I think he loses touch with his objectivity too; it seems perfectly reasonable for any subjects especially ones as nutty as Joyce to leave themselves open to scorn through the manner in which they represent their side of the story.
But the occasional overlays, inserted to add maximum comedic effect, feel a bit cruel and, objectively speaking, amount to playful ridicule. Which may be exactly what Joyce deserves. However, the one-dimensional aspect of this woman’s bizarre life and her skewed definition of love begins to wear thin by the end too.
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