Hollywood

A thoroughly entertaining reimagining of Hollywood in 1948. Fabulous production values and some terrific performances. Jim Parsons is a particular standout as the notorious Hollywood agent Henry Willson. Ryan Murphy has presented us with a very interesting take on what might have been. Some other reviewers have mentioned the word cringeworthy. Cringeworthy it is at times but it is thoroughly entertaining. The only negative thing about Murphy's latest offering it is that it wasn't true, although the 'Dreamland' premise is loosely based on Scotty Bowers' autobiography 'Full Service.' Ryan Murphy can be hit and miss at times (his last effort for Netflix, 'The Politician' was a bit of a mixed bag) but I'm happy to say that 'Hollywood' is a hit.

The creators of a mini-series have made a significant effort to demonstrate that hardly any straight men existed in Hollywood during the 1940s. While this might be true, there is an ethical dilemma. Using rumors and facts to fill the script with events that happened and using the names of real people while mixing them with wishful fantasies and lies is a lame move. It destroys the tone of the series. For instance, showing Rock Hudson coming out as gay in public in 1946 with a black boyfriend or Ernest Borgnine presenting an Oscar to a non-existent movie with a non-existent cast is unrealistic. Moreover, the series contains extended love scenes that lack gusto, eroticism, or reason, making them redundant. Despite this, six out of seven episodes are watchable. However, the last episode is full of cheesiness and lacks surprise and intensity, making it forgettable.

Hollywood whisks us away to post-war Tinseltown. Several different characters give us a behind-the-scenes look at the Golden Age of Hollywood. Through their stories, we learn more about a corrupt and unfair system full of prejudices about gender, origin and sexuality that persist to this day.

Several young artists gather as part of a film project to be realized by the Hollywood studio Ace Pictures. It is based on the tragic story of actress Peg Entwistle, who fell from the letter H of the iconic Hollywood sign in 1931. Whether actor, author or director: each of them has to pay a high price in order to be able to achieve their own goals in Hollywoodland.

I really liked "Hollywood".

A slightly different series, but for those who are interested in films and want to see how the film business worked back then, you should take a look here

The whole thing is accompanied by an interesting story and strong characters.

Ryan Murphy seems to believe that Darren Criss is a talented actor or maybe he just has a soft spot for him. Personally I think he plays EVERY role the exact same way except for a few tweaks here and there.

I didn't think Jim Parsons had the chops to tackle a role like this but he was amazing as real life agent Henry Wilson. I absolutely love Henry Cavill and he will always be Superman (and Geralt) in my mind but I am a little curious to see what David Corenswet (Jack Costello) will do with the Superman role.

Everyone gave a great performance in Hollywood except for Laura Harriet who played Camille and Maude Apatow who played Henrietta. Maude is a nepo-baby so unfortunately I understand why she keeps getting roles but who is Laura related to ?? I haven't seen acting that bad since Selena Gomez in Only Murders in the Building.

Full of colors, fun, diverse characters and drama, Hollywood is a mini series (I don't get the current possibility for season 2) worth a watch if you're into historical what-ifs, or you just want to watch a fun "period" drama that is not the real Golden Age Hollywood... So don't expect history lessons, and just enjoy 1940s through rose colored glasses. It would've been a better choice to go full-fiction with all fiction characters though, without terrible Rock Hudson portrayal for example. Or to go 100% factual (it's not that hard) and show how things really happened in Hollywood, with real struggles of aspiring writers, directors, actors, poor, non-white, different sexuality (for example, Rock Hudson's real closet case). As for the quality of the series in general, it started excellent and then just lost itself with unbelievable plot and characters acting forced, unnatural and silly. The cinematography is great. Drama is mostly interesting, something that's usual for Ryan Murphy (I love American Horror story and Scream queens, he should stick to horror comedy). All in all, I gave 7/10 for the first few episodes, cinematography, silly drama and feel-good mindless fun. It would have been much lower if I took it seriously... Or if I judge by last few episodes... Or if they decide to make season 2 (oh no)! P. S. The tune at the end of each episode is so annoying and repetitive!