Based on a true story, "The Hoax" details the intricate scheme of Clifford Irving as he attempts to publish his completely fabricated autobiography of a living, breathing man, Howard Hughes. Hughes is no doubt a fairly intriguing character, proven by the fact that even after the release of the biographical "The Aviator" (2004), Martin Scorsese's popular two-and-a-half-hour feature, "The Hoax," also drawing much from his life and antics, manages to still be uniquely interesting.
With a 1970s backdrop, Irving's scam falls in the midst of political turmoil and social unrest, turning his attempt to make a couple bucks into an explosive scandal that you can't bear to tear your eyes away from.
Clifford Irving (Richard Gere), a uniquely charming writer, becomes inspired to execute an elaborate plan of deceit after McGraw-Hill refuses to publish his newest novel. With the help of his pudgy, comparably moral "research assistant," Dick Susskind (Alfred Molina), Irving transforms himself into Howard Hughes through analysis of writing samples and careful study of Hughes' public appearances, not to mention occasional dress-up instances, in order to accurately pen the eccentric's autobiography.
This ever-so-creative criminal mastermind fabricates numerous documents in order to convince the publishing house and American public of the validity of his work. Luckily for Irving, towards the end of his life, Hughes became an eccentric recluse, allowing for few interjections from Hughes himself that would discredit the book - or so Cliff thought.
As the plot thickens, Irving continues to navigate through his web of lies, using his wife, Edith (Marcia Gay Harden), to cash checks made out to Hughes at a Swiss bank, formulating ridiculous Hughes "appearances" to vouch for his credibility and manipulating the general public, not to mention his friends, to achieve his own means.
The plot is entertaining throughout, with a sort of "Catch Me if You Can" (2002) type flair; however, deceit in the form of literature fabrication is slightly less entertaining than a world-traveling scam artist with the face of Leonardo DiCaprio. Although Irving always finds a unique way to solve his problems, the constant, occasionally overdone tension and conflict gets old after a while.
A unique facet of the film is the mixture between fiction and reality within Irving's character. As Cliff constructs the life of Howard Hughes around himself, he begins to slip a bit too much into character. Unfortunately, this creates a bit of confusion for the audience. Towards the end it becomes unclear which events actually took place and which were invented by Irving's imagination. Ironically, his plan was, indeed, to transform into Howard Hughes, and the last step is, of course, becoming a slightly maniacal recluse.
Richard Gere is outstanding in the role of Irving, delicately capturing his completely convincing, captivating nature and simultaneously blending in a bit of insanity and moral abandon. Every word that exits Irving's mouth is a blatant lie and Gere delivers his pathological tendencies with almost distressing ease. His relationship with his comparably timid "partner in crime," Dick Susskind, is another fascinating aspect of the plotline.
Alfred Molina in the role of Susskind portrays the perfect foil of Irving. Although the manipulation is occasionally heart-wrenching, Susskind's awkward, fumbling presence next to Irving not only makes the story more entertaining, but also drives a critical point home: Clifford Irving is a deeply disturbed, conniving, self-centered human being.
In terms of cinematography, this film is an utter masterpiece. Most notable are the scenes that describe Irving's mental construction of the lies he creates. As he responds to a person's question, he searches through his memory to construct an actual image of the lie in his head, drawing bits and pieces of actual memories from his various experiences. Never before have camera shots been able to capture a mental process or thought so vividly. Nothing could be more revealing about Irving's character, for the heart of his deceptive abilities is displayed on the big screen.
"The Hoax" falls into a well-respected genre of clever pro-bad-guy flicks ? la the "Ocean's Eleven" series, and it surprisingly delivers. Despite a bit of excessive repetition, the construction of the film is exquisite from top to bottom, containing masterful performances across the board with impressive camera work to back them up.
