The Hoax - Preview

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Rated: R

Distributor: Miramax

Release Date: 2007-04-06

Starring: Richard Gere, Alfred Molina, Marcia Gay Harden, Hope Davis

Directed by Lasse Halstrom

Previewed by Josh Tyler : 2007-02-27 03:47:03

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Hoax' is inspired by true events in the life of Clifford Irving (Richard Gere), the writer who nearly pulled off one of the most audacious media scams in history, when his "autobiography" of Howard Hughes was published. Irving, claimed the book was based on in-person interviews with the reclusive billionaire, which were in fact completely bogus

Unless you saw ABBA: The Movie, you likely first became Lasse Hallström's work with the Leo DiCaprio movie What's Eating Gilbert Grape back in 1993. He remained a critical darling throughout the 90s by following it up with Something to Talk About in 1995 and The Cider House Rules in 1999. Though he's been more prolific than ever in these the aughts, his movies have been more of a mixed success.

It hasn't been since Chocolate back in 2000 that Hallström put out anything worth notice. Casanova had a nice look, but the story was bizarre and no one seemed to know quiet what to think of it. An Unfinished Life was a well done film, but suffered from a worldwide JLo burnout. The Shipping News… was just a bore. There's no excusing that one.

This year, Hallström looks to get back into regular Oscar contention with The Hoax, a snappy caper movie for which Richard Gere has dyed his hair. Actually, he looks a little creepy.

The film's first trailer is, quite frankly a mess. It's hard to tell what the movie is about, or if you can tell, it's hard to figure why anyone would care. It comes off as disconnected, and if you're trying to lure people into seeing your movie, that's not a good thing.

The subject matter is a little reminiscent of Shattered Glass, an overlooked gem which starred Hayden Christianson as a journalist with integrity issues. The Hoax takes the idea of literary and journalistic fraud in a little different direction, by treating it as a caper rather than a complete and utter betrayal of the public trust. I'm not sure that's a good idea, and it's uncertain if The Hoax is either.

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