The Hoax
Miramax Films | Release Date: April 6, 2007
8.4
USER SCORE
Universal acclaim based on 45 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
34
Mixed:
10
Negative:
1
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
10
LeoTs3181983Sep 6, 2010
The Hoax is a great movie.It's just a little silly,however. But Richard Gere is great. It's one of his best movies. I highly recommend it:So don't miss it.
2 of 2 users found this helpful20
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9
SweetToothApr 22, 2007
This is a terrific film crafted by professionals who know what they are doing and clearly love doing it. When movie screens are blanketed with nonsense like 300 and Pathfinder, it is a relief and a joy to behold a film that artfully tells a This is a terrific film crafted by professionals who know what they are doing and clearly love doing it. When movie screens are blanketed with nonsense like 300 and Pathfinder, it is a relief and a joy to behold a film that artfully tells a good tale. This is a real winner that you will find worthy of both your time and your money.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
5
BilB.Apr 20, 2007
I was not impressed with either the acting nor the story. Although I did find it entertaining, I would not recommend paying box office prices to see The Hoax, wait for it on DVD and see it for $1.99 from your local video store.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
BillyS.Apr 26, 2007
I was 19 when the Clifford Irving-Howard Hughes biography was all over the news and I remember thinking at the time what the big deal was. Somebody wrote a book about an eccentric hermit billionaire. So what? After seeing The Hoax I wished I was 19 when the Clifford Irving-Howard Hughes biography was all over the news and I remember thinking at the time what the big deal was. Somebody wrote a book about an eccentric hermit billionaire. So what? After seeing The Hoax I wished I'd have put down the joint and paid more attention. Lasse Halstrom has made his most entertaining movie since What's Eating Gilbert Grape with a true story thats immensely intriguing, very funny and rich in characters. I am not a Richard Gere fan but I will say this is the best role of his career. He plays Clifford Irving in all his desperate glory and not once do you see Richard Gere the movie star! This could be the one that gets him an Oscar nomination next January, no kidding, he's that good! The whole cast is that good. Alfred Molina, Hope Davis and Marcia Gay Harden all shine in very meaty roles and the credits are all top notch, especially Carter Burwell's score with a spot-on perfect song over the end credits. The Hoax is a great story made into a good well balanced movie that leaves you hoping for a sequel, not for The Hoax, but for The Aviator! Scorsese and DiCaprio doing the Howard Hughes the way this movie, and everyone alive, really remembers him!!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
MarcK.May 9, 2007
The acting's very good, but the plot is extremely slow moving. At least another 15 minutes or so could have been cut, which would have made it a much more enjoyable film experience.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
3
LukeApr 13, 2007
Gere is okay, but between the brain-dead Hughes, the cut-throat publishers, and the lying novelist and his forger wife, there is absolutely no one in the movie to care about or root for. Come on, Hollywood, give us movies with people of Gere is okay, but between the brain-dead Hughes, the cut-throat publishers, and the lying novelist and his forger wife, there is absolutely no one in the movie to care about or root for. Come on, Hollywood, give us movies with people of substance with decent values, not this drek. I found myself wishing all the characters would die an ignoble death.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
6
JLuis_001Dec 7, 2022
A film about an impressive hoax that uses the con man's dubious memories as source material.
In and of itself it sounded intriguing and at the same time hilarious, and while the film doesn't have much impact, it delivers in one crucialA film about an impressive hoax that uses the con man's dubious memories as source material.
In and of itself it sounded intriguing and at the same time hilarious, and while the film doesn't have much impact, it delivers in one crucial aspect, entertainment. It's already a relatively old film, but among all the films Richard Gere has been in over the last 20 years, I think it's one of his most interesting performances. A discreet movie to be honest, but I didn't mind watching it.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
amheretojudgeDec 1, 2019
The Hoax is nothing like you'd expect. Sort of like the very definition of the title. Hey! There's your first clue. They are getting things right.

The Hoax Lasse Hallstrom, the director, is an optimistic fellow. He has to be. Or so heThe Hoax is nothing like you'd expect. Sort of like the very definition of the title. Hey! There's your first clue. They are getting things right.

