The Social Network

(2010)

Directed by

David Fincher

Review by Todd Plucknett

Posted - 10/17/10

Every generation a film comes along that takes a topic that is both important and timely and speaks to the audience in a way that no other film could. In 1941, that film was Citizen Kane. In 1976, that film was All the President’s Men. In 2010, the film is The Social Network, which brilliantly defines the decade and this generation who grew up with laptops and saw the rise of online social networking. David Fincher directs this masterpiece with incredible subtlety and beauty. Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay, based on the book by Ben Mezrich, is the best screenplay of the year, and perhaps the best one of the past few years. It is a film of our times and one that must be seen.

The opening scene of The Social Network sets the stage for the entire movie. It may seem like it was just a guy getting dumped by his girlfriend in a bar due to his high-minded Harvard intellect interfering with his ability to actually sustain a real conversation, but this is vitally important to the events that happen in the future. From this point, Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) goes back to his dorm and blogs about that girl, Erica Albright (Rooney Mara), calling her a bitch and essentially ruining her reputation. While still fuming, he creates a program to rank female Harvard undergrads’ hotness, and sends it to a few choice people in the school, which eventually clogs up the entire network with 650 people logged in at the same time. This catches the attention of a few other students with a new idea, needing Zuckerberg’s programming expertise. They wanted to make a dating website, only being accessible with a harvard.edu email address to stress its exclusivity. They confront Zuckerberg, who slyly agrees, and then he takes the idea back to his best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), and they begin working on a version of that idea called The Facebook. Told in parallel fashion, two lawsuits against Zuckerberg are dramatized, one from Saverin and one from the originators. This dialogue-driven story is among the most intelligent and intense films I have seen. Every word is essential. You cannot look away.

There is nothing like this film anywhere. Aaron Sorkin is a master of creating suspense with dialogue. From his previous credits, which include The West Wing and A Few Good Men, he has shown this. Never, however, has he created something so vital, so sharp, and so true. The nuances and the character development are pivotal to the story, providing not only the emotional connection, but the driving force for the website development. The problems that Zuckerberg and Saverin go through give them reason to add to their site, creating the entire college social experience online. This screenplay is one to be marveled, and basically a guaranteed Oscar-winner.

The acting here is tremendous. Jesse Eisenberg has given some truly great performances in his career, but this one is on another level. He flawlessly fits right into his role, but he is also given something to chew on. Zuckerberg is an unlikable character, one who is a jerk most of the time, but Eisenberg makes him undeniably human, giving him a wounded spirit and a drive for success. His facial expressions alone make this his best performance. Andrew Garfield is the next big thing, and his later scenes show that he may be the best actor of his generation. Rooney Mara, who is going to star in Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remake next year, is very good in her small screen time. Justin Timberlake plays Sean Parker, the high-school dropout founder of Napster, who helped the Facebook crew grow their business. He steals nearly every scene he is in, and I would not be shocked if he ends up getting the Oscar nod for his role. The terrific cast also includes Max Minghella, Rashida Jones, and Brenda Song, all giving strong support.

David Fincher has outdone himself. He started out by making simply cult thrillers like Se7en and Fight Club. Now, he has completely redefined himself as a director. The tone of Zodiac is exercised here. The visual beauty of his films is perfectly realized as well. Coming off his nomination for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fincher is suddenly one of the most highly-regarded filmmakers in the world. The Social Network may well be his best film. Somehow, he got a film that is stuffed with two hours of dialogue to be as intense and biting as any part of Fight Club or The Game. He creates a breathtaking atmosphere that is impossible to shake, as well as impossible to look away from. It simply leaves the audience astonished.

Last year, when this film was announced, it was almost a joke. David Fincher making a “Facebook movie”? What? Now, we are looking at the defining movie of an entire generation, and clearly the best film of the year thus far. It probably will not be eclipsed. At this point, I will be shocked if it does not go all the way and snag Best Picture, as well as Best Director, Best Editing, and obviously Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars. It will likely garner at least one acting nom as well, just not sure who that will be yet (any of the principle performers would deserve it). If it can make its way all the way through critics’ season without a huge amount of backlash, like The Hurt Locker miraculously did last year, then it will be guaranteed to make some serious noise at the ceremony. Its reviews are right on pace with Toy Story 3 as the best of the year. It is refreshing to know that sometimes the best films of the year are actually recognized as such.

Now, why is this film so important? Why do we care so much? Not only does the film deal with the social networking that is the foundation for our entire generation, something that has become vital for communication and even business ventures, but it is a tragic story of greed, success, and betrayal. It has everything that one can want in a movie. The comparisons to Citizen Kane are a bit premature, but the story arches and conclusions are spot on. Instead of being about the mounting of newspaper journalism, the film is about the mounting of the new age of internet communication. In the end, seeing Zuckerberg refreshing his page constantly may bring to mind the tragic mental destruction that happened to Charles Foster Kane after he had built his empire and had nothing else to do but watch it grow. The comparisons to The Graduate I still do not quite understand, other than the fact that it is a film that speaks directly to the young generation in a way that they completely understand and can relate to. All the President’s Men makes the most sense, taking a story that is incredibly timely and making it timeless. When a film is just being released and already is compared to some of the most important films ever made, you know that something special is happening at the theaters. Go see for yourself.

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