Facebook has become, in just a few short years, the most visited site on the web. Its journey to this point may seem like it was smooth and easy but behind the scenes, it was anything but that. The Social Network tells the story of the beginnings of this Internet phenomenon: the backstabbing, the jealousy and the hatred. In the process, it opens the eyes of the audience to the anti-social behavior that took place in order to create this new virtual society.Social Network tells the story of a young Mark Zuckerburg; a genius but socially awkward sophomore at Harvard University. All he wants to be is accepted by the elite and gain social status. After having his heart broken by a girl he likes, he proceeds to get revenge on not just her but all the girls he can by hacking into the Harvard network and creating a website that compares pictures of freshman girls and asks which one is hotter. This little project gets the attention of a couple wealthy students who would like Mark to create a website for them called “Harvard Connection.” What follows is a story of ambition, greed and poor business ethics that is not rivaled by many other origin tales.
David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac) directs this drama based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich. This adaptation could not have been an easy thing to do. There are no shocking murders, scandalous affairs or major crimes committed. However, despite the lack of easy thrills, Fincher’s film is one of the most intriguing and beautifully executed of the year.
Fincher did not accomplish this alone. The major reason he succeeded is due to the fact that he surrounded himself with some of the most talented people in Hollywood. The strongest aspect of this film is the writing. The script was penned by Aaron Sorkin of The West Wing fame and, just like that show, he provides dialogue for this cast that both fires off the screen like fireworks or subtly hits you deep when you least expect it. This story could have easily been formulaic and cheesy but with Sorkin providing the language, it’s the strongest screenplay of the year and the solid foundation of a beautifully told story.
The cast is also elite, made up of some the hottest young actors working today. Jesse Eisenberg’s turn as Facebook creator and CEO Mark Zuckerburg is his most balanced and striking performance to date. Eisenberg has been accused of being one-note at times, always playing the nerdy, awkward college student (The Squid and the Whale, Zombieland, Adventureland). But in Social Network, he’s used all his experience from previous roles and puts on a performance so exact that there is no one out there better for this part.
Zuckerburg’s best friend and business partner, Eduardo Saverin, is portrayed by the immensely talented Andrew Garfield, a young British actor who was recently cast to reprise the role of Spider-Man in an upcoming reboot. Garfield quietly sails through this role and this film; he is the audience’s guide and sympathizer as the crux of the conflict at the heart of this movie. He steals every scene he is in—this role will mark the official beginning of a future star.
The other much-talked about performance in this film is Justin Timberlake’s turn as Napster creator Sean Parker. Like an average quarterback in the NFL, Timberlake makes few mistakes but also doesn’t accomplish anything too remarkable. This is not really his fault, though. To be honest, it’s probably the best he could hope for. He is out of his league here and, except for a few scenes opposite Garfield, he holds his own. Timberlake won’t be quitting acting anytime soon, but The Social Network is a good sign that we shouldn’t fear these aspirations.
Another interesting aspect of this film is the soundtrack. It is all original music by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor. His dark, foreboding tones and haunting synth music is a perfect fit for this film. It underlies the dark tone that comes with the seedy behavior by the different characters, the impending broken relationships and the poor business ethics that make Gordon Gecko from Wall Street seem like Kris Kringle.
The Social Network is a shoe-in for a Best Picture nomination at the next Academy Awards. It is more than just a great movie, though; it is a great exercise in storytelling. That is what the magic of film is all about. When all aspects of a movie click together as well as they do here, what you get is a perfect example of why movies are one of the best ways to tell a story. Some of the details of the tale may be fictionalized from the actual events, but that doesn’t matter. Fincher and Sorkin provide a perfect escape from reality based in an all-too-real environment. So, the next time you add a friend on Facebook, just think about how many were lost by those that made your virtual relationships possible.
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