Review - The Social Network

Friends, Finances, Facebook

Ask around. You’d be surprised who knows about Facebook. Everyone is using it. Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, Co-Workers and that old high school flame all have accounts. But how did this massive social network come to be? What’s the back story?

Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is known now has one of the creators behind Facebook. He is one of the youngest billionaires the world has ever seen. But years ago we see he was just like any other awkward college student.

Harvard has seen all types and Zuckerberg knows his computers. After a disastrous date, Zuckerberg hits his computer and proceeds to trash his girlfriend online for the world to see. Oh, and while he’s at it, he creates a web site that let’s Harvard have their say on who’s hotter. It doesn’t take long for thousands of hits and Zuckerberg to make a name for him around campus.

As his legend grows on campus, so does his circle of friends. Sure he has his best friend Eduardo (Andrew Garfield) that is with him the whole way. But there are folks like the Winklevoss twins that look to have brought him the idea to create a Harvard facebook. As Zuckerberg makes new friends, he works on new ideas; ideas that will lead him the creation of The Facebook.

The Facebook is just the beginning. As advertisers are sought and The Facebook starts to grow, Mark and Eduardo are gaining popularity around the campus. Girls are paying attention to them, fraternities want Eduardo, and life is good. But as a growing property, The Facebook needs investors. The search leads Zuckerberg to Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). Parker was the founder of Napster and is still looking for fresh, smart ideas.

Zuckerberg is enamored with Parker’s success, and this new relationship could lead to an expansion of The Facebook, and maybe even a name change too.

Now, everyone wants a piece of Zuckerberg and Facebook. Who created it? Who owns it? What will become of this new entity?

It is rare that a movie about a topic so rooted in pop culture can be as engrossing as The Social Network. Directed David Fincher has taken the story of one of the most popular pieces of today’s society and woven Aaron Sorkin’s script into an intelligent and thought provoking examination of legal and ethical norms. The pacing and development of the film keeps it interesting throughout.

Casting this film, there are a number of wins. First, Jesse Eisenberg as the Facebook creator delivers a stellar and moving performance. He shows the emotions of guy who is constantly picked on and just wants to fit in. He wants a girlfriend and wants to belong. Eisenberg creates a character who you feel sympathy for one minute, and hate the next.

Andrew Garfield delivers in his supporting role, but he is overshadowed by the performance of Justin Timberlake who knocks virtually every scene out of the park.

Start to finish, The Social Network delivers the goods. It comes to life as a legal movie, a pop culture movie, and a popular movie all rolled into one. This is one film that will definitely be in the “LIKE” column.

P.S. – Parents take note, this is a HARD PG-13. Between some of the drug use (that includes a scene where partygoers snort cocaine off of a flat stomach. And there is a scene where the boys and girls get a bit frisky in a bathroom stall. You probably will not want those that are just old enough to see this film, (13, 14, 15 year old kids) to see it.

A

The Social Network
Columbia Pictures

Director: David Fincher
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield, Rashida Jones

Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, drug and alcohol use and language
Runtime: 120 minutes.