Gere stars as master of deception in Hoax
Image Courtesy of Miramax Films
The Hoax, based on actual events, tells the story of 1970s novelist Clifford Irving (Richard Gere, right) who falsely claims to be writing the biography of Howard Hughes, a man he has never even met.
The Hoax is the latest offering from director Lasse Hallström. It tells the true story of Clifford Irving, played by Richard Gere, a down-on- his-luck novelist in the early '70s who decides to perpetrate one of the most brazen frauds in the history of brazen frauds: he claims to be writing the biography of billionaire industrialist and pathological recluse, Howard Hughes. In actuality, he is not.
The story is utterly sensational. Irving and his omega male accomplice Dick Susskind (Alfred Molina) bank on Hughes' reclusiveness and history of erratic behavior to trick Irving's publishing company into buying the book and paying Susskind and him obscene amounts of money.
Though thoroughly entertaining, one can't help but imagine that this movie is based on a true story in the same way 300 was based on a true story. Sure, the broad strokes match up, but I think it can be said with certainty that there were no terrible beasts from the land of Mordor present at the Battle of Thermopylae. But then again, who cares? It's just a movie.
Molina and Gere both turn in great performances as their respective characters. Molina plays a sheepish writer and recent (or possibly soon- to-be) divorcee who basically gets roped along for the ride. He's torn between his loyalty for Irving, his desire not to get caught and the fact that, despite his protests, he really does love pulling off the scam.
Gere plays a liar who envies the truthful. He wants to not be a liar. He wants to not have affairs and he wants to not be a con man, but in the end he cannot fight his nature and takes his lies so far that even he cannot help but believe them. Despite fabricating much of his book out of whole cloth, he starts to sincerely believe that he's got some sort of inside line into Hughes' mind and that, for various reasons, he's got a moral obligation to get this book published. Really, it's a legitimately interesting exercise in seeing what happens when a man truly starts to believe his own hype.
The remainder of the cast also turn in good performances. Notable members include Marcia Gay Harden, who plays Irving's wife Edith, and Stanley Tucci, who plays publishing executive Sheldon Fisher.
The storytelling in the film is good but it drags slightly in places, and the director uses old news footage of events happening at the time to act as buffers between scenes. This does not work particularly well, because if they are just endcaps on scenes, then they are taking up space for no good reason, and if they are there to tie the events in the film to the actual timeline of the era, they will be completely lost on younger viewers whose knowledge of early '70s world events is not encyclopedic.
When all is said and done, this is a really good movie. It is not great, though.
There is nothing in particular that keeps it out of that category beyond the aforementioned touch of sluggishness. Sometimes good movies just do not have the juice to make it all the way to greatness, and it is really nobody's fault. However, it is definitely worth your 10 bucks. It is a good story with compelling characters and fine actors.
If you have a free evening and do not have anything better to do, I can whole heartedly recommend The Hoax as an excellent way to spend your time.
