Somewhere between adaptation and shooting, the magic leaped out of this film. The synopsis looked promising and it could have delivered, but it seems that poor casting choices and spotty dialog made it fall short. The leading man isn't quite convincing on film. His technique feels more fit for stage, but when on screen you see an actor and not a character. Famke Janssen and Ian Holm are the two bright spots in the nigh hour-and-a-half feature. Holm was the one actor who garnered a laugh. But they both seem out of place, heavy hitters in a smaller film. It could be that a bigger star was set to play Chris, but dropped out, leaving the film with less studio support while Famke and Ian stayed on. This film has gone on to win some festival awards, which makes me wonder if I missed something, or was simply not in the right mood for the film. Nevertheless, it could have been much, much better.

As a huge fan of this book, I applaud Nic, Scott and the production team involved in getting this movie off the ground. This story must not have been easy to get made. But this is the most important movie of today, for today. I did find the musical cues to be overly used and not as dramatic as they could've been, but aside from this I was at the edge of my seat, waiting for NIc to add some wisdom to my life, so that I can go out there and be a better person. Nic, as the character of Soc does just that. The movie delivers where it should, straight to your heart. In this day of the much necessary age of awareness I HIGHLY recommend anyone who wants to be better and even be the best they can be to go and watch this film, recommend this film, watch it again, buy it on DVD and support these types of projects in any way you can. Imagine if we can get the kids of today to truly understand the lessons presented in this movie - it could change the world and the medium of film reaches enough people to do just that.

If you don't like this movie, you just don't have a heart. I read some of the reviews here and they claim it's an American movie with an American budget and it does not portray england as it is/was. give me a break. It's a wonderful movie. I suppose you can say something like that about every movie. I live in Bangkok, do I think 'the beach' is the real Thailand? Hollywood has done far worse. Movies are movies, and thanks god this one is a great movie, with a great leading man/boy. He is probably a bit too old for the role, but he plays so well, that you forget about his age and you will enjoy this movie. Don't believe the negative reviews.

Lasse Hallstrom has directed a compelling recreation of Clifford Irivng's novel in "Hoax". It is a retelling of the risky writing of the fake autobiography of Howard Hughes, the eccentric billionaire from Texas. Richard Gere gives a satisfying performance in his torn character of Clifford Irving himself. He is also convincing in his ability to show his simultaneous success and guiltless feelings in writing his so-called autobiography. Alfred Molina gives an emotional performance as Dick Suskind, Irving's loyal friend and co-writer. Marcia Gay Harden is a genuine Edith Irving in this disturbing story. And Julie Delpy is exquisite as Nina Van Pallandt, the paramour that Irving drags into his ploy. It makes for a nice cinema, and likely a good read.

I really appreciated the film. I think it has quite a few layers. I was surprised not to read any comments highlighting Lionel's line about "real freak", which I think is key to one of the underlying themes. The only thing that ruined a "moment" for me was the goof when they caught the boom in the shot. The fact that this happens during one of the most dramatic scenes in the story was a rude jolt back to the technical reality- how this can happen in a movie with a budget at least large enough to pay Kidman, boggles the mind. But the story and the unfolding of the characters was well done. It is an imaginary portrait and some people seem to forget this part. I also thought the music did its job well - it emphasized and it moved.