Film Review: The Hoax

Richard Gere is a great liar. He plays the role of author Clifford Irving. You may recall the great scandal in 1970 when Clifford Irving and partner Richard Suskind wrote an autobiography of Howard Hughes. What a scam! They collected a million dollars from the book company and had them fooled for a very long time. Howard Hughes was such a recluse that they figured they would never be discovered. Clifford Irving never even met Howard Hughes. Clifford and Richard did a lot of research and had enough facts to make it all seem real. Many human interest stories about Howard Hughes were complete fabrication. For a long time Clifford Irving convinced the publishers that he had written the most important book of the time. He was such a good liar that he also cheated and lied to his wife and his mistress. At times you are confused wondering what is real. You are supposed to feel that way because a good liar can confuse anyone. History tells us that Richard Nixon and Howard Hughes did not like one another. It is thought that Howard Hughes may have actually given some disturbing facts to Clifford Irving about the political shenanigans of Richard Nixon. All of this was the prelude to the Watergate affair.
Clifford Irving did serve time in jail for writing this false book and claiming so much money from the publisher. It was interesting to read at the end of the film the follow up for all the main characters. It was an incredible story in an interesting time of history. Richard Gere is always pleasant to watch and he portrays the character very well. He could teach anyone the skill of effectively lying.