The Hoax

R

Released Apr 13, 2007

1h 55m

History

Drama

List

86%

153 Reviews

Tomatometer

58%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In the early 1970s, author Clifford Irving (Richard Gere), with accomplice Richard Suskind (Alfred Molina), attempts to pull off one of the greatest media scams of the century. He writes a fake biography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, claiming that Hughes authorized it, and sells the book to publishing giant McGraw-Hill.

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Critics Consensus

The Hoax is an enormously appealing film, thanks to the uniformly excellent performances and Lasse Hallström's zippy direction.

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Jack Mathews

New York Daily News

It's hard to get a fix on what Hallstrom had in mind.

Rated: 2.5/4

Dec 4, 2007

Full Review

Claudia Puig

USA Today

Highly entertaining.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 1, 2007

Full Review

Lou Lumenick

New York Post

I've never been a fan of Richard Gere, but he gives the performance of his career as Clifford Irving.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 22, 2007

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Features Richard Gere and Alfred Molina in their best performances in years.

Rated: 7/10

Nov 24, 2020

Full Review

Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

The Hoax gets off to a sluggish start, but director Lasse Hallström does a good job of keeping the film interesting enough that the audience feels rewarded by the time it's over.

Rated: B

Nov 21, 2019

Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

From characters to costuming to consummate storytelling, set design and to pitch perfect soundtrack by Craig Burwell, The Hoax is the real deal.

Nov 13, 2019

Full Review

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Audience Member

Divertente ed incredibile storia vera che cerca di raccontare nel modo più completo e dinamico possibile un tentativo di truffa assurdo quanto audace. Richard Gere e Alfred Molina formano una coppia diversa e completa, due grandi attori che interpretano splendidamente i due protagonisti. La sceneggiatura è piena di eventi ed attenta ai dettagli, racconta in maniera fredda ed imparziale gli eventi, costruendo i personaggi in modo tale da permettere allo spettatore di non schierarsi da nessun lato; si osservano gli scatti d'ira immotivati e le bugie raccontate da Gere che sembra avere un vetro a separarlo da ogni altro essere umano. Più commedia che dramma epico, piacevole ma non indimenticabile.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

AquaQuick66 A

The Hoax is an underrated little gem of a film that I highly recommend to everyone! A-

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/27/22

Full Review

kevin c

Richard Gere plays writer Clifford Irving who while struggling to find ideas for a new book, decides to pitch an authorized biography of Howard Hughes, only problem is he's making it all up counting on the no one finding out due to how reclusive the millionaire is. Based on the true story. Alfred Molina and Marcia Gay Harding costar. Fascinating story of how it all unfolded and how the mountain of lies and deceit became his downfall.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

steve d

It is hard to pull for the character but Richard Gere is great. The weird truth to the story make it really interesting.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A little long, edged on boring in places but also really clever and genuinely funny. Good movie

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I wasn't too enthusiastic about the Host. This film presents the anatomy of an audacious con artist and illustrates how the sin eventually catches up with the sinner. Due to an uneven tone, various unresolved plot threads, and a sense that a few too many liberties are being taken with the facts of the case, The Hoax falls a notch below those other films. It is neither as entertaining nor as involving, and the main character isn't as complex or sympathetic. The tone and pacing of The Hoax are uneven. Although the story is not uninteresting, experiencing it via this movie is like going on a car ride across a bumpy road. The Hoax rushes through parts of the story then slows down to focus on minutia. The most interesting bits of the movie involve the way in which writing about Hughes becomes an obsessive act for Irving. Gradually, even though he has never met the billionaire, he begins to imagine that he understands him. An alright diversion at best.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

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Lasse Hallström

Director

Richard Gere

Clifford Irving

Alfred Molina

Richard Suskind

Hope Davis

Andrea Tate

Marcia Gay Harden

Edith Irving

Stanley Tucci

Shelton Fisher

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Synopsis

In the early 1970s, author Clifford Irving (Richard Gere), with accomplice Richard Suskind (Alfred Molina), attempts to pull off one of the greatest media scams of the century. He writes a fake biography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, claiming that Hughes authorized it, and sells the book to publishing giant McGraw-Hill.

Director: Lasse Hallström
Producer: Anthony Katagas, Gary Levinsohn
Screenwriter: William Wheeler
Distributor: Miramax Films
Production Co: Stratus Films
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 13, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 12, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.1M
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: SDDS, DTS

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