It’s usually at this time when the good movies start to make it to the cinema. The Social Network, is certainly one of the most anticipated films of the year and I am pleased to say it lives up the hype. David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin have crafted an absorbing and fascinating film about arguably the most popular social networking site out there: facebook. The film deals with unique subject matter that just about anyone can enjoy (even those who do not have a facebook account).
The film is primarily told in flashbacks as we meet our protagonist Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) at Harvard University conversing with his girlfriend, Erica (Rooney Mara). She learns his obsession with acheiving status at Harvard and the conversation escalates into a rather unfortunate outcome: she dumps him. He does not take it too well and proceeds to his room along his roommates, including his best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and they create a social website called “facemash,” which essentially rates the beauty of Harvard girls. The site become a local phenomenon which makes the Harvard servers crash. From there on, things become interesting as some other students hear of this incident and want to work with Zuckerberg. Three students, twins Tyler and Winklevoss (Josh Pence and Armie Hammer) and Divya Narendra (Max Minghella) approach him to design a dating website which he agrees to take part in. However, things change and Mark uses the template of their idea to create something else. His idea, then called “the facebook,” is essentially a social website that transforms the college experience onto the internet. It becomes a huge phenomenon as it makes its way across other campuses. and soon catches the attention of Napster creator Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). The situation becomes problematic as Parker creates tensions between Zuckerberg and Saverin. The flashbacks are interwined with two court trials that involve all three parties: Zuckerberg, Saverin and the twins. All of this makes for a stunning film that explores a number of issues.
The movie touches on a lot of subjects: success, failture, rivalry, friendship, relationships, social media, trust, fame, theft, you name it and it does it so very well. Fincher enlists some fine young talent to provide honest and hard-edged performances along with using a razor sharp script by veteran Aaron Sorkin. Fincher is adept in a number of genres and his versatility shows no sign of stopping here. He creates an effective and intimate film that reels you in with every passing scene. Sorkins’s script is well-written and filled with sharp dialogue and clever bits of humor sprinkled throughout. Credit must be given to the actors as well, because they embody their characters and make us believe who they are playing. Eisenberg has a difficult job because he has to show us the many sides of Zuckerberg’s complex personality. On the one hand, we have the power hungry egoist, but on the other is a human and heartfelt individual. One character describes him perfectly: “You’re not an asshole, you are just trying very hard to be an asshole.” Timberlake, who has shown us that he can act a la Alpha Dog and Black Snake Moan has a lot of fun with his role as Sean Archer, the master mind behind Napster. He is a man who knows how to win people over and his character escalates the tension between Zuckerberg and Saverin’s friendship. Garfield seems comfortable in his role as the alienated Saverin, his character certainly undergoes the most turmoil as he is practically abandoned by his so called best friend. (It should be noted that the film, which is based on the book The Accidental Millionaires by Ben Mezrich uses Saverin as its main source, hence why the film seems to fall in his favor). With that said, Sorkin, Fincher and Eisenberg do not attempt to simply trash Zuckerberg, they develop a fully realized character filled with likable and dislikable traits.
The movie touches on a lot of subjects: success, failture, rivalry, friendship, relationships, social media, trust, fame, theft, you name it and it does it so very well. Fincher enlists some fine young talent to provide honest and hard-edged performances along with using a razor sharp script by veteran Aaron Sorkin. Fincher is adept in a number of genres and his versatility shows no sign of stopping here. He creates an effective and intimate film that reels you in with every passing scene. Sorkins’s script is well-written and filled with sharp dialogue and clever bits of humor sprinkled throughout. Credit must be given to the actors as well, because they embody their characters and make us believe who they are playing. Eisenberg has a difficult job because he has to show us the many sides of Zuckerberg’s complex personality. On the one hand, we have the power hungry egoist, but on the other is a human and heartfelt individual. One character describes him perfectly: “You’re not an asshole, you are just trying very hard to be an asshole.” Timberlake, who has shown us that he can act a la Alpha Dog and Black Snake Moan has a lot of fun with his role as Sean Archer, the master mind behind Napster. He is a man who knows how to win people over and his character escalates the tension between Zuckerberg and Saverin’s friendship. Garfield seems comfortable in his role as the alienated Saverin, his character certainly undergoes the most turmoil as he is practically abandoned by his so called best friend. (It should be noted that the film, which is based on the book The Accidental Millionaires by Ben Mezrich uses Saverin as its main source, hence why the film seems to fall in his favor). With that said, Sorkin, Fincher and Eisenberg do not attempt to simply trash Zuckerberg, they develop a fully realized character filled with likable and dislikable traits.
The Social Network marks the first big oscar contender of the 2010 season and this film has the potential to win a number of awards. This is a film that I simply must recommend to everyone. It is why we go to the movies, to be enteratined and this film did its job ten times over. Will Mr. Fincher finally get his due? Who knows? That’s not for me to decide, but he is certainly worthy of a nomination as are Eisenberg, Sorkin and Timberlake. In addition, Trent Reznor’s and Atticus Ross’s electronic fuzed soundtrack suits the emotional intensity of the film and is worthy of oscar consideration. Please go see this film, it is one that speaks so truthfully about our generation and has given me hope that there can still be gems every so often playing at the cinema. This network awaits your visit.
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