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Richard Gere, Alfred Molina, Hope Davis, Marcia Gay Harden, Stanley Tucci ... see more see more... , Julie Delpy , Eli Wallach , Zeljko Ivanek , John Carter , Christopher Evan Welch , Peter McRobbie , John Bedford Lloyd , David Aaron Baker , Mamie Gummer

Director Lasse Hallström offers a brisk account of the scam that shook the literary community with this semi-comic biographical drama starring Richard Gere as the man who sold a fraudulent biography o... read more read more...f Howard Hughes to publishing giant McGraw Hill. The year was 1971; the Vietnam War was raging and protestors filled the streets. Clifford Irving (Gere) was a struggling author with bold ambitions, and the determination needed to see them through. When Irving's attempt to sell his latest novel to McGraw Hill via his in-house publisher, Andrea Tate (Hope Davis), falls through at the last minute, the frustrated author loudly proclaims that his next novel will be "the book of the century." Upon returning to his wife Edith's (Marcia Gay Harden) makeshift studio, the humiliated author catches a glimpse of eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes on a magazine cover. Later, almost jokingly, Irving and his best friend Dick Suskind (Alfred Molina) begin to fantasize about a scenario in which the author convinces his publishers that he has been personally selected by Hughes to pen the billionaire's memoirs. The revenge fantasy becomes a complicated reality, however, when Irving and Suskind approach skeptical McGraw Hill heavy Shelton Fisher (Stanley Tucci) with a series of forged letters presumably written by Hughes himself and offering unwavering support for the project. His credibility continually questioned as the ante is upped at every turn, Irving is forced to maintain the increasingly difficult charade as he strong-arms McGraw Hill to pay "Hughes" an unheard-of one million dollars for the rights to his life story, acquires a the illegally procured documents that will provide the foundation for the book, and works around the clock to meet his publisher's deadline. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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55% liked it

29,681 ratings

Critics

85% liked it

150 critics

R, 1 hr. 55 min.

Directed by: Lasse Hallström

Release Date: April 6, 2007

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DVD Release Date: October 16, 2007

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The real Clifford Irving
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Flixster Reviews (2,066)

  • brooklynspo
    September 27, 2008
    brooklynspo
    enjoyable perfomance by Gere
  • SirPant
    May 10, 2012
    SirPant
    The Hoax was a very pleasant surprise. It's a fantastic story, made better by the fact it's a true one. Richard Gere and Alfred Molina work really well together, balancing both serious and humorous perfectly. It's also quite stylish, Hallstrom gets the 70s across well and occasio... read morenally exaggerates to great effect. I've not always been a fan of Lasse Hallström but I'm certainly going to watch those films of his I've missed, I think My Life as a Dog was the last of his I really liked.
  • bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    July 31, 2010
    bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb1
    B
  • arashxak
    August 31, 2008
    arashxak
    "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story"
  • paulsandberg
    June 1, 2008
    paulsandberg
    an intertaining film with some masterful directing touches by Lasse, but in the end I couldn't get over the David Suskind charactor - just too hyped up, and those bizarre non-sequitors - really drove this from an 8-9 down to a 7.

    The story itself and the way in which it was tol... read mored is fascinating. Gere does a nice job in conveying the false bravado and inspired obsession of the Irving charactor, though I found his scenes with Gay Harden somewhat flat and emotionally false (which in part may have been intentional, as he was disolving into a maismus of his own deceptions - did he even believe his own feelings were genuine, or was he living through others, as his channelling of Hughes suggests).

    The way in which this, sometimes simple "people will believe what they want to believe" theme compeats with the bizantine manipulations of the almost absent (until absolutely neccessary) Hughes, is no easy task; yet Lasse juggles it all pretty well in final analysis.

    I enjoyed the visual in the magazine office, amidst all the "important" photos - Suskind does a melt-down while standing in front of the famous Hindenburg Disaster photo - my vieving partners missed it and were wondering at my horse laugh.
  • fernandorafael
    January 29, 2008
    fernandorafael
    Directed by Lasse Hallström, THE HOAX is a movie that stands out because of its clever, rich script and its classic look. The cast is fine (but could've been better) with Alfred Molina and Stanley Tucci being the best, closely followed by Marcia Gay Harden and Richard Gere..
  • YLOWBSTARDreturns
    December 17, 2007
    YLOWBSTARDreturns
    One of the best films of the year., and surprisingly very entertaining. Great career best performances by both Richard Gere and Alfred Molina.

