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Parents' Guide to

The Hoax

By Renee Schonfeld, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Amoral con artist's true tale will pull adults in.

Movie R 2007 115 minutes
The Hoax Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This is an unusual outing for Gere -- there's no sly smirking here, just fine acting. Molina turns in a striking performance as well, and the two do great work together in all of their scenes. The supporting players, script, and overall production values are excellent, making THE HOAX an enjoyable, intelligent movie.

Working from a script by William Wheeler that relies on Irving's own account from his book The Hoax, director Lasse Hallström, successfully uses humor and complex, nuanced characters to bring Irving's brazen swindle to the screen. The film's second half -- in which Irving begins to come unglued as events catch up with him -- isn't as strong as the first. The moments that show his mind breaking down are brave, but they don't always live harmoniously with the rest of the movie's humor.

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