The Hoax

2006
R
1h 56m

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

17K

YOUR RATING

Play trailer2:29

2 Videos

37 Photos

Satire Biography Comedy Drama History

In what would cause a fantastic media frenzy, Clifford Irving sells his bogus biography of Howard Hughes to a premiere publishing house in the early 1970s.In what would cause a fantastic media frenzy, Clifford Irving sells his bogus biography of Howard Hughes to a premiere publishing house in the early 1970s.In what would cause a fantastic media frenzy, Clifford Irving sells his bogus biography of Howard Hughes to a premiere publishing house in the early 1970s.

Director
- Lasse Hallström
Writers
- William Wheeler
- Clifford Irving
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

17K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Lasse Hallström
Writers
- William Wheeler
- Clifford Irving
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 3 nominations

Videos2

Photos37

+ 31

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
The real-life story that this film depicts unfolded as Orson Welles was making his film F for Fake (1973) in which the real Clifford Irving appears. Because of Irving's new-found notoriety, Welles was obliged to add some additional footage to his film.

Goofs
About 12 minutes into the movie before Irving is to meet with McGraw Hill, there is a southerly view of Manhattan with the Empire State Building in the foreground. In the distance looking toward lower Manhattan are the buildings of the World Financial Center. These buildings did not exist in 1971. Also, in 1971 the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center would be visibly under construction albeit not very tall at that time.

Quotes
Clifford Irving: Bumped by this adolescent coffee boy. My lit professor at Cornell compared me to Hemingway! The middle of my life is at hand, and I don't have a couch.
Dick Suskind: Think about this: Henry Miller was 38-years-old, unpublished. His wife left him for a lesbian.
Clifford Irving: You're kind to tell me that, Dick. You're a very good man. You're a good friend. Need a loan?
Dick Suskind: Always.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Reaping/Firehouse Dog/Are We Done Yet?/The Hoax/First Snow (2007)

Soundtracks
Here Comes the Sun
Written by George Harrison
Performed by Richie Havens
Courtesy of Stormy Forest Productions Inc. Masters
By arrangement with Bug

User reviews79

Review

Featured review

6/10

Watching Richard Gere lie

I watched this movie right after I had seen the amazingly boring "I'm Not There." at the Camerimage Festival in Poland. It came as a real relief to me. "The Hoax" is a pretty conventional movie about an unbelievable fraud that has taken place in the 70's. A guy called Clifford Irving actually convinced some publishers that he would write a biography about Howard Hughes authorized by no one but Hughes himself. Basically the whole movie is Richard Gere lying and dragging some people down with him. It wouldn't be such an entertaining affair if it wasn't for the great performances. Gere in particular never struck me as an outstanding actor, but he really shines here and has a great on screen-chemistry with the always good Alfred Molina.

"The Hoax" may not be Lasse Hallström's best movie, but it's a nice little companion piece to Scorsese's Hughes-biopic "The Aviator".