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Such has been the lack of publicity for The Hoax that despite its respectable pedigree - an acclaimed director in Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules, Chocolat) and a high quality cast - it has barely made a dent at the box office. Personally I hadn't even heard of it until about a week ago. Its lack of success is confusing, because it is a fine film; had it been released in the traditional awards-friendly end of year period, several nominations, particularly for its cast, would not have been surprising. Instead Miramax dumped it in US cinemas in early April to little fanfare.
The film chronicles the true, but no doubt somewhat dramatically embellished, story of American writer Clifford Irving (Richard Gere), who in the early 1970s out of desperation claimed to his publishers to be working on the biggest book of the century - the autobiography of infamously reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. As the title of the film suggests, it's all a fabrication by Irving, but the lengths to which he goes in order to convince his publishers of its authenticity make for fascinating viewing. If it weren't based on fact it would seem highly implausible - what convinced Irving that he could possibly get away with it? - but this tale epitomises the old adage "the truth is stranger than fiction". Gere is a revelation, delivering what is probably his best ever performance. Although Irving breaks all sorts of laws during his elaborate scheme, Gere keeps the audience on his side with a likeable and engaging performance; you actually want his deception to succeed. Alfred Molina, however, is even more impressive, playing Irving's researcher Dick Susskind, who remains uncomfortable with the ruse the whole time and whose nervousness in pressurised situations provides plenty of humour.
Hallström establishes some palpable suspense at times, particularly in a sequence featuring a disappointingly brief cameo by Eli Wallach, as the elderly former right-hand-man of Howard Hughes, Noah Dietrich. The intricate story is enhanced by the use of actual archive footage of Hughes and wider political issues like the Vietnam war, placing the film within an excellently evoked historical context. As the narrative unfolds the canvas widens to include Nixon and the Watergate scandal but never loses grip on its central characters and their increasingly panicked state of mind, as they try to stay one step ahead of the authorities. Due to the subject matter of the film, it makes an interesting companion piece to The Aviator, and certainly a basic knowledge about Hughes will help to understand why the events portrayed in the film caused such a furore at the time. The Hoax is undoubtedly a film "based on real events" that doesn't strictly adhere to the facts, but in this case that seems quite appropriate.
The summary
The Hoax is a low-key but fascinating account of an remarkable true story. An excellent diversion from all the blockbuster pyrotechnics filling the multiplexes at the moment.
