The Social Network - (October 1st, 2010): PG-13
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $22,445,653
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $62,436,364
Gross Revenue: $82,372,521
Budget: $50 million
Director: David Fincher
As I said in the “Short and Sweet” review, the combined guidance of director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin was more than enough give The Social Network a high level of credibility, but the development of the film was not without some level of controversy. Though the screenplay was adapted from Ben Mezrich’s 2009 nonfiction book, The Accidental Billionaires, the project was developed without the collaboration of Zuckerberg or any of Facebook’s staff, and rumors were surfacing that Zuckerberg himself was furious with his portrayal in the film. Nevertheless, the trailer was released in late June and attached to such films such as Inception, Salt, and The Other Guys, so buzz was continuing to build. In terms of the young cast, Jesse Eisenberg’s previous work has largely been confined to independent films, but early screenings had critics convinced that this film would help launch him to mainstream prominence; Andrew Garfield has been relatively unknown in Hollywood, but ever since he was announced to be the new Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Sony’s 2011 reboot, many were curious about whether he could hold his own on screen; and finally, there was Justin Timberlake, who apparently had to jump through hoops to play Napster founder Sean Parker. With this carefully selected cast and crew combining with popular and relevant subject material, it was clear the Columbia Pictures would be shooting for the stars with its newest drama.
If you haven’t heard by now, The Social Network traces the founding of the social networking website Facebook. The story starts in 2003, where, after a tense breakup with his girlfriend, Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (Eisenberg) drunkenly creates a webpage that allows students to rate the attractiveness of Harvard’s female students. After traffic to his site crashes the network, Mark attracts the attention of entrepreneurial twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and their business partner, Divya Narendra, who hire Mark to create a networking site exclusive to Harvard students. Mark decides to expand on this idea with his best friend Eduardo Saverin (Garfield), christening the social networking tool “the facebook.” As the site grows in popularity, Mark and Eduardo attract the attention of Napster’s co-founder, Sean Parker (Timberlake), who sees the potential of Facebook and resolves to help Mark take the website to the next level. Unfortunately, a rift forms between Mark and Eduardo, and Mark eventually finds himself fighting two lawsuits, one from the Winklevoss twins and one from Eduardo, both of which may threaten the continuance of the Facebook phenomenon.
My short description of the story does not do the film justice, as the story itself is easily one of the most positive features of The Social Network, brought to life by clever dialogue and superb acting. Listening to Eisenberg energetically rattle off his ideas for the Facebook format is almost hypnotic, while the banter between the competitive Harvard students and the internet entrepreneurs is surprisingly clever and humorous. Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake showcase considerable acting ability as they bring Zuckerberg and Parker to life with an almost sympathetic arrogance (they’re jerks, but likable jerks), but the real surprise is Andrew Garfield, who in addition to being almost instantaneously likable as Facebook’s first CFO, also shows considerable emotional depth as he transitions from a loyal friend to legal opponent still stinging from betrayal. I also thoroughly enjoyed the unique framing style of The Social Network, where the narrative switches between the early development of Facebook and the legal depositions that Zuckerberg faces now that the site is popular…it really helps keep the audience on their toes by building curiosity as to how the relationships between the characters fell apart. Put all this elements together, and The Social Network is a smart and clever drama that audiences are sure to enjoy.
Fortunately, they’re actually aren’t that many negatives to be said about The Social Network, but if anything, I have to admit that this drama almost destroyed its appeal in the first scene. The film opens with Zuckerberg talking with his girlfriend, and Eisenberg rattles off his lines with such a smug intensity that he’s almost incomprehensible, not only making him unlikable, but also sparking fears that the entire movie could be as exhausting as that first scene. Don’t worry and stay strong, you get used to the pace of dialogue eventually and you’re sure to enjoy the film in its entirety. Another small criticism is that there are points where the film gets a little overly technical, which could make it hard to follow for those not familiar with Facebook, but given the site’s popularity, I don’t see this aspect alienating a large portion of the target audience. In the though there are some small problems, The Social Network is still near-perfect, just sit back and enjoy an entertaining story.
Like the website it’s based on, The Social Network has been surprisingly profitable, bringing in over $22 million its opening weekend and taking the box-office crown two weeks in a row. With the large amount of media coverage surrounding its release and both positive reviews and favorable word-of-mouth, it isn’t that surprising that The Social Network was able to beat out some vague horror entries like Case 39 or My Soul to Take or underperforming family appeals like Life as We Know It or Secretariat. The real Mark Zuckerberg had remained pretty quiet over the development of the film, but he has now gone out of his way to point out the large differences between the fiction and reality of his success. Either way, I expect The Social Network to continue to perform strongly at the box-office and do considerable damage at this year’s Oscars. Just like not having a Facebook profile keeps you out of the social loop, it’s important that even the most casual of movie fans not miss The Social Network.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
