If I could name one cinematic quality that would be important to a film about the creation of an internet website it would be pacing. Watching a film about computer nerds writing code could easily become less engaging than watching paint dry. It might seem like a challenge, but The Social Network succeeds by making this film about the people more than the process. By making the story character-centered, writers Ben Mezrick (book) and Aaron Sorking (screenplay) manage to engage the audience.
The Social Network also spices the story up with gratuitous (but tame) scenes of the tawdry side of campus life. Drunken parties with girls dressed in panties and bras, some girl-on-girl action, a bit of bathroom fun in a public place and doing lines of coke off of a girls belly all infuse some raciness into the story. Did I say "gratuitous?" Yes. But it worked. It added some much-needed flavor to an otherwise plain (but interesting) story of the birthing pains surrounding the creation of Facebook.
The story begins with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) engaged in a rapid paced conversation with his girlfriend, Erica Albright (Rooney Mara). The pace of the conversation is dizzying and manages to paint Zuckerberg as a social misfit. It also provides perspective on Zuckerberg's intellect. By the time he realizes that his self-centered view of the world has cost him his girlfriend, it is too late. Zuckerberg returns to his dorm room where he proceeds to dress Albright down in a scathing blog posting before engaging in a hacking experiment that lays the groundwork for his later pursuits. The algorithm that sets up this experiment is provided by Zuckerberg's friend and future CFO, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield).
Zuckerberg is approached by members of a club that he wants to join and offered an opportunity to set up an exclusive social dating website within Harvard University. The upperclassmen manage to insult Zuckerberg in an offhanded way, which may have provided him with the impetus to extract revenge. That revenge comes in the form of a website that does far more than the idea first suggested to Zuckerberg. After six weeks of writing code, Zuckerberg launches his new website, which quickly goes viral. We pick all of these details up between depositions that flash back and forth with a frenzy that seems to match Zuckerberg's own mind. The lawsuits are brought by the upperclassmen who first approached Zuckerberg with their idea, as well as Eduardo, who Zuckerberg appears to screw over in this film. The ending was already written. Spoiler alert: Facebook becomes the largest social networking site in the world and Zuckerberg becomes the world's youngest billionaire.
It appears that the writers have infused some of their own ideas into this film, which makes it hard to discern what motivates the people who surround Zuckerberg. It is almost written from Eduardo's perspective, making him the guy that the audience feels the most pity for. I am sure this film was well researched to present the closest motivations possible. However, I thought that the film managed to paint Napster founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) in a bad light. It also attributes a naivete to Zuckerberg in his hero worship of Parker. It seems to me that Parker delivered the goods (securing the half million dollar seed money that stood Facebook up), making him highly deserving of the seven percent share of the company he managed to eke out. I did come away feeling that Eduardo had been locked out by Zuckerberg...to the point that he was certainly cheated...but the perspective seemed somewhat skewed to me. And I also believe Zuckerberg knew exactly what he was doing when he hitched his wagon to Parker's star.
If the writer's had not taken a position on the characters in this film, it would have failed for having flat characters. So the issues I mentioned above are a matter of personal observation. The fact that the writers managed to make the audience care about the different characters is a tribute to good writing. The Social Network was phenomenally well written. The dialogue was sharp and interesting, the characters were engaging and the pacing was spot on. To make a film like this interesting takes a special hand...a hand that was visible in this film. The process of blending three different time periods together, while darting back and forth, could have lost some viewers. I felt it allowed the writers to maintain a quick pace that kept the film from bogging down in geek speak. The writing was exceptional on all fronts.
Eisenberg was a rising star when this film was made. I enjoy his work, even if some of the films he has been in are forgettable (Zombieland). Eisenberg was perfectly cast in the role of Zuckerberg, bringing credibility to the story. Zuckerberg delivers some incredible dialogue that flows from his brain with gentle ease. He made the great writing more brilliant. Timberlake was decent as Parker, but not exceptional. I am not familiar with Garfield, but enjoyed him in this film. Josh Pence and Armie Hammer did a solid job playing the Winklevoss twins. As a whole, the film had a strong cast to support a superior script.
One word about the MPAA ratings in The Social Network. This film was rated PG-13, so I was expecting a bit of strong language and maybe some partying from a film about Facebook. Although there was no nudity, there were some highly sensual scenes. If you have a child that loves Facebook and wants to see this film, jut be aware that the sensuality is in there. There are also a couple of drug scenes and drinking. The language didn't seem that bad, with euphemisms used instead of harsher words in a couple of scenes I recall. Tweens, teens or older. Run time is an even two hours.
Director David Fincher impressed me with his interpretation of this story. He brought the elements together tightly to present an engaging story that never lagged. The Social Network took an excellent script and brought it to life with a carefully chosen cast. The pacing, dialogue, cinematic quality and acting all contributed to a film that is well worth the time invested. 8.5/10.
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