The Hoax

Lasse Hallstrom, the director, is an optimistic fellow. He has to be. Or so he projects himself as. Armed with a bizarre true story and even ridiculously funny script. The film easily has ten moments, steps in each act of the film that drops your jaw in the air. Now, that is a good script. But I think what Lasse does here is something much smarter and efficient. You'd think that after a while, the shock therapy would grow weary. But where there were supposed to be "mehs" there is perpetually an awe. And his first way in, is through the pace. It moves with a ferocious speed, even at times neglecting characters and their priorities. Lucky for them, they have a great cast and equally great performances in their side, especially Alfred Molina as the "co-author". There is another major improvement in the film and it is how meticulous it is. You'd think that a film like such, of such genre, that displays time passing by rapidly will rely upon montage sequences and a train of various scenarios whooshing in front of us. And instead we get proper hand picked set pieces driving carelessly in this safe street. Which makes me think about the genre, now. "The comedy" genre of the film is actually a major contributor in the dramatic elements. We get the essence of sketchy scenes. Now, where we draw lines in comic films are completely different then where we would draw in dramatic ones. Lasse pushes back and forth between these genres to make the most absurd plot swallow with delight in our face and the most mundane requirement feel like responsibility. That is what it all comes to, responsibility.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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7
DawdlingPoetNov 25, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This movie was a bit too slow and winding mid-way through, you forget that the events portrayed only took place over a shortish amount of time. I was a bit put off by the fact that to be honest, I struggled to think why I wouldn't want Cliffords deceit to be discovered, although it was somewhat amusing to see the business heads sweat a bit as they question his legitimacy for different reasons at different times in the movie - its interesting to see the extent to which they buy into Clifford and what he offers them but Clifford himself as a character I found not so likable, infact it was only really about three quarters of the way into the movie when things (plot wise) start to really speed up that I found his character more interesting as he seems to suffer some delusions and you question where the line is between reality and fabrication - this is what interested me the most as it really comes to a head with Clifford believing things that may be entirely in his own mind, making you question his sanity.The question is, is he a genius, I suppose in a sense as Hughes was, that offered something that was, it seems, so close to the presumed truth that those close to him rubber stamped its authenticity?, or is he nothing but a money grabbing deluded greedy guts? thats the main question asked by the movie and I think if you watch it in full, you may question things - I was certainly impressed by some of the means that those involved in writing 'project Octavia' (the name given to this top secret book deal) had to go to, to prolong the charade. There's one scene where the building the publishers is based in, has to rip out their carpets on the supposed request of Howard Hughes and they pain a helipad on the roof of their building, according to his specific request - some staff are stood on the roof with baited breath as a helicopter appears in the distance - you'll have to watch the movie to see what happens from that point on though - whether Clifford can explain it away if the helicopter doesn't land or how they deal with who they see if it does.

Back to the characters and I felt that one of the other main characters apart from Clifford, that being Albert who's the other key person that helps Clifford in creating the manuscript, he's the character that questions things a bit more and that has more of a moral basis, although when things look good for them in terms of them getting the money and getting away with their plan, he doesn't have too many issues but receiving certain information about who could be hurt by the details that come out about Mr. Hughes life, his conscience does come into play and its perhaps interesting to see how the two characters interact - Albert being quite a jittery person who doesn't deal so well under pressure but Clifford is more calm and collected and able to explain away that which is necessary. The key issue of deceiving others isn't just reflected in the attempt to flog a fake autobiography manuscript but also the personal issue of Cliffords faithfulness as his wife has concerns with him and Albert being away from home for a while working on 'project Octavia', having worked on his relationship after issues in the past - there is the inevitable scene where his wife confronts him, though that also adds, in a way, to the dislike of his character.

The movie is based on real events, which makes it a more interesting story, or a story about a story I guess you could say, so yeah how accurate the story is about the people trying to sell a fake story - yup that makes my head hurt lol. I did think that Richard Gere was a good choice to portray Clifford as he has that cool and collected look about him and watching the scenes where he got into character to record his fake supposed interviews/recordings with Howard Hughes, I thought he took on Mr Hughes' character in both somewhat looking the part and also talking the part - also the movie features some recordings and TV footage of Mr. Hughes (yes somehow I feel I should refer to him as Mr. Hughes), which may be of interest to those with a fascination of him. I suppose in some ways, he's the American version of Lord Lucan, who has supposedly been in hiding or otherwise disappeared many years ago - people who have a great wealth and/or a particularly interesting background and who seem to vanish off the map definitely interest the public, hence why such an autobiography would be such a 'hot item' in the publishing world. All in all, I didn't think a great deal of the movie at first but by the end of it, I changed my mind and thought it was quite good. Unless this is a subject that particularly interests you, this might not be specifically worth seeking out but I thought it was intriguing, knowing its based on real events and with some decent performances. Its not exactly an action packed movie but Gere's performance pulls it off and seeing what happened as the story picked up pace, made it a pretty decent watch at the end of the day.… Expand
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