I think it’s fair to assume that more than half of the people reading this review currently have or have had Facebook accounts at some point in their lives.
The most eye-catching, ground-breaking aspect of David Fincher’s The Social Network is not the revolution that was once “The Facebook,” but rather the drama, the “OMG” moments, and the portrayal of an intellectual yet idiotic Mark Zuckerberg. This movie is chaotic and fast-paced, and it exemplifies the saying “beauty lies in chaos.” All the havoc behind the making of Facebook seen in this movie is what led the real-life platform to be as glorious, magnificent, and in-demand as it is now.
Long story short, with its lines of code and planning and plotting, this movie may make you feel a little dumb, but will definitely leave you flabbergasted.
The star of this film, Jesse Eisenberg, does a phenomenal job playing the one and only Mark Zuckerberg. The Zuckerberg character proves himself to be a “pretentious douchebag” (says Eduardo Saverin, AKA Andrew Garfield) repeatedly. I’m not complaining though, as his douchiness makes the movie.
Author K.M. Weiland introduced the concept of a “Fall Arc” in her book on creating character arcs. A Fall Arc is when a character believes in a lie, coheres to it, and rejects or is oblivious to every encounter with the truth.
This arc can help viewers understand Zuckerberg’s otherwise complex personality. And maybe, just maybe, while you watch this movie, you’ll subconsciously start identifying elements of Zuckerberg’s behavior that fit the Fall Arc. This can be a fun little game for you! The movie Zuckerberg is an astounding coder whose work speaks for itself, but when it comes to being a good person… he’s not quite so skilled.
Being the central character of this film, his delusion leads him to believe that there is nothing beyond the world of Facebook – the world of power. This is a “lie.” To achieve his vision, all relationships and all boundaries cease to exist for Zuckerberg. This is Zuckerberg cohering to the “lie.”
Erica Albright (Rooney Mara) is very briefly Mark’s girlfriend and gives him his first reality check. She tells him: “You are probably going to be a very successful computer person. But you’re going to go through life thinking that girls don’t like you because you’re a nerd. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that that won’t be true. It’ll be because you’re an asshole.” Mic-drop.
What she said was true: he ends up building a million-dollar company as an undergraduate student – but his insecure and selfish nature leads him to lose girls and his best friend, Saverin. Zuckerberg’s blind greed eventually leads him to kick Saverin, Facebook’s first investor and Zuckerberg’s only real friend, out of the company. This makes The Social Network a compelling movie about not just Facebook but also friendship and betrayal, which is why it’s a must-watch.
Another significant supporting character is Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), the founder of Napster who becomes both an idol for Mark and a villain for Eduardo. Parker and his quest to amplify Facebook is one of the most pivotal pieces of drama in the movie.
One laudable aspect of the movie is how all characters are introduced with such fine simplicity, and how all are relevant to Facebook. For example, Parker is introduced when he sees Facebook on the laptop of Amelia Ritter (Dakota Johnson), who he had just slept with.
Other significant characters include twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss (Armie Hammer) and Divya Narendra (Max Minghella), who contribute to the movie through their humorous lawsuit against Mark.
One of the challenges this movie presents is the switching timeline between the scenes of the lawsuits against Zuckerberg and the past events that led to those suits. The switches between the two ongoing lawsuits and flashbacks to the past can be hard to keep up with, but it ensures that you won’t be able to take your eyes off of the screen for even a minute.
Aaron Sorkin’s screenwriting adds more vigor to the melodrama of this biopic. In addition to the emotional merit of his dialogues, the sheer amount of dialogue he covers in merely two hours is impressive.
The Social Network gives you an insight into what college is like – who falls behind and who doesn’t. Another thing that you might infer is that being intoxicated on a Tuesday night, creating a derogatory website, and violating a considerable amount of college rules will make you an instant genius… but it won’t!
On an endnote, is it just me or is there a real resemblance between Eisenberg in the movie and Mark Zuckerberg in real life?
It’s ambiguous whether The Social Network is set in the heart of Harvard or the heart of a computer, but once you watch it, It’ll be all you think about for days. That, and “What’s the whole fuss about farm animals?”
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