OK folks, so yes, I am well aware that The Hoax is not a horror, sci-fi or fantasy film. In fact it my fault for requesting the movie as I saw the word thriller in the subtext of the mini synopsis I read and though that it would have some thriller likes elements that I would be able to incorporate it into the sites format. Don’t get me wrong the film did have some intense scenes. But more or less those intense scene didn’t scare, but put you on the edge of your seat when the characters in this film almost got caught with the huge hoax that they were trying to pull off.
The Hoax is based on a true event in history where struggling writer Clifford Irving (played by Richard Gere) and his writing partner Dick Suskind (Alfred Molina) almost pulled off the biggest literary con of the 20th century. For those of you who are not famular with the story; (Like myself until now). Irving and Suskind wrote a mock autobiography about Howard Hughes. Hughes was the Bill Gates of his time, He had billions of dollars but was a rather odd and recluse fellow. Not much was known about the man outside of his business affairs. And many that knew him said he was an odd character. This film is based on the tell all book by Irving on how he almost pulled it off .
I have to say that I always find it hard to criticize a film that’s based on real life events, and not be too familiar with the story I really can’t comment on it. the truth is; all this happened right before I was born , and was never talked about in any of my history classes in school. However from what I got out the picture was that this event is pretty much is what started the snowball effect that became Watergate. While I believe that the script probably could of been a little tighter in area and that some of the dialogue was not the best, it still was an amusing one, that told the story in a very unique way.
The acting in the film is very good. We have an all star cast which includes Richard Gere, Alfred Molina, Hope Davis, Marcia Gay Harden and Stanley Tucci. Gere performance is very good in this film and is probably the best performance he’s given since Chicago. However I found that the strongest performance in the film was given by Alfred Molina as Dick Suskind, a man who truly had a nervous complex and some health issues. Molina was flawless in the role. the rest of the cast in supporting roles was great as well, and I felt the acting lead by director Lasse Hallström (Chocolat) was great.
I kind of have a bit of an issue with the films production value however and I think this is probably the reason the film only saw a limited release here in the United States. The way in which The Hoax was film seemed to look more like a made for television movie than it did for the big screen. I’m not sure if it was the type of film stock they used or if this film went though some kind of filters during the development process, but the overall look of the film seemed to almost have a digital look to it, even though it was shot on 35mm. There really is no effects in the film except for one really bad looking CGI effect where Irving is thrown out of building into a swimming pool and we’re there for the ride down with him. Other than that the sets and costume design seemed to fit the time and place in which this event took place.
Overall, while The Hoax does have it’s flaws production wise and a few script issues; I really got into the story that was based on these true life events. While this is normally a film I would never do a write up for, I must say that I admire what Clifford Irving and Dick Suskind tried to pull off. It takes a lot of balls to do what they did, and the fact that many things were uncovered about the mysterious life of Howard Hughes thanks to them really made for a great story in history. So pretty much the reason why I did in fact enjoy this film was for the true events in which inspired it to be made. You learn something new everyday about the world around you and this film is a testament to American history.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
