The Hoax

I cannot believe I almost forgot to review this movie. This was the most fun I've had with a movie in a long time. Richard Gere gives a standout performance Clifford Irving, as the daring writer of the notorious Howard Hughes fake autobiography. He fooled smart people into giving him a million dollars to make up the famous Aviator and billionaire's life story, and he did it with guts, bravado, cunning, luck, and brilliance. It was an art. The fact that Gere as Irving is also self-centered, a liar, and a bit depraved is not lost in his performance nor the performances of the excellent supporting cast that includes Alfred Molina, Hope Davis, and Marcia Gay Harden. But Gere and Irving are charming and convincing of dubious lies and half-truths in a way that allows the audience to see his attractiveness and winning qualities. For all the lies and ruined lives that he left in his wake, Irving created what may be the most beautiful, complex, and artistic lie ever. His hoax is art. In an age when James Frey is vilified for his inauthentic memoir on Oprah, I wonder if in time and retrospect Frey's hoax will become art. The Hoax's director, Lasse Hallstom is the director of several acclaimed films including Chocolat and The Cider House Rules, yet his talent is often slighted by critics for his tendency toward Oscar-bait and heavy-handed material. Hallstrom guides The Hoax with a subtle hand. I never saw his hands on the film except for a CGI-lite plunge off a hotel balcony. Praise is due because he sculpted the performances, tone, and drive of the film in such a way that I rarely if never left the reality of the film while watching it to gauge his skill. The Hoax is the best forgotten or overlooked film of 2007. And Gere's performance in The Hoax (when included with other standouts roles in Chicago, Unfaithful, and underrated The Mothman Prophecies) cements his status as an actor of note after a subpar romance and thriller-filled decade in the 1990's.

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