The Last Tycoon

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.

Nothing has changed. We can believe that corporations have taken over Tinsel Town, but in this version of "The Last Tycoon" creativity has always been controlled by committee. So the filmmakers out there that think they are autonomous, without using your own money, it 'aint happening.

That aside, the story is of wunderkind Monroe Stahr (Matt Bomer) a ambitious young studio executive who is known to fix movies within the walls of Brady-American International, a fictional movie studio run by Pat Brady (Kelsey Grammer). During the depression, they both attempt to save the studio from outside forces including the rise of stars and divas, and dark secrets of actors, the dynamics of writers and producers and so forth. Coming into the story, we also have Brady's daughter Celia Brady (Lily Collins) who is at the edge of adulthood and fixated on making her own way into Hollywood, and also Brady's wife Rose Brady (Rosemarie DeWitt) who has a history with Monroe whilst Celia holds a burning crush on him.

Admittedly, I know very little about the book, which was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. But I've seen the late 70's version, and they both do really good things. The issue with the 70's version is that it gets TOO melancholic. This skates a very tragic line since Bomer's Monroe plays a little more buoyant and hopeful than DeNiro's Monroe, who plays it brooding and bullish.

The series has some great moments (somewhat predictable but still satisfying) and makes nods to Hollywood lore. Louis B. Mayer's (Saul Rubinek) close to making "Wizard Of Oz" a Shirley Temple reference, and also a curious one with Margo Taft (Jennifer Beals) whom I can only assume is suppose to be Merle Oberon. Any way, this does suck you in. And I loved the production design. The characters have their intentions known and fascinating when they cut between the stories. You can keep up.

IF you are interested in old Hollywood, this is a great series to remind you that movie worlds were once made by people who really cared about the content.

Sad that this series was only one season. Really awesome acting, awesome show in itself. I know they're having issues at Amazon Prime but this is one of the series that needs to continue. I hope they figure everything out and are able to continue this show. It was really really good

Add The Last Tycoon to the likes of Firefly and The Tonight Show for shows that should never have been canceled. This show is on par with Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men, and Downton Abbey. It has a great core, with the ability to be a classic, but sadly it only got one season.

The Last Tycoon gives a look into a time and world completely missed by modern movies. Pre WWII Hollywood and the nuanced issues that comes with a world on the brink of war. Unbelievably talented cast, great writing, amazing costumes, and just the right amount of twist and drama. I'm incredibly disappointed that it was canceled. Each actor was made to play their character.

It's amazing how after one season Matt Bomer will forever be Monroe Star, Lilly Collins will forever be Cecilia Brady, and Dominique McElligot will always be Kathleen Moore. Amazon really screwed up with the decision to cancel.

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 :)