Lasse Hallstrom's THE HOAX, based on an autobiographical book by Clifford Irving, starts off jauntily but gradually moves into darker emotional and political territory. The story about a writer (Richard Gere), who fakes an authorized biography of Howard Hughes only to be manipulated by the reclusive genius, is entertaining and piquant. The film does possess some of the bittersweet qualities that usually mark Hallstrom's films, but it's generally a tougher, more incisive work that ranks as one of his best. (...) The story is very well plotted and contains many historical references. But it's actually the characterization that makes it engaging. Gere portrays Irving as a natural born liar. It's interesting to watch him spin a web of deceit that ultimately only traps himself as Gere funnels his usual onscreen charm into a seamy and duplicitous character. (...) Interior scenes have a '70s corporate look, and the office milieu recalls ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN. Cinematography by Hallstrom regular Oliver Stapleton uses diffused lighting, and the color is a bit washed out as with films from that era. Early scenes are jaunty and play like CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, but as the film progresses it takes on the paranoid atmosphere of '70s conspiracy dramas.

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Pour incarner l'écrivain corrompu à l'origine de tout ce bazar, Lasse Hallström (…) a fait appel au charmeur grisonnant de tous les charmeurs grisonnants, l'ineffable Richard Gere. Un Gere qui s'avère une fois de plus efficace dans un rôle de bellâtre à l'apparence bien rangée, camouflant un "petit" fond de magouilleur en lui. (…) Marcia Gay Harden campe quant à elle, de façon plutôt émouvante, la femme cocue et prête à tout pour son mari. Mais la véritable performance, c'est du côté d'Alfred Molina qu'il faut la chercher. Son interprétation de l'ami fidèle et quelque peu naïf est réellement réjouissante. Cependant, bien que le sujet de THE HOAX sorte de l'ordinaire, sa transposition à l'écran est faite de façon extrêmement classique, si ce n'est ce plan bizarre où monsieur PRETTY WOMAN chute d'une fenêtre pour atterrir dans une piscine. Quelques longueurs sont aussi à noter. Préparez-vous à beaucoup de blabla car, bien sûr, des éléments de complot politique se retrouvent directement liés à l'affaire et les propos y faisant référence ne sont pas toujours transparents...

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THE HOAX fearlessly wades through the slippery psychology of a shameless liar - writer Clifford Irving - who sold a bogus "autobiography" of Howard Hughes to McGraw Hill and came close to pulling off the publishing scam of the century. Lasse Hallstrom's breezy, fast-paced, somewhat loose-ended account of how he did it offers a surprisingly layered vehicle for a maniacally conniving Richard Gere, backed up by a superb Alfred Molina as his accomplice. (...) Gere, his hair cut and darkened like the historical Irving, is strongly on key with the bravado and euphoria of the early scenes, creating a likable rogue whose bloated ego has nowhere to go but down. (...) There is much in Hallstrom's complex direction that recalls a past master of mirrors and deception, Orson Welles. Apart from the obvious parallel between Hughes' enormous behind-the-scenes power, which rivalled that of the government itself, and that of Charles Foster Kane, another link is Welles' "documentary" F FOR FAKE, where the real Irving appears telling his story. Tech work creates a strong feeling for the '70s, with credit going to all hands, but especially to the expressive and varied lensing by Hallstrom's regular cinematographer Oliver Stapleton, and to Carter Burwell's delightful soundtrack, which becomes central in establishing time and mood.

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