The Last Tycoon

Once again, a series I have really enjoyed has been canceled by the powers that be! I will admit the first few episodes of the first season were a little slow (perhaps there was room for improvement in the dialogue), but as the series progressed, I was fully engrossed in the story. The physical details of the hairstyles and clothing were absolutely believable and the filming itself was gorgeous. I was particularly impressed by Kelsey Grammar's performance.

For anyone who has not yet seen the mere two seasons that exist, allow me to inform you there is an extremely interesting twist in the plot! I don't think this will disappoint. How it was canceled with such a high IMDb rating remains a mystery.

Saw this great pilot on Amazon. I'm a Fitzgerald fan and I was curious how they would treat this show, given that the author never got a chance to complete and expand on the book. I'm impressed with the way this show gave life to so many things only alluded to in the book. Nazis during that time must have definitely had a lot of influence on the Hollywood politics in those days, just as some other power groups have it today. Glad the show is addressing that angle. Monroe Stahr, the protagonist, played amazingly well by Matt Bomer is a fascinating character. He is kind of a prodigy when it comes to the movie making business, a self made man, yet emotionally tortured, and of a weak heart due to congenital heart disease. The other characters, such as Kelsy Grammar as Pat Brady, Lily Collins as Cecilia Brady were great in their roles. The show has quite a few interesting characters. Really hope it gets picked up and we get to see more of this interesting story.

Those who complain that this series was canceled don't understand that it wasn't supposed to be a continuing series. It was supposed to be Fitzgerald's greatest but unfinished novel, finished appropriately.

What they wound up adding to finish it was some typical Hollywood junk that Fitzgerald would never have written, that Stahr (or Thalberg) would never have produced. But it's pretty good junk, as Hollywood junk goes. The production is beautiful, the plot isn't too silly, and Kelsey Grammer's performance is great fun to watch. So I give it a 7, a good effort and well worth watching.

But it still should not have gone beyond its nine episodes. That wrapped up the plot and was the end. To go further would mean adding real Hollywood junk. The greatest skill is knowing when to stop.

Just a quick review, as I see many of the stream services shows (except the big ones like Netlfix superhero series and such) do not get many opinions. I have seen the whole season and my feelings are mixed. I mean, it is slow. Very slow. Scenes are basically beautiful people talking about movies of the golden era of Hollywood - from the production side of view. I often found myself wondering what was the point of all of it, and yet... it kept me interested. However, I love classic musicals from the era depicted, and seen and enjoyed most if not all Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Danny Kaye, etc movies, so visiting the period again from a modern perspective is appealing to me. It might not be for all, and I would completely understand if we do not get another season. I have not read the source material the show is based on, and I am unfamiliar with Fitzgerald writings. I will say, nonetheless, that this show requires some patience if great visuals are not enough for you. If on a time constraint and still wanting to see the "whole show", I can safely say that if you just see episode 1 (the pilot), maybe 2 to get to know the characters, and then skip ahead to 7, 8 and 9 you would actually not miss much, as the "central" conflict really just begins at the end of episode 7 (the "big" story reveal for one of the characters). I enjoyed my time watching the rest, however, so the quality is still there... it is just very personal, so I would say you will either like it or not based on the pilot. There are no major changes to the formula after that, so see for yourself and decide :)

Its funny because I just had a great conversation with some friends about a how much money the movie studios are making these days. Then I decided to give a look at the pilot for The Last Tycoon .I never read the book so I'm going in clean. I love period pieces, the costumes and the language, they are divine. Mat boomer is a great actor and seems to always have a glimmer in his eye. Whether it is be because of the pain in his heart or because of the revenge he looking to get, its always there. The rest of the cast played their roles in a satisfactory measurement. I do believe that there is an opportunity to to improve the dull relationships and obvious lackluster attitudes in this depression era movie. Good thing is that there is room for improvement, and with F Scott Fitzgerald at the root, there is a great possibility.