Movie Review: The Hoax (2007)

Considering our current obsession with media dishonesty, there couldn't be a better time for this fictionalised film version of Clifford Irving's memoir The Hoax. Irving was the struggling writer who, in 1971, lied his way into a million dollar cheque and a wave of controversy when he claimed to have been engaged by Howard Hughes to write the reclusive tycoon's autobiography. It's a great story, cleverly embellished by director Lasse Hallström and superbly acted by an on-form Richard Gere.

Film is a medium that continually toys with our perceptions of what is real and what is not, so it's no surprise that characters like Irving make great cinematic heroes. From Orson Welles' F For Fake - actually based on an earlier Irving book on art forgery - to George Clooney's Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, the lives of great liars can be told without boundaries. As such, Hallström and writer William Wheeler spin Irving's story in several directions, some true, some false, even perhaps losing sight of the facts themselves. The result is a tremendous shaggy dog story that bounds capably between comedy and tragedy.

"GERE REALLY STANDS OUT"

As David Fincher's Zodiac recently proved, this period, with its lasting cultural connotations of White House deception, is a perfect setting for conspiracy theories. The Hoax goes too far when it tries to incorporate Watergate, but otherwise the clothes, the music and the atmosphere of early 70s America make this a satisfying companion to All The President's Men. However, it's Richard Gere's performance that really stands out. His trademark impenetrability is the perfect cloak for a character with the moral and psychological complexity necessary to attempt such an audacious scam.

The Hoax is out in the UK on 3rd August 2007.

Credits:
Director: Lasse Hallström
Writer: William Wheeler
Stars: Richard Gere, Alfred Molina, Marcia Gay Harden, Julie Delpy, Hope Davis, Stanley Tucci
Genre: Drama
Length: 116 minutes
Cinema: 03 August 2007
Country: USA

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
*this review is officially published at www.bbc.co.uk

Related Posts

Movie Review

• Il Postino (1994): The Postman
• I Am an S+M Writer
• Sundays at Tiffany's Movie
• Bollywood/Hollywood (2002)
• The Social Network: Film about Facebook
• Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
• Film Review: The Social Network
• Movie Review: Date Night
• Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010)
• Women Without Men
• Film Review: Narco
• Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)
• Movie Review: Sex Is Comedy (2005)
• Movie Review: Zaniness rules in `Ramona and Beezus'
• Milena (1991): Beautiful picture, but not without flaws
• Sherlock Holmes Big Fun at the Movies
• Avatar Movie Guide
• Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail
• Movie Review: Confessions of a Shopaholic
• The Pink Panther 2
• Batman vs. the lavender genius of crime!
• Tom McCarthy's The Visitor: A Different Drum
• Movie Review: Mamma Mia!
• Wanted: one secret agenda
• The Forbidden Kingdom

Latest Movie

• Review: Get Smart Worth a Sunday Matinee
• The Children of Huang Shi (2008)
• The Edge of Heaven (2008)
• Bigger, Stronger, Faster
• Movie of the Week: Anchoress
• Meet the Browns (2008)
• Movie of the Week: Scalpers
• Box Office Movie: The Last Legion (2007)
• 'Superbad' a Super Fun Teen Romp
• Movie Review: 3:10 to Yuma
• Rocket Science Review: "Debatable"
• Latest Movie Review: Tales From Earthsea (2007)
• Latest Movie Review: Gandhi My Father (2007)
• Movie Review: Evan Almighty (2007)
• Movie Review: Daddy Day Camp
• Movie Review: Stardust
• Movie Review: Rush Hour 3
• Two Days in Paris
• Nicole Kidman New Film: The Invasion (2007)
• I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
• Evan Almighty 2007
• Watch Spider-Man 3 Trailer
• "300" Is For Girls Too

The Hoax