The Hoax

Starring: Richard Gere, Alfred Molina, Hope Davis, Marcia Gay Harden, Julie Delpy, Stanley Tucci
Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Comedy
2007

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Clifford Irving (Richard Gere) persuaded his publisher and the world that he had been granted the exclusive rights to write Howard Hughes' memoirs. However, this was completely not true and Irving finds it harder and harder to keep the lie going.

Review:

Tim: I really had no desire to see this movie. It just didn't appeal to me. However, like so often happens in my life, I watched it anyway. I have to say that this movie was a pleasant surprise. While it isn't great, this movie does quite a few things right. The best aspect is that director Lasse Hallstrom keeps the movie going. There are very few slow moments, as the movie moves along at a good pace. I appreciated this greatly. However, the movie also tends to get lost about 2/3 of the way through. Some scenes were a bit hard to comprehend, and I wondered why time was spent where it was. A few scenes feel superfluous and difficult to follow. This is a huge flaw of the film. The movie's conclusion fizzles out a bit, too. I thought the emotional stakes could have been raised.

Richard Gere does a very good job as Clifford Irving. Gere is never in my thoughts when I contemplate great actors, but he is a solid actor and that is on show here. Alfred Molina does a good job in that he truly made me want to slap him throughout the film. He is not a very likeable character, and Molina pulls this off very well. The rest of the supporting cast is decent, but none truly stand out. This movie really is about Gere and Molina, and I thought they worked well together.

What really helped this movie is that it really is a fascinating true story. Anything surrounding the mystic of Howard Hughes makes for a good story, and this is no exception. It was fun to watch this unbelievable (but true) story unfold. It really made you marvel at how something like this could happen. The true story completely helps this movie entertain its audience.

Now, as I mentioned, this movie could have been better. It strays far too often, and I think that Hallstrom sacrificed some emotional impact and effectiveness for keeping the film moving briskly. This is a delicate balance, and this movie is occasionally off-balance. When I think about The Hoax, I think it did enough to satisfy me, but not enough to wow me.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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