The Social NetworkWhen I first heard that they were making a movie about Facebook, I was befuddled. How could this be a good movie? I just couldn't figure out where the story was. I should have had more faith in director David Fincher (Fight Club, Seven) and writer Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing). They not only found a clean way to tell the story of Facebook's founding, they knocked the movie clear out of the park.
The team finds a rather ingenious way to follow Facebook's birth, from its unglamorous origins in a Harvard dorm room through its path to eventually taking over the world. The tale unfolds through various legal testimonies from people who are suing Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg). This includes a trio of Harvard students, Divya (Max Minghella) and the crew-rowing Winklevoss Twins (both played brilliantly by Armie Hammer), who accuse Zuckerberg of stealing the idea for Facebook. Unfortunately, these lawsuits also include Mark's best friend, Eduardo (Andrew Garfield), who had originally put up the money to get the site started before being ruthlessly forced out of the company.
On paper, this doesn't sound like the most thrilling movie in the world; it is literally two hours of talking. But in Fincher's able hands, the movie isn't only interesting, it is enthralling. It's fascinating just listening to these techno geniuses talk. I was also surprised by how funny the movie is. Whether it is one of Zuckerberg's vicious attacks or the crazy girlfriend Christy or the Winklevoss' twins, who get some of the movie's funniest lines, the dialogue just crackles with wit. Supposedly the movie is two hours 15 minutes long, but it felt half that length.
A lot of credit has to go to the actors, as well. Jesse Eisenberg gives his best performance so far as Zuckerberg. He could have taken the easy way out and played him as a total jerk, but he manages to find the humanity beneath the cold and condescending exterior. His Zuckerberg doesn't mean to be bad. He's just socially awkward and sometimes says the wrong thing...well, he always says the wrong thing. But he does care, and he does invent Facebook because he wants to make something cool, and not for any selfish reasons. He just wants to be cool.
Another major player enters the movie about halfway through: Sean Parker, the co-founder of Napster, played by Justin Timberlake. I have to give Timberlake credit. He also could have taken the easy way out and played Parker as an egotistical user. Yet, this Sean Parker is a well-rounded character. Does he want to profit? Definitely. But he also sees in Zuckerberg a kindred spirit and a programming equal, and his enthusiasm is not for the money, but for the coolness of this new creation. In the end, he's in it for the same reason Zuckerberg is. Sure, he's a pompous d-bag, too, but that just makes the character more interesting. His role is in sharp contrast to Eduardo, nicely played by Andrew Garfield, the honest and super nice guy who just doesn't understand the goldmine he has on his hands. It is interesting that ultimately, the nice guy is the one who is bad for the company; the jerks are the ones who know how to stir the ship.
All in all, it's a pretty fascinating film, and easily Fincher's best film since Fight Club. It will almost certainly be nominated for Best Picture. Just because it isn't as flashy as other movies out there doesn't make it any less of an achievement. If anything, it is more of an achievement because this team managed to do the impossible: they took a topic that should have been boring and produced one of the most entertaining movies of the year.
MVP: Aaron Sorkin, whose screenplay is superb. The structure he gives the film, introducing us to the story little by little through those depositions, is downright brilliant. Without this script, the movie would not have worked. And the dialogue itself is terrific, deftly mixing the drama and the comedy. Kudos to Mr. Sorkin!
TRIVIA: During one of the depositions, someone mentions that Facebook made Zuckerberg "the biggest thing on a campus that included nineteen Nobel laureates, fifteen Pulitzer Prize winners, two future Olympians, and one movie star." One lawyer asks, "Who was the movie star?" and the answer is "Does it matter?" The movie star is, in fact, Natalie Portman, who attended Harvard from 1999 to 2003. She also helped out Sorkin with the script, giving him the inside scoop on Harvard campus life and on the exclusive Harvard clubs.
BEST LINE: Tyler Winklevoss explaining why it would be easy to beat up Zuckerberg: "I'm 6'5", 220 lbs and there are two of me."
UPDATE: Well, clearly I wrote this review before the Oscars...so here is an Oscar update...
On paper, this doesn't sound like the most thrilling movie in the world; it is literally two hours of talking. But in Fincher's able hands, the movie isn't only interesting, it is enthralling. It's fascinating just listening to these techno geniuses talk. I was also surprised by how funny the movie is. Whether it is one of Zuckerberg's vicious attacks or the crazy girlfriend Christy or the Winklevoss' twins, who get some of the movie's funniest lines, the dialogue just crackles with wit. Supposedly the movie is two hours 15 minutes long, but it felt half that length.
A lot of credit has to go to the actors, as well. Jesse Eisenberg gives his best performance so far as Zuckerberg. He could have taken the easy way out and played him as a total jerk, but he manages to find the humanity beneath the cold and condescending exterior. His Zuckerberg doesn't mean to be bad. He's just socially awkward and sometimes says the wrong thing...well, he always says the wrong thing. But he does care, and he does invent Facebook because he wants to make something cool, and not for any selfish reasons. He just wants to be cool.
Another major player enters the movie about halfway through: Sean Parker, the co-founder of Napster, played by Justin Timberlake. I have to give Timberlake credit. He also could have taken the easy way out and played Parker as an egotistical user. Yet, this Sean Parker is a well-rounded character. Does he want to profit? Definitely. But he also sees in Zuckerberg a kindred spirit and a programming equal, and his enthusiasm is not for the money, but for the coolness of this new creation. In the end, he's in it for the same reason Zuckerberg is. Sure, he's a pompous d-bag, too, but that just makes the character more interesting. His role is in sharp contrast to Eduardo, nicely played by Andrew Garfield, the honest and super nice guy who just doesn't understand the goldmine he has on his hands. It is interesting that ultimately, the nice guy is the one who is bad for the company; the jerks are the ones who know how to stir the ship.
All in all, it's a pretty fascinating film, and easily Fincher's best film since Fight Club. It will almost certainly be nominated for Best Picture. Just because it isn't as flashy as other movies out there doesn't make it any less of an achievement. If anything, it is more of an achievement because this team managed to do the impossible: they took a topic that should have been boring and produced one of the most entertaining movies of the year.
MVP: Aaron Sorkin, whose screenplay is superb. The structure he gives the film, introducing us to the story little by little through those depositions, is downright brilliant. Without this script, the movie would not have worked. And the dialogue itself is terrific, deftly mixing the drama and the comedy. Kudos to Mr. Sorkin!
TRIVIA: During one of the depositions, someone mentions that Facebook made Zuckerberg "the biggest thing on a campus that included nineteen Nobel laureates, fifteen Pulitzer Prize winners, two future Olympians, and one movie star." One lawyer asks, "Who was the movie star?" and the answer is "Does it matter?" The movie star is, in fact, Natalie Portman, who attended Harvard from 1999 to 2003. She also helped out Sorkin with the script, giving him the inside scoop on Harvard campus life and on the exclusive Harvard clubs.
BEST LINE: Tyler Winklevoss explaining why it would be easy to beat up Zuckerberg: "I'm 6'5", 220 lbs and there are two of me."
UPDATE: Well, clearly I wrote this review before the Oscars...so here is an Oscar update...
OSCARS: Film Editing, Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay
OSCAR NOMINATIONS: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Eisenberg), Best Cinematography, Sound Mixing
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