Movie Review: The Social Network

Ok. I have to admit I was really skeptical about The Social Network despite the across the board good reviews. I was initially turned off by super melodramatic trailer. While I usually take a lot of joy out of hearing choirs of children singing, hearing their rendition of "Creep" by Radiohead almost made me boycott the movie all together. Well, that and the fact that I don't really care about Mark Zuckerberg or what he supposedly did.

I am truly a cinephile, so when my husband said that he wanted to see it, I decided that I should just suck it up and go. From the very first scene I was hooked. A scene of snappy dialouge between Mark (Jesse Eisenberg) and his girlfriend Erica (Rooney Mara) really sets the pace for the rest of the film, and it also accomplishes incredible character revelation. It's kind of hard to think of Mark as anything other than a totally self-absorbed obtuse jerk after the way he talks to his girlfriend.

The script is practically flawless. If Aaron Sorkin isn't nominated for an Oscar, I'll be surprised. He expertly crafts a story weaving together the intricate details with the intimacies of Mark and Eduardo Saverin's (Andrew Garfield) friendship. Both Eisenberg and Garfield are incredible on screen. Eisenberg plays the role of Mark as someone so smart he's nearly autistic, and Garfield plays the role of Eduardo as an emotional, thoughtful guy who just wants to help his friend out with his idea. They are polar opposites and if they are portrayed as they are in real life, well it's easy to see how their friendship could have suffered. I think it would have suffered at some point anyway, with or without the creation of Facebook.

The movie moves at a feverish pace, with scenes going back and forth between the events leading up to the creation of Facebook as well as the depositions of Mark, Eduardo, the Winklevoss twins, Carmeron and Tyler (Armie Hammer, who is insanely handsome, by the way) and various others involved in the lawsuit against Mark. It's during the depositions when we see who Mark truly is; he has himself convinced that he has done nothing wrong, and his arrogance and disdain for anyone in his way is apparent.

The question is, "When are you going to make another record, JT?"

We even get a great performance from Justin Timberlake in the role of Sean Parker, also known as the guy who founded Napster. It's obvious to see how Mark would be attracted to Sean. It was almost like a Fight Clubesque relationship - Sean was everything that Mark wasn't, and Sean reinforced how Mark felt about Facebook and what it should and shouldn't do for its users. We can see how Sean's influence began to change Mark, and it wasn't for the better.

I'd also like to add that the soundtrack is pretty incredible. Scored by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the music really heightens the emotion in a lot of the scenes. It highlighted the darkness that was just underneath the surface in Mark's personality, and it also helped to express the characters' feelings throughout the film. Once again, I'll be surprised if they don't get a nod at the Oscars.

Is this really how it went down? Who knows. Zuckerberg has come out and said that it's a work of fiction, but I can't imagine anyone being portrayed as poorly as he was in this film would have anything else to say. I can't imagine that it's been much fun for him to have his life splayed open in a public forum, but then again, Mark is laughing all the way to the bank. Dude is twenty-six and worth nearly seven billion dollars. While his public image may have taken a hit, I'm sure that he'll get over it.

This is a really great movie. It's well written, thought provoking and emotionally charged. If you like dramas about the human condition, friendship and betrayal, you'll enjoy this film. I feel like you don't even have to know what Facebook is to enjoy it, so if you don't know what to see and are just looking for something good, check it out. You won't be disappointed.