If something is hokey, it tries to make you feel a big emotion, but it does it in an old-fashioned, simple, or silly way — so it feels cheap or fake, not deep. A film with too much slow music and easy tears can feel hokey. A speech that piles on “home” and “believe in yourself” can feel hokey too. It is mainly an informal American word, and it is not a compliment. People who like old, sweet stories may not mind; people who want something sharp will roll their eyes. Hokey is about tone — too much feeling, shown too easily — not about whether the facts are wrong. Though actually, speakers also stretch it a little to mean “contrived” in general, not only sentimental, but the heart of the word is still that cheap, old-style emotion.