Very disappointing...

Simply A Masterpiece

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

TV Series: "The Last Tycoon" (2016-2017)75 years of the initial release of the unfinished novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), "The Last Tycoon" TV series distributed by Amazon Studios and created by Billy Ray, who mainly made his living with screen writing since 1994 for Hollywood Studios and shared credits as a writer for some successful movies in the last five years as "The Hunger Games" (2012) and "Captain Phillips" (2013), building a solid characters' grit in the first two episode surrounding the power struggle between the character of Monroe Stahr, performed respectively, yet too much of a stare, actor Matt Bomer and the studio magnate character of Pat Grady, portrayed by no further grief nor struggle sharing, actor Kelsey Grammar to additionally share in times of leisure with his wife, played by Rosemarie DeWitt and the character of his daughter, giving face by actress Lily Collins, who had been able to round-up the all too straight storyline of running a movie studio by acting with, just before WW2-raging in Europe, arriving alien artists in Hollywood; here creator Billy Ray skillfully written in real-life characters of director Fritz Lang (1890-1976) and actress Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992) in order to show the discrepancy between world apart of handling story and character in film, before living out fantasies in private as well, making the passion for the artform one whole experience in life."The Last Tycoon" (2016) strikes with elegant and excellent production design by Patrizia von Brandenstein, which are of cinematographic use in Episode one and two directed by Billy Ray, who seems to improve his directing skills in visual eye and interactive beat work since his last picture "Secret In Their Eyes" (2015), a remake of "El secreto de sus ojos" (2009) directed by Juán José Campanella and based on the novel "La pregunta de sus ojos" (2005) by Eduardo Sacheri. Nevertheless the directorial vision differs from episode three with switching to close-to incompetent director, when major failures in costume design and overall non-smoking environment becomes evident, starting to distract bumpy story developments centralizing a major loan from the another real-life character of Louis B. Mayer (1884-1957) at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios to the fictitious movie studio Brady American, led by Pat Brady and Monroe Stahr, who fight for new innovative pictures under immigrated Directors to be made with fresh faces, here given part by actress Dominique McElligott, who seems out of place as the new shining starlet of Hollywood's golden era and further to be the relentless love interest of the character of Monroe Stahr, who does not shy away to engage to her and fight off the drunkard of a former agent, when finally in episode seven some signs of life returns this television series, which has been cut short to a mini series, concluding with episode nine again under the direction of creator Billy Ray, making "The Last Tycoon" (2016) worth a watch for a weekend while because it already comes to an satisfactory end, but no more.© 2017 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)

What a well-made, absorbing series! Everything you want in a period drama: first rate casting, acting, script, story and OH, those costumes. I am not much of a Kelsey Grammar fan, but I think the Pat Brady role was made for him. And though Matt Bomer's Monroe was the perfect handsome young protagonist and just invited you to fall in love with him, it was Rosemarie DeWitt's Rose who riveted me throughout. And Jennifer Beals as Margo was stunning. I am not sure if or how Fitzgerald concluded the story, but I loved the ending that leaves open possibilities for more. Treat yourself.

I started watching this past week and couldn't wait to see the next episode so I watched Season 1 within 3 days. I love, love, loved it. The story line and the actors played their part perfectly, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. Monroe, Pat, Rose, Celia, Kathleen all the characters came to life and the actors played their parts perfectly. I loved the costumes, cars, the movie sets everything made me go back to that period in time. Please, please let us see more with Season 2. I am anxiously waiting to watch more. Thank you Amazon for a job well done.

Scott Fitzgerald's romantic portrayal of boy wonder Irving Thalberg (renamed Monroe Stahr), head of MGM production by age 25, but in a power struggle with Louie B. Mayer, studio head, is essentially a romance set against a fierce struggle for business supremacy. Fitzgerald wrote that Thalberg's "race" (Jewishness) was nothing and that the Stahr/Kathleen romance was front and center. In this production lurid and ridiculous Nazis stop a major production because the leading lady (Stahr's dead wife)had been Jewish. The clumsy politicizing of the novel continues with a homeless camp right outside the gates of the glamorous studio, and story threads connecting them.In short, Fitzgerald's work is being murdered. Handsome Matt Bomer is perfect as Stahr, but they have him looking like a waxworks, with slicked down '20s hair (this is mid-thirties). Kathleen, who steals Stahr's heart because of her resemblance to his late wife, should have been brought in early in the demo, as in novel.Dump the Nazis and political stuff not in the novel and have a good business/conflict story like Cameron Hawleys "Executive Suite," but with a stylish romance added.Plenty of time to make these changes.