reviews
"The Hoax" -- better believe it | by Richard James Havis (Hollywood Reporter) | Oct 22 2006
ROME (Hollywood Reporter) - Lasse Hallstrom's "The Hoax," based on an autobiographical book by Clifford Irving, starts off jauntily but gradually moves into darker emotional and political territory.
The story about a writer (Richard Gere), who fakes an authorized biography of Howard Hughes only to be manipulated by the reclusive genius, is entertaining and piquant. The film does possess some of the bittersweet qualities that usually mark Hallstrom's films, but it's generally a tougher, more incisive work that ranks as one of his best.
"The Hoax," which played out of competition at the first edition of the RomaCinemaFest, certainly has enough appeal to cross over to a wider audience in the domestic market where Miramax is releasing it next year. Gere's portrayal of the dishonest anti-hero is engaging, and the story of corruption, deception and political manipulation has a contemporary ring to it.
The story is set in 1972. Clifford Irving is a writer who is so obsessed with becoming famous, he decides to fabricate an insider's biography of Hughes. This initially seems like an impossible task, but it gets easier when he steals a tell-all manuscript from an addled one-time associate of Hughes.
With his co-writer, played by a fraught Alfred Molina, Irving talks up the story into a million dollar book deal. Hughes finds out about the book and instead of stopping it, he lets it go ahead on the strange condition that it include some dirt about Richard Nixon accepting bribes from Hughes. Irving's plan unravels when it transpires that he's been manipulated by Hughes into giving Nixon a hefty slap on the wrist for not playing ball with his business requests.
The story is very well plotted and contains many historical references. But it's actually the characterization that makes it engaging. Gere portrays Irving as a natural born liar. It's interesting to watch him spin a web of deceit that ultimately only traps himself as Gere funnels his usual onscreen charm into a seamy and duplicitous character. At the same time, he manages to be playful and energetic. The result is a classic anti-hero -- someone who we are interested in even though we don't sympathize with him.
To compensate for Irving's failings, Molina -- as his worried researcher and co-writer -- acts as the film's moral compass. He's drawn toward honesty in the same way that Gere's Irving is drawn to corruption. And he gets all the funny lines.
Interior scenes have a '70s corporate look, and the office milieu recalls "All the President's Men." Cinematography by Hallstrom regular Oliver Stapleton uses diffused lighting, and the color is a bit washed out as with films from that era. Early scenes are jaunty and play like "Catch Me If You Can," but as the film progresses it takes on the paranoid atmosphere of '70s conspiracy dramas. In spite of these references, Hallstrom keeps attitudes contemporary, so it never feels like a period piece. As with "Good Night, and Good Luck," real newsreel footage of events and TV broadcasts is used, in which Hughes, of course, never appears.
Although "The Hoax" makes no direct comparisons to today's national affairs, it can't help but fit the mood of the times. The story of government coverups, businessmen buying political influence in the White House and an overall mood of deceit and deception make it a surprisingly relevant film.
The story about a writer (Richard Gere), who fakes an authorized biography of Howard Hughes only to be manipulated by the reclusive genius, is entertaining and piquant. The film does possess some of the bittersweet qualities that usually mark Hallstrom's films, but it's generally a tougher, more incisive work that ranks as one of his best.
"The Hoax," which played out of competition at the first edition of the RomaCinemaFest, certainly has enough appeal to cross over to a wider audience in the domestic market where Miramax is releasing it next year. Gere's portrayal of the dishonest anti-hero is engaging, and the story of corruption, deception and political manipulation has a contemporary ring to it.
The story is set in 1972. Clifford Irving is a writer who is so obsessed with becoming famous, he decides to fabricate an insider's biography of Hughes. This initially seems like an impossible task, but it gets easier when he steals a tell-all manuscript from an addled one-time associate of Hughes.
With his co-writer, played by a fraught Alfred Molina, Irving talks up the story into a million dollar book deal. Hughes finds out about the book and instead of stopping it, he lets it go ahead on the strange condition that it include some dirt about Richard Nixon accepting bribes from Hughes. Irving's plan unravels when it transpires that he's been manipulated by Hughes into giving Nixon a hefty slap on the wrist for not playing ball with his business requests.
The story is very well plotted and contains many historical references. But it's actually the characterization that makes it engaging. Gere portrays Irving as a natural born liar. It's interesting to watch him spin a web of deceit that ultimately only traps himself as Gere funnels his usual onscreen charm into a seamy and duplicitous character. At the same time, he manages to be playful and energetic. The result is a classic anti-hero -- someone who we are interested in even though we don't sympathize with him.
To compensate for Irving's failings, Molina -- as his worried researcher and co-writer -- acts as the film's moral compass. He's drawn toward honesty in the same way that Gere's Irving is drawn to corruption. And he gets all the funny lines.
Interior scenes have a '70s corporate look, and the office milieu recalls "All the President's Men." Cinematography by Hallstrom regular Oliver Stapleton uses diffused lighting, and the color is a bit washed out as with films from that era. Early scenes are jaunty and play like "Catch Me If You Can," but as the film progresses it takes on the paranoid atmosphere of '70s conspiracy dramas. In spite of these references, Hallstrom keeps attitudes contemporary, so it never feels like a period piece. As with "Good Night, and Good Luck," real newsreel footage of events and TV broadcasts is used, in which Hughes, of course, never appears.
Although "The Hoax" makes no direct comparisons to today's national affairs, it can't help but fit the mood of the times. The story of government coverups, businessmen buying political influence in the White House and an overall mood of deceit and deception make it a surprisingly relevant film.
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