    Highly Recommended.
  • rubystevens
    November 13, 2007
    rubystevens
    well done. good story and nice work by gere and molina
  • Godless
    November 7, 2007
    Godless
    A pretty good straight forward telling of Clifford Irving's book. To bad the end has a cheesy scene that tarnished my liking slightly of said movie.
  • dunmyer
    April 22, 2007
    dunmyer
    [size=3]The Hoax is an enjoyable tale about true events from the 1970s. While the film starts out pretty thin, it thickens as it goes.[/size]

    [size=3]At the outset, The Hoax narrowly focuses on the chain of events, but gradually it grows into a meditation on and to some degree ... read morea send-up of the 1970s. Only in that zany, madcap decade could something like this have happened, the film seems to imply. And I support that notion.[/size]

    [size=3][img]http://www.videodetective.com/photos/954/040069_41135.jpg[/img][/size]

    [size=3]Richard Gere, who plays the lead, does a pretty remarkable job. It's certainly his best work ever. But that's not saying much, because he's never been much of an actor, at least not in my book. But here he gives a real acting performance. The character of Clifford Irving really does come alive.[/size]

    [size=3]Irving wrote a memoir upon which the film is based. The story centers on his stunning near-success at pulling off possibly the biggest charade of the decade. He one day announces to a major publisher that Howard Hughes had contacted him for help in writing an autobiography. Irving completely made this up.[/size]

    [size=3]Hughes at the time was a figure of major popular fascination, and word of the book spread like wild fire. It's hard to describe that level of fascination to someone who didn't live through it. Interestingly, Hughes is no longer a figure in the popular imagination. But at the time he was as big a name as Jackie Kennedy. I'm not sure we have people like that anymore. I just can't see any announced autobiographies creating a stir like that today. There was something essentially 1970s about it.[/size]
    [size=3][/size]
    [size=3]Irving's announement led to the biggest advances in publishing history up to that time. And it truly is fascincating to see how this man goes about providing phony evidence of a relationship with Hughes. Irving does end up writing a book, although much of it was based on an unpublished manuscript by one of Hughes's former colleagues.[/size]

    [size=3]The most fascinating scenes are when Irving starts imitating Hughes, recording fake interviews. He does it so well that it's almost eerie. Watching Gere channel Irving channelling Hughes was quite amazing.[/size]

    [size=3]Watching the employees at the book publisher try to suss out the truth and then get caught up in the frenzy was a joy. There's a scene when Hughes is supposed to be flying in via helicopter to attend a meeting at the publishing company. Irving arranges for a helicopter to approach the midtown Manhattan skyscraper but then turn around, as if Hughes had changed his mind. The anticipation for the landing was hilarious, with employees out on the roof scanning the sky for signs of Hughes. They scream as they see an aircraft approaching. The look on their faces when the helicopter turns around was precious. This is the best sequence in the film.[/size]

    [size=3]Alfred Molina brings a lot of comic relief all throughout the film as Irving's partner in crime. He also brings gravity as the weight of the lies bares down on him more painfully than it does on Irving.[/size]

    [size=3]But ultimately the film is not a major work of art. It's enjoyable, and it does have some inspired, meaningful commentary on the 1970s and on the American fascination with celebrity and "reclusive geniuses." But I wouldn't say it's a first-rate film or a must-see. I'm sure everyone would enjoy The Hoax, but I don't think anyone would be deeply impacted by it.[/size]

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Critic Reviews

Jack Mathews
December 4, 2007
Jack Mathews, New York Daily News

It's hard to get a fix on what Hallstrom had in mind. Full Review

Claudia Puig
September 1, 2007
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Highly entertaining. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
August 22, 2007
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

I've never been a fan of Richard Gere, but he gives the performance of his career as Clifford Irving. Full Review

Kenneth Turan
May 4, 2007
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

... a serious and amusing black farce that does without obvious heroes or villains ... Full Review

Richard Schickel
April 24, 2007
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine

Gere persuasively portrays a guy whose confidence blossoms as he makes the discovery that as his lies grow so does the ease with which he tells them. Full Review

Amy Biancolli
April 20, 2007
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle

Hallström stops well short of cheesy, however, and he never veers from the movie's central fascination: the author's obsessive melding with his subject. Full Review

Hap Erstein
April 12, 2007
Hap Erstein, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A gripping little film that is well told and well performed. Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
April 9, 2007
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

At least half of The Hoax is a giddy pleasure. Full Review

Richard Roeper
April 9, 2007
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

It's a terrific film.

Stephanie Zacharek
April 7, 2007
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Hallström and Wheeler have a great time setting up and embroidering Irving's increasingly elaborate scheme. Full Review

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