The Hoax is the real thing. It’s a breezy, engaging caper. It’s like a heist film of the 1970s, but the pilferers are literary men not bank robbers.

Set in the early ‘70s, The Hoax rediscovers one of the essential themes of that era — it is anti-establishment. That is a theme that has been absent from our society for many years. It shouldn’t have been; it’s still quite relevant, isn’t it?

The Hoax is based on real-life shenanigans. In 1972 Clifford Irving burst upon the literary scene as the writer whom reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes had chosen to pen his autobiography. There were little means to authenticate Irving’s claim that Hughes had chosen him. Irving said that Hughes was totally incommunicado, except to him. The meetings between Hughes and Irving were a secretive process. Supposedly Hughes had established an ironclad set of rules that kept scrutiny at bay — or so said Irving. And Irving had forged a letter from Hughes that gave him authorization. As the publishing hounds bit at his heels, Irving kept changing his strategy to stay a tantalizing step ahead of them. He led them on a breathless romp.

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The plot of the entertaining period piece “The Hoax” surrounds wannabe star author Clifford Irving’s attempt to publish a fake autobiography of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes.

But the film goes beyond the basic story to show how our society glamorizes the big play and the willingness for some to capture a piece of the glory.

Richard Gere plays another type of American gigolo. He’s a smooth talker, who has a mistress and a willing co-conspirator, about to launch into a humongous lie about the book he’s yet to write.

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