Richard Gere stars as failed writer and successful hoaxter Clifford Irving.

Clifford Irving (Richard Gere) and Andrea Tate (Hope Davis)

Irving with co-conspirator Dick Suskind (Alfred Molina) and Shelton Fisher (played by Stanley Tucci)

"The Hoax" (2007)

Director Lasse Hallström on set with Richard Gere

The Hoax

directed by Lasse Hallström
Starring Richard Gere, Alfred Molina, Marcia Gay Harden, Julie Delby, Stanley Tucci & Hope Davis

thehoaxmovie.net

Writer Clifford Irving is ecstatic—McGraw-Hill has just agreed to publish his latest novel, he’s hanging out with the hoi-polloi at a Truman Capote party in New York City, his artist wife is proud of his success…until his editor suddenly tells him the deal is off.

Plan B? Forge letters from the reclusive Howard Hughes requesting you write his biography and sell it as an exclusive to the publisher who has just rejected your manuscript.

This is the subject of director Lasse Hallström’s ("Cider House Rules," "Chocolat") latest offering "The Hoax." Part thriller, part black comedy, the film is based on the real story of Clifford Irving who, in 1971, and on the scant evidence of letters from Hughes that Irving forged himself, did indeed convince McGraw-Hill that he, an obscure and uncelebrated writer, had been chosen by Hughes to write his autobiography.

Set against the political landscape of the States in the early '70s, Hallström delivers a cinematic treat that evokes the chaos and contentiousness of the times with a mélange of TV footage of protesters, National Guardsmen, the corruption-rife Nixon administration and pop-culture ads.  Director of photography Oliver Stapleton uses black-and-white sequences and desaturated color to effectively move the story from Irving’s hallucinatory moments of paranoia to a documentary-style realism that affords a fly-on-the-wall intimacy for the viewer. The wardrobe, by costume designer David Robinson, revives the  signature '70s long collar points and hideous, lurid floral dress patterns that remind one of why '70s couture went (and has remained) out of style.

The film is a delightful and captivating romp, illustrating the relationship between smooth-talking Irving, portrayed with a rarely-seen and refreshing playfulness by Richard Gere and his his long-suffering and anxiety-ridden partner in crime friend Dick Suskind (Alfred Molina) as they crisscross America for verifiable Hughes documents to lend veracity to Irving’s literary whopper. The pair creates a believable, hysterical and tension-building rapport as the shameless  Irving uses his smooth-talking prowess  to keep the lie alive and the nearly-apoplectic Suskind becomes increasingly convinced that the game is up and they will be caught at any moment.

The plot thickens in this tasty brew of a film as Irving’s German-Swiss wife Edith (played with a subtle, poignant humor by a blond-haired, thick-accented Marcia Gay Harden) is roped into the scam to deposit the one million dollar McGraw-Hill advance into a Swiss bank account while Irving rekindles the flame of a former affair with European Baroness Nina Van Pallandt (a sultry, spoiled Julie Delpy).

At the same time, McGraw-Hill executives and Irving’s own editor Andrea Tate (conveyed with a superb dose of Manhattan publishing world polish and bitchiness by Hope Davis) are becoming increasingly suspicious of Irving’s claims, and Hughes’ people are starting to crawl out of the woodwork to challenge the hoax. The ensuing twists and turns of the plot both thrill and entertain in this fast-paced and riveting true story, amazingly left untold for the past 45 years.

The Hoax opens nationwide on Friday, April 6th and is rated R for language.


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