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FeedMovie Review: The Social Network
Films opening this week:
Case 39 - Maple Ridge; Elmwood, Transit, Galleria, Hollywood, Quaker Regals; Flix
Catfish - Galleria Regal
The Concert - Eastern Hills Dipson
Countdown to Zero - Eastern Hills Dipson
Let Me In - Maple Ridge; Market Arcade; Elmwood, Transit, Galleria, Hollywood, Quaker Regals; Flix
The Social Network - Maple Ridge; Elmwood, Transit, Galleria, Hollywood, Quaker Regals; Flix
Soul Kitchen - Amherst Dipson
The Social Network begins with a Mamet-esque tit-for-tat between Jesse Eisenberg’s Mark Zuckerberg (perfect casting) and his soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend Erica, played by Rooney Mara. Their argument is laced with snide humor.
And there will be plenty more of that to go around after the opening credits sequence of Eisenberg—awkwardly running to his dorm room for a little Live Journaling, set to a brooding score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. This is a college blow-up that had enormous repercussions for the online world as we know it.
Based on The Accidental Billionaires by journalist and Harvard alum, Ben Mezrich and adapted by Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network is a perfect melding of biography, legal drama, and thriller. It's is a tale of Icarus flying way too high and way too fast, and not for the money—this guy wears a hoodie, shorts, and sandals to business meetings—but for the glory.
Told via flashback hearsay at dual depositions, we see the story of Facebook’s creation and its evolutionary leaps from Facemash to HarvardConnection to The Facebook to the incarnation we all love/hate now. We see disputed truths from his former best friend Eduardo Saverin (another fantastic turn from Andrew Garfield), the Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer in a brilliant dual role), their partner Divya Narendra (Max Minghella), and others. All is played out as Zuckerberg sits and doodles, waiting for it to end. Eisenberg’s matter-of-fact delivery—as he sits amongst lawyers and former friends—may seem uncaring and ungrateful, but it also portrays him as a pragmatic man who knows exactly what’s going on and remains unafraid to call it as he sees it.
The film concisely reveals tons of information at once, including the closed-door meetings between lawyers and plaintiffs—a smart decision. Ultimately, it's a dark story of position jockeying, backstabbing, and hatred. The true tragedy ends up being Zuckerberg’s honest words about not hating anyone; it’s simply unfortunate he holds court with those who do, such as smooth talking, Napster creator Sean Parker. In that role, Justin Timberlake is complicated and integral—with limited screen time.
A showcase for some of the finest young actors working today and the vessel for the behind-the-scenes push and pull of a cultural behemoth, The Social Network also proves that director David Fincher is securely a Hollywood heavyweight. Who knew Facebook’s genesis was in fact an entertaining, emotional, and Oscar-worthy subject?
The Social Network 9/10
photography:
[1] Andrew Garfield, left, and Jesse Eisenberg stars as "Mark Zuckerberg" in Columbia Pictures' THE SOCIAL NETWORK.
[2] Jesse Eisenberg, left, and Justin Timberlake in Columbia Pictures' "The Social Network." ©2010 Columbia Tristar Marketing Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
