Some films are so talked about but, when finally released, are big let-downs. The Facebook movie “The Social Network” is not one of those. In fact, it exceeds expectations.
Whether one cares about Facebook or not, this is a film not to miss. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg refused to cooperate with the film’s director David Fincher and, in fact, threatened legal action. Yet this actually worked in Fincher’s favor, as this is not a documentary but a fictional film inspired by real events. Working only with the public facts freed Fincher and scriptwriter Aaron Sorkin (“The West Wing”) to invent more revealing scenes and create richer characters, going beyond the fact of one story to build a universal tale of ambition, ruthlessness and character. “The Social Network” is almost Shakespearean and a flawless piece of filmmaking.
“The Social Network” seizes immediately on the irony of a socializing website created by an unsociable character. The film opens with Harvard computer science major Mark Zuckerberg being dumped by his girlfriend. It brilliantly sets the tone for the story and outlines Mark’s complex character, as he bounces back and forth between sarcastically picking her apart and needy clinging.
Angered, he blogs insultingly about his ex. He tops that by creating a website to rank female students by looks, hacking into the residence hall face books to snatch photos. It is cold, unethical and bullying but attention-grabbing and immediately popular, at least with the guys.
The film flashes forward to legal negotiations for two lawsuits brought following the website’s phenomenal success. The legal scenes become the anchor for flashbacks describing Facebook’s creation and giving the characters’ differing viewpoints of events.
Other programmers are drawn to Zuckerberg’s brilliance and fearlessly creativity but his cold, flinty personality means less success with social relationships, not just with women. His one true friend is business major Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), who sees through Mark’s hard exterior to his humanity beneath.
Lifting an idea from fellow Harvard students, the popular, athletic, privileged Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer and Josh Pence), Mark seeks financing and business partnership from Eduardo. Facebook’s early success catches the eye of Napster founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) in California. The slippery Parker seeks to snake his way in, seductively offering connections to venture capitalists, for a price.
There is a “Richard the Third” meets “Faust” element to this outstanding film. In the hands of a lesser actor, Zuckerberg could have devolved into a one-note villain but Jesse Eisenberg’s brilliant performance brings out all the layers of human frailty and subconscious conflicts within this difficult character. Eisenberg’s Mark is almost powerless to stop being sociopathic, like a sickness that compels him even to be his own worst enemy. With Eisenberg’s performance and Fincher’s strong direction, Mark becomes a character to both despise and pity. Casting Justin Timberlake as the conniving, sleazy Parker was a stroke of genius, a different kind of flawed, self-destruction that forms the perfect third leg of a triangle between Mark and the upright Eduardo.
Fincher’s seamless, subtle direction is equally marvelous. He builds the story without a single misstep, drawing us in whether we care about Facebook or not, bringing to the surface the universal side to the human drama with an unseen hand. His strong yet unseen direction moves us down its path like a stream relentlessly moving toward a waterfall.
“The Social Network” is unquestionably one of year’s best films. Run, run now, to see this film.