The Social Network Review

THE PLOT: The Social Network, directed by David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club) and written by Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men), tells the fascinating story of social-networking phenomenon Facebook and its CEO, former Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg, Zombieland). The story is not necessarily about Facebook itself but timeless themes of friendship, rivalry, and ambition. The movie costars Andrew Garfield (Never Let Me Go) as Zuckerberg’s best friend Eduardo Saverin and Justin Timberlake (Alpha Dog) as Napster co-founder Sean Parker.

THE REVIEW: The Social Network is Citizen Kane meets Animal House for the 21st century generation of texters, bloggers, tweeters, and gamers. The movie pushes all the right buttons as it tells a complex tale of friendship, inspiration, fame, and betrayal. Three flawless elements ensure that The Social Network will bring home awards this winter. First, the intelligent narrative structure of the film charts the rise of Zuckerberg and Facebook, showing key events from various perspectives in campus dorm rooms and business offices. The movie cleverly jumps back and forth between disposition scenes and sequences showing the creation of the social-networking website. In the disposition scenes, Zuckerberg faces an emotional lawsuit from his best friend Eduardo Saverin and a more jealousy-driven lawsuit from twin brothers and Harvard rowers Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss (whom Zuckerberg hilariously refers to as the “Winklevi”). Sorkin leaves it up to audience to decide which character to trust, hate, or sympathize with. In this respect, The Social Network shines as a movie that entertains but also trusts the intelligence of the audience. Although the movie does not feature the mind-blowing explosions of this summer’s Inception, its plot still features just as many exciting twists and turns.

Aaron Sorkin has written a sharp morality tale that presents its characters as flawed and three-dimensional. The opening bar scene, which introduces Zuckerberg as socially inept at communicating with his girlfriend, geniusly hooks the audience. The script ironically shows Zuckerberg as a genius who shut himself out from close relationships to ultimately create an invention that made “friend” a verb. Sorkin and Fincher perfectly capture the social hierarchy of college in the early 2000′s. Later in the film, Sorkin’s script transforms into a sad allegory for the corrupting impact of sudden recognition and fame. Fincher continues the confident direction of real-life events demonstrated in Zodiac, but his filming of so many darkly shot scenes is occasionally distracting.

The Social Network also features star-making turns from its young and talented cast. Jesse Eisenberg, often characterized as a poor man’s Michael Cera, cornered the market on lovable dork roles in movies like Adventureland and Zombieland. As Zuckerberg, Eisenberg takes his typical performance to the next level, effortlessly channeling rapid-fire intellect, acerbic wit and social ineptitude. Despite the fact that his character screws over several people, the fact that he’s ultimately symapthetic is a credit to Eisenberg’s performance. As Zuckerberg’s best friend Eduardo Saverin, Andrew Garfield is the soul of the film. As the one depicted as most deeply damaged by Facebook’s meteoric rise, Garfield nails his character’s journey. His emotionally intense encounter with Zuckerberg and Sean Parker is the third act’s best scene. The Spider-Man reboot has definitely found an inspiring choice for Peter Parker in Garfield. Lastly, Justin Timberlake is a pleasant surprise as Napster co-founder Sean Parker, essentially serving as the Palpatine to Zuckerberg’s Anakin. Parker uses the reckless lifetsyle in Silicon Valley lure Zuckerberg to fame’s dark side. As the movie’s trailer suggests, you don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The Social Network is a thought-provoking morality tale filled with sophisticated dialogue and impressive performances from a talented and young cast. Audience members will leave the theater debating the decisions and perspectives of the characters. The Social Network‘s director, writer, and cast are sure to be rewarded come Oscar season. 8.5/10