The Social Network (Sony Pictures)
Revenge of the Nerds
The Social Network is a film about the people who came up with the idea of Facebook and created it. As an inducement to go see a movie, this is a no-brainer. Rightly so, the reaction to this description has been negative to say the least. But then word began to get around that it was one of the best movies of the year. It was circulated that the direction and more importantly the script were near perfect. It is still a hard sell but The Social Network is slowly becoming a hit.
I went to this movie with reluctance expecting to be talked to death and with little interest in the story of Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), the so-called man behind Facebook. Eisenberg and his co-star Andrew Garfield were not actors I had any interest in whatsoever. The third lead, Justin Timberlake, had never been one of my favorites. My reaction to him was he should have stayed with his music.
My lone impetus to see the film was that Aaron Sorkin had written the script. He also wrote the screenplay for A Few Good Men and the scripts for the TV series The West Wing and Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip. I am in awe of his talent so I thought he might have gifted The Social Network with an interesting script. And he did.
The Social Network is a talky film but the talk is brilliant. Sorkin is at the top of his game and the dialogue draws the audience in from the very start. Plus the actors are amazing at delivering his lines.
The character of Zuckerberg is immediately fascinating because of his eccentricities and because he refuses to follow the rules of social etiquette. His best friend Eduardo Saverin (Garfield) is a more normal character but he gets swept up in the maelstrom that is Zuckerbergs life. Add to this list of characters of the Winklevoss twins (both played by Armie Hammer) and their best friend Divya Narendra (Max Minghella) and you have an abundance of people who actually hold your interest. Amazing but true.
Later this crew of characters is joined by Sean Parker (Timberlake), a snake oil salesman who sees a chance to cash in on something great. He was the man behind Napster and that debacle so he has a shaky reputation that precedes him.
It is all crafted and presented in the most entertaining way possible. Not one performance is weak, not one word superfluous, not one scene not needed. Plus the way it is presented using flashbacks and flash forwards heightens the intensity of the story as it is mixes the origin of Facebook with lawsuits, personal arguments and fights.
The film is rated PG-13 for profanity and mild violence.
The main problem is going to be getting audiences into the doors of the theaters where this film is showing. There is still a tendency to dismiss the film as that Facebook movie. It is only word of mouth that is going to save the day.
I found The Social Network to be entertaining, engrossing and enlightening. David Finchers direction and Aaron Sorkins script mesh together easily. Add to that some of the best acting you can imagine from young Hollywood up and comers and you have a winner.
I scored The Social Network a friended 8 out of 10.
