To be honest with you, I didn't know that this movie was based in fact until it was over. It seemed as though the premise was clever enough - a couple of writers conspired to write an authorized biography about Howard Hughes even though they had not met him nor had he authorized it. The reason why this was plausible is that Hughes had lost a $137 million dollar lawsuit and would have been served with papers the minute he surfaced. The movie itself was ok. I felt like there was more of a movie here but the director just didn't get us there. Gere was excellent as he almost always is, but at times the movie lagged or you really had to struggle to comprehend what was going on. Normally I like movies where the audience has to try a little bit to follow along but for some reason it just didn't work here. All in all, a worthwhile read. One last thing: as with all of these kinds of movies that claim to be a portrayal of real events, of course it is anything but. Clifford Irving (the main conspirator) denounced the movie as being almost completely inaccurate and demanded that his name be taken off of the movie. His name does appear in the writing credits but this is because the movie is loosely based on his book.
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Shout by Dann MichalskiBlockedParent2020-09-29T14:00:05Z
Based on actual events, The Hoax tells the incredible true story behind one of the most daring cons of the late 20th century. After the rejection of his latest novel Clifford Irving comes up with an audacious scheme to write and sell a fake “autobiography” of the eccentric and reclusive billionaire industrialist Howard Hughes. Starring Richard Gere, Alfred Molina, and Hope Davis, the cast is fairly strong and delivers some impressive performances. Additionally, the film does a good job at showing how Irving’s obsession with Hughes causes him to take on some of Hughes’ paranoia and manipulative tendencies. There are also some interesting hints that Irving was just one piece in a larger game being played between Hughes and President Nixon. Extraordinarily compelling, The Hoax is a fascinating character study that provides a unique look at the cultural zeitgeist of the 1970s.