The Social Network (A or 4/4 stars)
Aahhh. I love when movies are as good as this one. 'The Social Network' (directed by David Fincher, Fight Club, Se7en, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) has a structural framework that shows us the testimonies/depositions for 2 separate legal trials in which billionaire Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) was involved circa 2005; when he is accused of intellectual property theft, as well as diminishing shares of stock for one co-founder. But a brunt of the narrative is shown to us in plot-revealing flashbacks to 2003 & 2004 (while the depositions proceed).
When we 1st meet computer programming genius and Harvard student Zuckerberg in the fall of '03, he's having dinner with his girlfriend, Erica (Rooney Mara, the new Lisbeth Salander in Fincher's upcoming The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo re-make). And what transpires during said dinner is what changes the course of Zuckerberg's life indefinitely. Erica, sick & tired of Mark's obsession with elitism (status), breaks up with him and, when he turns his nose up at her, she replies, " ... to go through life thinking that girls don't like you because you're a tech geek ... it'll be because you're an asshole" {haha, love it}. He hurries to his dorm room, drinks some brewskies, gets some mathematical help from his best friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield, the new Spider-Man), & codes a website called Facesmash that rates the hotness of Harvard's women -- the site's instantaneous popularity crashes Harvard's servers.
For this, Mark gets academic probation. But more importantly, Facesmash makes him popular. He's sought after by twins, Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer) to design a dating website. Instead, Mark takes the Winklevoss premise & expands the idea (thus, cutting them out of the equation). Mark's new 'idea' becomes Facebook; which becomes a big hit on campus. Before long, it expands to other Ivy League colleges, & that's when it attracts attention of bankrupt Napster creator & master manipulator, Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), who wants an IN. Sean's eventual involvement alienates Eduardo, but he wins-over Mark, big time. This provides Mark with access to enough $$ to raise Facebook from a cult college project to the global social network sensation that it is today. But it also leads to personal & (the aforementioned) legal complications. As the tagline goes: you don't get 500 million friends without making a few enemies.
'The Social Network' is, in my opinion, a huge success across the board. There are a plethora of intelligent characters who are brought to life by Aaron Sorkin's scintillating, whip-smart script, & David Fincher's deft direction. The birth of Facebook is fascinating to watch unfold. The editing is kinetic; with the 2 hour + running time whizzing by. The burnished cinematography made me feel like I was AT Harvard. The sound design (blending all the rapid-fire dialogue with Trent Reznor's edgy musical score & 2 scenes with thumping dance music) is incredible. The performances are a knock-out. And you don't have to be a fan of or even knowledgeable about Facebook to appreciate this smart, often humorous, compelling story about friendship, the cutthroat nature of business, & bitter betrayal.
Jesse Eisenberg has been around for a while, but never before has he created such a lasting performance. The real Mark Zuckerberg is known to be quite the temperamental A-hole. Eisenberg DEFINITELY showcases that, but he also imbues (in his line deliveries & cold eyes) Zuckerberg's genius, emptiness, & his social ineptness. That's the irony: the founder of Facebook - a site which excuses impersonal contact - lacks that touch, as well. And the real Zuckerberg should be grateful that Eisenberg gives him a bit of a conscience. Playing both Winklevoss twins, newcomer Armie Hammer showed me that he has the chops & humor to get some high profile roles in the near future. Justin Timberlake is excellent as the energetic, charismatic, if snake-like Sean Parker. The role is one-dimensional (basically, act like a suave jerk), but JT nails it. And Andrew Garfield is sensational as Eduardo Saverin, Zuckerberg's loyal, betrayed co-founder (he was the early 'money' of The Facebook). This film is exciting, perceptive, & chilly. But Garfield's performance is the soul of the movie. It's easy to be drawn to the 'one' character that is sympathetic; but to me, it says something that if you strip away the sympathy advantage, I still think Garfield's portrayal is noteworthy.
'The Social Network' is, as they say, a zeitgeist movie. It shows something "of our time"; of media today, of youth's internet misuse, of the spiraling nature of friendship. From beginning to end, I was riveted to the screen. You know, no film is absolutely perfect. That said, I don't think there was a 10 second stretch throughout the movie where I wasn't wholly engrossed. There were no awkward moments, no oddities, no silly plot points, & no bad dialogue. How rare is that? I mean, even if you're not haunted or bowled over by devastating emotion (it's there, just more nuanced & emerges from a slow-burn) ... you'll still be hard-pressed to find flaws. This isn't a masterpiece (within my guidelines, anyway), but it IS terrific entertainment - a social thriller that kept me squirming in my seat (in a good way). You know the exhilaration you feel when you've just seen a great movie? Well that's what I have as I close this review.
