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Reviewed by Steve Rogers
Film:	B+
Video Quality:	B+
Audio Quality:	C+
Special Features:	B+
DVD Review:	B

In 1971, a minor writer named Clifford Irving turned the publishing world on its ear and created a media frenzy when he announced he was co-authoring the autobiography of famed billionaire recluse Howard Hughes. Irving's claim was false but both McGraw-Hill Publishing Company and Life Magazine bought into it to the tune of over a half million dollars advance for Irving. The scam might have worked too had not an ill-advised deposit in a Swiss bank account and the reappearance of the eccentric Hughes himself (or at least his voice in a teleconference) to denounce the book as a fraud not derailed the literary con artist.

Lasse Hallström's latest film is a briskly paced, highly entertaining account of Irving's yarn, although the screenplay takes generous liberties with many of the actual facts of the case. Irving has disavowed himself from the project, based on his book of the same name, but I say what's good for the goose is good for the charlatan. A little creative license never hurt any movie and certainly not The Hoax, which features a great cast led by Richard Gere as Irving, and Alfred Molina as his buddy partner in crime, Dick Suskind. Gere has received kudos for this role and it's easy to see why. He really sinks his teeth into the Irving character, imbuing him with an almost quixotic sense of nobility as his web of lies and deceit spins more and more out of control. But it's a hoot to watch and his rapport with Molina's character takes on comic overtones at times as the two jesters wage a continual struggle to defeat reality and logic at every turn. These clowns are sympathetic to the point that when Hughes' handwritten notes, forged by Irving, are declared 100% authentic by experts you almost feel like cheering for the guy.

But not every dog has its day, and in the end Irving's impossible dream is shot down by Hughes himself with a little help from Richard Nixon, which adds another spicy element of intrigue to this infectious caper of a movie. Irving had apparently ferreted out information that linked Hughes with illegal campaign contributions made to Nixon's brother Donald and shady pal Bebe Rebozo in the 1950s. Once the Nixon White House got wind of the book, the jig was really up for Irving.

But dirty politics aside, The Hoax is a fine return to form for Hallström. The supporting performances from Marcia Gay Harden, Julie Delpy, Hope Davis and Stanley Tucci are uniformly excellent, and Hallström perfectly captures the look and feel of the early Seventies from the period hairstyles to the cans of Tab on office desks. Unfortunately, there really are no winners at the end of the day here. Irving was a liar and a cheat, Hughes a bizarre scoundrel, and the maze of publishing world suits that Irving had to navigate his way through were simply blinded by the light of their fool's gold. But at least we ended up with a great little movie.

Video Quality

The 1.85:1 anamorphic image features excellent image clarity with fine detail, lush colors and accurate flesh tones. I could detect no visible distortion or flaws in the picture quality. The shadowy black and white footage used for fantasy flashbacks and the 16mm simulated newsreel shots of Gere looked authentic and were perfectly integrated into the film.

Audio Quality

The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track was underutilized in this movie, which was primarily dialogue driven, but the vocals were certainly up front and precisely reproduced. The musical soundtrack excelled though with classic rock chestnuts like Richie Havens' version of "Here Comes the Sun" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Up Around the Bend" sounding fantastic.

Special Features

The disc comes with a bundle of special features that offer additional insight and provide a better appreciation of the film and its subject. "Stranger Than Fiction" is the making of doc and it features interviews with numerous members of the cast and crew. There's also an unremarkable group of deleted scenes, but an extended scene "Business as Pleasure" is an amusing look at Gere, Molina and other cast members ad libbing a key dinner scene with hilarious results. "Mike Wallace: Reflections on a Con" finds the erstwhile 60 Minutes host in vintage interview footage with Irving from 1971. Two audio commentaries feature Screenwriter William Wheeler and Hallström on one track and producers Leslie Holleran and Josh Maurer on the other. Surprisingly, the producers' gabfest is the more interesting with abundant behind the scenes details and anecdotes. But both are worthwhile. Also, look for an audio Easter egg featuring an extended version of a Nixon campaign song.

Summary

With renewed life on home video, The Hoax is proving to be one of the more underrated flicks of 2007. It's a lively, entertaining portrait of a true American con man who proved you really can fool most of the people most of the time. Top-notch performances by a talented cast and better than average special features make this a winner well worth your time.