In 1971 what story could've been better than the autobiography of Howard Hughes - a billionaire, aviator, filmmaker and playboy whose life was surrounded by mystery and intrigue when he became a recluse in the early '70s?
The Hoax, directed by Lasse Hallstr??m (Chocolat, The Cider House Rules) explores the real story of Clifford Irving (Richard Gere) who decided to write just such a book, but with a twist - Hughes was never involved.
The film follows this story, loosely based on Irving's memoir about creating the fake autobiography. In it, he explains his experiences, such as trying to manipulate the board of his publishers McGraw Hill and Time Life. The result is a story filled with lies, held breaths and clenched teeth as Irving (Gere) navigates us through his thought process on how he made hundreds of thousands of dollars from Hughes' unstable voice, which he's only heard through recordings.
Irving's sidekick Dick Susskind (Alfred Molina) gets caught up in his scheme as well, as he becomes Irving's prime researcher, searching through the Library of Congress, looking up articles, taking pictures illegally and gathering any evidence he can to find the true voice of Hughes, who hadn't been publicly heard from in 15 years.
Thanks to Irving's literary imitation of Hughes, slick demeanor and ability to lie straight-faced, the staff of McGraw Hill and Time Life, including editors played by Hope Davis and Stanley Tucci, they are convinced. They take Irving's work and cut checks for whatever "Howard" insists for the opportunity to own the greatest story of the decade.
Irving's wit and impressive ability to use his writing skills to capture the true essence of a man, whom many believed crazy, gains him notoriety, but also takes a toll on his personal life, especially when he is trying to be faithful to his wife (Marcia Gay Harden). The hoax he creates, both in his marriage and in his professional life, gets harder to maintain as he sinks deeper into his stories.
Richard Gere gives a believable performance as Irving as he navigates through Irving's mind, trying to give credibility to himself as a writer despite his lies. He brings across Irving's self-importance and hope to change the future. He reminds us, even in his failure, to remember (as Irving claims Hughes to have said) to "be a lion."
What is a little bizarre about the movie is the madness that Irving experiences while he is creating Hughes' voice. He begins to dress like Hughes and wear a similar mustache: he even shows signs of paranoia. The audience is never really sure if Hughes is on Irving's side or not, as more sketchy features are disclosed about Hughes' workings with the government, namely the Nixons. It perhaps would have been better to provide a more defined line between fact and fiction.
Regardless, this film features suburb acting, especially by Alfred Molina, a great soundtrack including Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Rolling Stones and a solid ending.
According to the film, Irving is still interested in publishing the autobiography as a legitimate book, if not for the historical and pop cultural interest it might garner. Who knows, perhaps after this film, it just might be an excuse to send it through the press.