When we 1st meet computer programming genius and Harvard student Zuckerberg in the fall of '03, he's having dinner with his girlfriend, Erica (Rooney Mara, the new Lisbeth Salander in Fincher's upcoming The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo re-make). And what transpires during said dinner is what changes the course of Zuckerberg's life indefinitely. Erica, sick & tired of Mark's obsession with elitism (status), breaks up with him and, when he turns his nose up at her, she replies, " ... to go through life thinking that girls don't like you because you're a tech geek ... it'll be because you're an asshole" {haha, love it}. He hurries to his dorm room, drinks some brewskies, gets some mathematical help from his best friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield, the new Spider-Man), & codes a website called Facesmash that rates the hotness of Harvard's women -- the site's instantaneous popularity crashes Harvard's servers.
For this, Mark gets academic probation. But more importantly, Facesmash makes him popular. He's sought after by twins, Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer) to design a dating website. Instead, Mark takes the Winklevoss premise & expands the idea (thus, cutting them out of the equation). Mark's new 'idea' becomes Facebook; which becomes a big hit on campus. Before long, it expands to other Ivy League colleges, & that's when it attracts attention of bankrupt Napster creator & master manipulator, Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), who wants an IN. Sean's eventual involvement alienates Eduardo, but he wins-over Mark, big time. This provides Mark with access to enough $$ to raise Facebook from a cult college project to the global social network sensation that it is today. But it also leads to personal & (the aforementioned) legal complications. As the tagline goes: you don't get 500 million friends without making a few enemies.
'The Social Network' is, in my opinion, a huge success across the board. There are a plethora of intelligent characters who are brought to life by Aaron Sorkin's scintillating, whip-smart script, & David Fincher's deft direction. The birth of Facebook is fascinating to watch unfold. The editing is kinetic; with the 2 hour + running time whizzing by. The burnished cinematography made me feel like I was AT Harvard. The sound design (blending all the rapid-fire dialogue with Trent Reznor's edgy musical score & 2 scenes with thumping dance music) is incredible. The performances are a knock-out. And you don't have to be a fan of or even knowledgeable about Facebook to appreciate this smart, often humorous, compelling story about friendship, the cutthroat nature of business, & bitter betrayal.
Jesse Eisenberg has been around for a while, but never before has he created such a lasting performance. The real Mark Zuckerberg is known to be quite the temperamental A-hole. Eisenberg DEFINITELY showcases that, but he also imbues (in his line deliveries & cold eyes) Zuckerberg's genius, emptiness, & his social ineptness. That's the irony: the founder of Facebook - a site which excuses impersonal contact - lacks that touch, as well. And the real Zuckerberg should be grateful that Eisenberg gives him a bit of a conscience. Playing both Winklevoss twins, newcomer Armie Hammer showed me that he has the chops & humor to get some high profile roles in the near future. Justin Timberlake is excellent as the energetic, charismatic, if snake-like Sean Parker. The role is one-dimensional (basically, act like a suave jerk), but JT nails it. And Andrew Garfield is sensational as Eduardo Saverin, Zuckerberg's loyal, betrayed co-founder (he was the early 'money' of The Facebook). This film is exciting, perceptive, & chilly. But Garfield's performance is the soul of the movie. It's easy to be drawn to the 'one' character that is sympathetic; but to me, it says something that if you strip away the sympathy advantage, I still think Garfield's portrayal is noteworthy.
'The Social Network' is, as they say, a zeitgeist movie. It shows something "of our time"; of media today, of youth's internet misuse, of the spiraling nature of friendship. From beginning to end, I was riveted to the screen. You know, no film is absolutely perfect. That said, I don't think there was a 10 second stretch throughout the movie where I wasn't wholly engrossed. There were no awkward moments, no oddities, no silly plot points, & no bad dialogue. How rare is that? I mean, even if you're not haunted or bowled over by devastating emotion (it's there, just more nuanced & emerges from a slow-burn) ... you'll still be hard-pressed to find flaws. This isn't a masterpiece (within my guidelines, anyway), but it IS terrific entertainment - a social thriller that kept me squirming in my seat (in a good way). You know the exhilaration you feel when you've just seen a great movie? Well that's what I have as I close this review.