This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Film Review: "The Last Tycoon" (1976)The last picture show of Director Elia Kazan (1909-2003), who takes F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished novel from 1941, adapted for the screen with help of screenwriter Harold Pinter (1930-2008), puts his signature on slow-burning intense character struggles in the Golden Era of Hollywood of the 1930s scenarios, where film studio executive Monroe Stahr, performed by beats underlining, matured-in-isolation actor Robert De Niro, who runs through the film like a train, taking on every obstacles as well as presented opportunities by encountering several women, choosing arguably the false kind to lose balance entirely, over his calmly received incomplete beach house of bliss; masterfully visualized in straight, uncompromising shots in scenes as Monroe's meeting with Mid-Western Writer Brimmer, portrayed by ultra-relaxed actor Jack Nicholson; in an evening of drinking, dining and ping-pong gaming, before a high-pitched hit strikes into this action-denying, quiet and classic drama-indulging two-hour-film about a life of executive producers, following furthermore actor Robert Mitchum (1917-1997) as wise-looking, yet office-women-intercoursing character of Pat Brady, his daughter Cecilia Brady, given face by 18-year-old actress Theresa Russell, who would have been the choice for a future wife in Monroe Stahr's position in order to come to terms of peacemaking. Nevertheless "The Last Tycoon" produced by the director's long-time-benefactor Sam Spiegel (1901-1985) does miss the universal messages for a wider audience to connect to, as the equally-titles 2016 TV show of 9 episodes, which needed exceeding thrills for the character of Monroe actually wants to get out, breaking free of it all, recalling the more-accomplished entertaining picture by Robert Altman "The Player" (1992, which finds satire beats to fight the here-centered black and white cinematic film-in-film moments between world-famous supporting cast Jeanne Moreau & Tony Curtis that probably can only be fully enjoyed by people, who have made the experience in producing some kind of visual-storytelling project in their lives, where the relentless, unforgiving force becomes evident that chances of happiness within are fleeting moments; suddenly there, gone forever, before the cycle renews itself.© 2017 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)

Robert De Niro is handsome, slim, and elegant as "The Last Tycoon," a 1976 film with a screenplay by Harold Pinter and directed by Elia Kazan. The original story is by F. Scott Fitzgerald.Some background: After Norma Shearer retired, she wanted Tyrone Power to film "The Last Tycoon," which she planned to produce. Fitzgerald modeled the main character, Monroe Stahr, after Shearer's late husband, Irving Thalberg. The film never happened.Like Hemingway, Fitzgerald is difficult to put on film, though for different reasons. Fitzgerald was a true poet, and his words did everything. There's not much action. Thus is the case in "The Last Tycoon," where nothing happens for what seems like hours.The film sports a fabulous cast of old-timers: Robert Mitchum, Tony Curtis, Jeanne Moreau, Ray Milland, Dana Andrews, and John Carradine; and it introduces us to Theresa Russell, Angelica Huston, and Ingrid Boulting, who now teaches yoga in Ojai California and looks exactly the same as she does in this film. Don't ask me how. Jack Nicholson has a small role, as does everyone except De Niro and Boulting. The rest jump in and out like pop tarts.This is a somewhat fictionalized version of Thalberg's life at MGM. He is involved in a romance with Kathleen Moore (Ingrid Boulting) who seems to be playing mind games with him. She says goodbye when she means hello, tells him that she can't see him again and then shows up, writes him farewell letters five minutes after she sees him, that kind of thing. Cecilia (Theresa Russell), the daughter of the studio head Pat Brady (Mitchum) is madly in love with him, but he doesn't even notice as he's so fixated on Kathleen, who is engaged to someone else but keeps coming around.Brady, modeled on Louis B. Mayer, resents Stahr, as Mayer resented Thalberg, but Brady only says he resents him. We never see him REALLY resent him. No one really does much interacting. Tony Curtis sports a mustache as Rodriguez, a sexually confused leading man who is playing opposite the temperamental Didi (Jeanne Moreau) in a Casablance ripoff that has Moreau in Ingrid Bergman's same hat and coat, and Curtis playing the piano. P.S. Moreau can sing about as well as Ingrid Bergman hummed "As Time Goes By" -- not well. There is a moment of humor when, as the film ends with Moreau saying 'Nor do I,'there is a moment of silence. Then Brady says, "The French actresses are so...compelling." Silence. Stahr says, "'Nor do I. Nor do I.' When has anyone ever said to you, 'nor do I?' The scene has to be completely reshot, it's awful. I want four writers assigned to it tonight." De Niro is perfection as Monroe Stahr, from the way he sits at his desk wearing his horn-rimmed glasses, to his posture. Boulting is exceedingly dull. I never thought Theresa Russell could act her way out of a phone booth, though she had a few decent moments in "Black Widow." Most of the actors are completely wasted. One interesting thing: Viewing this film today, one becomes aware of how un-used we are now seeing older actors sans face lifts, big lips, and botox.All in all, I found this film disappointing. Pinter's script is slow and long, there's no excitement, let alone much story. Elia Kazan was a great director, but there probably wasn't much that he could do."The Last Tycoon" has been lauded by some as an unappreciated masterpiece, but one of the reviewers on IMDb also felt Theresa Russell gave a brilliant performance. I didn't see what some of these enlightened viewers saw, nor have I been haunted by the movie. In fact, I find it easy to forget.

This film is best forgotten.I doubt if there is anyone who is a greater fan of Kazan than I, and it pains me to write this, but this film is simply horrible. I don't blame just Kazan; the story and characters are illogical and very boring. The sub-plot of Curtis, Andrews and Moreau adds nothing, in fact, is a negative. The point of DeNiro's role is never made. The important theme evident in Kazan's films (Pinky, Gentleman's Agreement, Waterfront, Panic in the Streets, etc.) is completely missing in this film. The greatest fault lies with Fitzgerald, one of most overrated American authors and with Pinter, also overrated. These two, loved by critics, have given this film a halo. If the screenplay was written by John Smith based on a book by Fred Jones, the movie would be rated 2 stars out of ten, if the raters were generous.DeNiro and Russel are good (Although Russel's character is very annoying.) and Nicholson is Nicholson. The rest of the cast is mediocre. Boulting is not good at all, and in fact, she never went anywhere in her career after this film.Kazan didn't do a bad job, considering with what he was given to work.

... was in attempting to film this great unfinished novel in the first place, the second was employing an English writer and the third was casting Robert de Niro in the lead. DeNiro's definition of 'Acting' is to shout at the top of his voice and behave like a sociopath. Unfortunately lots of people - some of them influential - who should know better have applauded this and encouraged him to continue. Monroe Stahr is diametrically opposite DeNiro, a thoughtful, quiet intellectual light years away from DeNiro's wise guy whose solution to problems on the studio floor would be to kick the director to death and throw acid into the faces of the actors. Even Gadg can't do anything with this so he elected to shoot it as though everyone were under water wading through molasses. Virtually no one relates to anyone else least of all Stahr and Kathleen. Scott must be turning in his grave.