The Hoax (2006)

The Hoax is a film that looks at the greatest literary hoax ever attempted.It is based on a true story. It stars Richard Gere, and Marcia Gay Harden.

Richard Gere portrays Clifford Irving, a struggling author. After his latest book is killed by a prerelease review, he needs to come up with something big, no make that really big to take the literary world by storm. He decides to come up with an authorized biography of Howard Hughes, the more than eccentric billionaire that hadn't been seen in years. Forging a release that authorizes the biography, Irving takes us on a journey of lies and deception that remind me of the phrase "if you're gonna tell a lie, make it a big one." Along the way, assisted by a coauthor, and his wife, Elizabeth (Marcia Gay Harden) this threesome take their publisher along for a ride when they run out of excuses, they simply attribute whatever weirdness to Howard Hughes' eccentricity. Ironically, the book is never published, but the account of the hoax got published and formed the basis of the film.

The Hoax is an enjoyable look at how far some folks will go to deceive when their back is up against a wall. Every time you think that a sane man would just come clean, they manage to take this whole thing one step further. The one standout feature of the film is that it takes place in 1971, and they did manage to recapture the early '70's in fashion, autos, decorations, and just about everything else. The Hoax is an eccentric look at trying to get to know an even more eccentric subject.

Overall Grade: B

Reviewed by Jonas