The Social Network (2010) review

The Social Network (2010)

Directed by: David Fincher

Produced by: Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Ceán Chaffin

Screenplay by: Aaron Sorkin

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella

That’s a cute tagline, isn’t it? Nowadays, you’d say, “Wow, only 500 million friends?” As of this moment, Facebook is the most popular social media platform in the world, registering as many as 3 billion users. And to think it all started because an insecure Harvard University sophomore vented on his blog about being dumped by his girlfriend. Based on the Ben Mezrich novel “The Accidental Billionaires,” today’s movie is “The Social Network,” directed by David Fincher and starring Jesse Eisenberg as the enigmatic Mark Zuckerberg, who co-founded Facebook with his roommates amid much lawful scrutiny. Powered by a myriad of strong performances, energetically-paced editing, and Aaron Sorkin’s impeccable screenplay, this is an engrossing story of ambition and betrayal, and remains one of the new classics of the 21st century.

The movie opens with Mark on the receiving end of a brutal dressing-down by his girlfriend Erica (Rooney Mara), who dumps him after tiring of his detached and condescending nature. Bitter and drunk, he creates a Harvard website called Facemash, allowing users to rate the attractiveness of female students; the massive popularity attracts the attention of twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer), who invite him to work on an exclusive social network. Although Mark agrees to help, he speaks to his friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) about creating what would eventually become Facebook. As we all know, it launches, and the popularity skyrockets, expanding to other schools around the country and eventually overseas, earning the backing of eccentric visionary and Napster co-founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). However, as we witness within the film’s framing device, it leads to trouble, with Mark getting into lawsuits with the Winklevosses, who claim he stole their idea, and Eduardo, who gets misled into having his co-founder shares severely diluted.

I remember a time when Eisenberg was basically seen as just an older, less awkward version of Michael Cera; but he brings such a sharp intensity as Zuckerberg, portraying him as an anxious, analytical genius trying to understand what he’s making. I don’t give much thought to what kind of person Zuckerberg is in real life—reportedly, he wasn’t happy with how he was represented—but from jump street, he strikes as an outcast with a victim complex and incel qualities, more interested in creation and distinction than genuine interaction, approaching every obstacle much like a computer. Does he rip off the idea from the Winklevosses? Does he screw over Eduardo? You can definitely make the argument, but it more speaks to his personality and inability to see outside his own tunnel vision.

Speaking of Eduardo, let’s talk about him for a moment; this was the first time most people saw Andrew Garfield in a movie, and he’s since become one of the most notable names in Hollywood, playing the title role in “The Amazing Spider-Man” and earning Oscar nominations for “Hacksaw Ridge” and “Tick, Tick…Boom!” Looking back, you can see the future star emerging, playing Eduardo with a lot of charisma and versatility; his and Mark’s dynamic becomes the driving force of the story, as they start out partners before circumstances push them further apart. Side note, if you haven’t yet, watch “Boy A,” Garfield’s first starring film role; it’s powerfully heartbreaking stuff. Aside from the main two, Justin Timberlake is a scene-stealer as Sean, the first to see Facebook as a possible cultural phenomenon, Armie Hammer gives a nuanced performance as the Winklevoss twins, and there are plenty of solid bit roles from veterans John Getz and Douglas Urbanski and newcomers Rooney Mara and Dakota Johnson. This isn’t really a movie that asks you to take sides; it’s more about the information and how it’s presented.

But in my opinion, the real stars of the film are the editing and the script; there is such a good sense of speed and control in the way these characters talk and how their mannerisms come across. It’s impressive how moments of people hammering away at their computers can have the same high-octane energy as a slam-bang action scene; it’s a movie that kind of makes you feel smarter for following along with them. This movie earned the first of Sorkin’s four Oscar nominations for Best Screenplay, and still only win. Admittedly, some of the conversations get a little too long-winded and overly clever, but the overall tone is consistently strong, complemented well by the music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross; it’s a subtly effective score, quite droning for the most part, but it really establishes the gradual tension.

My generation is usually defined as the “in between generation,” because we grew up before social media and the outbreak of cell phones as we recognize them today, yet they still became a big part of our lives during our adolescence. The date Facebook went active—February 4, 2004—was the day I got my braces in eighth grade, even though I didn’t join until 2008, less than two years after it became accessible to anyone with an email address, which sort of defeated the original purpose of Harvard exclusivity. But what you get when watching “The Social Network” is the evolution of the next big thing for the new millennium. I’ve gone on record calling social media a “cesspool” because it has become so polluted by corporate meddling and those seeking to divide rather than unite; nevertheless, the way it was intended, at least how it’s chronicled in this movie, is fascinating to witness. It’s every bit as smart and ruthless as its main character; sometimes it’s a little caught up in its own style and the motivations are sporadic, but this is still an extremely captivating film.

My rating: 9/10