Reviewed by Neil Davey
Stars Richard Gere, Alfred Molina, Hope Davis,
Marcia Gay Harden, Stanley Tucci, Julie Delpy
Written by William Wheeler
Certification UK 15 | US R
Runtime 115 minutes
Directed by Lasse Hallstrom
It's 1972 and author Clifford Irving is poised for the big time. His latest novel is the toast of his New York publishers, the great manuscript that will finally catapult him from nearly man to contender. Only it won't. Internal politics and a negative comment from an important source sees the rug pulled from under him and all the old frustrations kicking in. How then do you get that spotlight on you AND get one over on these bastards?
The answer, in this remarkable true story, is to tell the same publishers that you have exclusive access to reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes and that Hughes wants you to write his biography. Oh, and that he wants a $1m advance, the biggest in publishing history, for the deal. This is the carrot that Irving dangles before his publishers. So what if he's never actually met Hughes? Hughes is so reclusive he'll never know and, even if he does, what's he going to do about it?
Lasse Halstrom's movie of this bizarre moment in US history is an intriguing tale that, while possibly just outstaying its welcome, features some very good things indeed. The sense of period is spot-on, it's always refreshing to see a film that treats the audience as an intellectual equal rather than a 13-year old with ADD, and the acting is uniformly excellent. In some cases — supporting stars Alfred Molina, as Irving's put-upon researcher, Hope Davis, as Irving's agent, and Stanley Tucci, as the publisher — this is not surprising. In one major case though — Richard Gere? Acting? — it's almost remarkable.
That's probably slightly cruel but anyone who appeared in Pretty Woman is fair game. And seriously, do not give me that namby pamby bollocks about it being a rom com. You can't have a rom com about a whore. End of. Gere has, to be fair, put in some good work over the years — the criminally underrated Bee Season, for example — but he's usually balanced it out with crap like Chicago (and here's a question for you: Why does everyone in the world sing with an American accent except Richard Gere who, weirdly, sounds like Dick Van bleeding Dyke.) However, this is one of Gere's positive performances, and possibly his best since American Gigolo. On this basis, Irving is a thoroughly unlikeable chap, an arrogant womaniser with a silver tongue and a stunning ability to pass the buck. You won't necessarily like him but you do want to know what happens to him, and that's all down to Gere.
Halstrom successfully blurs the edges between reality and imagination and, by the end, you're left scratching your head wondering how much of the tale — which is based on Irving's own memoirs of the scam — actually happened and how much is in his mind. Ultimately, while it might not always be successful, The Hoax is consistently intriguing, and that's an all too rare occurrence these days.