The Hoax

In 1971, egocentric writer Clifford Irving's (Gere) dreams collapse when his book deal falls through. To bolster his bruised ego, Irving tells his publisher (Davis) that his new tome will be a sensation--and then has to come up with an idea. With the help of loyal researcher Dick Suskind (Molina), Irving schemes to sell a bogus autobiography of recluse Howard Hughes and greed wins out over corporate suspicions before Irving's scam is exposed. Hallstrom and his cast do well but this long-forgotten hoax has to work hard to attract the interest of a casual viewer.