For those who read my review of Nite Tales, you know that it was easily one of the worst shows I have ever had to sit through. I have to say, however, that every painful minute of Nite Tales was worth the cinematic perfection that I also had the privilege to review this week. There is no question that The Social Network is one of the best films of the year, and in my opinion, it is the best film of the year. I know there are people who decided to sit this one out because they “don’t want to see a movie about Facebook,” and all I can say is that it’s your loss. This is acting, writing, and directing at its very best, and you shouldn’t miss it.
The Social Network opens with Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) dealing with a nasty break-up the best way he knows how which involves lots of alcohol, his LiveJournal blog, and creating Facemash, a website which compares the relative hotness of Harvard girls. The website gets the wrong kind of attention from the Harvard Administrative Board but the right kind of attention from Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer), twin brothers from a wealthy family with aspirations in rowing and dreams of an internet dating website called The Harvard Connection. The Winklevoss twins hire Mark to write code for The Harvard Connection, but instead, Mark gets financial backing from his best friend Eduardo (Andrew Garfield) and sets up his own website, The Facebook. As The Facebook gets bigger, Mark befriends Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) who is notorious for creating Napster, and Sean’s partying ways and vision for Facebook quickly drive a wedge between Mark and Eduardo.
As a writer, I have always admired screenwriter Aaron Sorkin’s work with The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. With Fincher’s help, Sorkin’s screenplay is tight, hilarious, and so smart that when it was over, I immediately wanted to watch it again. One of the biggest criticisms before the film was even released was that Sorkin, a man who only uses the internet to check his e-mail, couldn’t possibly understand the culture of Facebook or write these young characters convincingly. On the contrary, I think that his internet outsider status allows him to see the Facebook phenomenon more clearly, and as far as his age goes, I never felt like his dialogue rang false. He tapped into the brilliant yet emotionally immature mindset of the young and successful, epitomized by Zuckerberg’s business cards which read, “I’m CEO, bitch.”
In one of the behind-the-scenes featurettes on the DVD, Sorkin compares a script to sheet music. You can sit down, read through it, and see its potential, but it needs to be performed well to be truly appreciated. Luckily, Sorkin’s script is performed by an incredible ensemble of actors that know how to deliver these lines to their greatest potential. I have been a fan of Jesse Eisenberg ever since his breakout performance in The Squid and the Whale, and for years, I’ve been grinding my teeth every time someone referred to Eisenberg as “the other Michael Cera.” Colin Firth is favored to take home Oscar gold this year, but thanks to The Social Network, I think more filmgoers will appreciate just how talented Jesse Eisenberg really is.
Speaking of Oscars, I have a confession to make. I have always had a soft spot for the Best Supporting Actor category at the Oscars, and with The Social Network, I wish there were a few extra slots so that Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer/Josh Pence, and Justin Timberlake could all be nominated. Each one of them brings something unique to The Social Network. Though Jesse Eisenberg is the face of the film, Andrew Garfield is the heart. Time and again, Eduardo forgives Mark’s social shortcomings, and when he finally snaps in the film’s big showdown, he plays it with the perfect mix of righteous anger and the vulnerability of someone who has suffered the ultimate betrayal.
Where Garfield’s performance was emotionally demanding, Hammer and Pence’s performances were physically demanding. Together, they convincingly created a set of identical twins that both had Hammer’s face and yet were distinctively different. I look forward to seeing more from Hammer and Pence, and hopefully in his next role, I will get to actually see Pence’s face.
Out of all of the supporting actors, however, I think that Timberlake’s performance will go down as the most surprising. Personally, I first thought he showed acting potential back when he was in Black Snake Moan. I even liked him in Southland Tales, a film that was otherwise a complete mess. A lot of people went into The Social Network wanting Justin Timberlake to fail in a disturbing schadenfreude way. I didn’t really understand why people were so eager to see him flop. Maybe they hated his boy band past or his cocky assertion that he was “bringing sexy back.” Still, Timberlake won the critics over with his portrayal of Sean Parker as an egotistical party boy with a paranoid streak.
My biggest problem with The Social Network has nothing to do with the movie itself. It is a brilliant film, and yet it is constantly belittled as “the Facebook movie” by people who have not even taken the time to watch it. Yes, The Social Network is the story of the founding of Facebook, but by turning up their noses and making jokes about a future MySpace movie, the movie’s detractors miss the film’s point completely. The Social Network works on many levels. First, it is a commentary on the social caste system of the pre-internet world as represented by the Harvard clubs versus the world’s biggest “club” as represented by Facebook. On a second level, The Social Network is a Cain and Abel story between Mark and Eduardo which shows how Mark’s ego destroyed his one true friendship. Finally, The Social Network is a tale of irony on level with O. Henry’s best. The film’s final shot is Mark Zuckerberg, the man who created a revolutionary new means for people to connect socially, sitting in front of his computer, impatiently pressing the “refresh” button and hoping against hope that his scorned love will “friend” him.
DVD Bonus Features
There is an extensive behind-the-scenes featurette with cast and crew interviews, a look into the roundtable readings, and a really fascinating segment on the special effects used to create the Winklevoss twins. Seriously, the special effects used to make the Winklevoss twins still blow my mind.
"The Social Network" is on sale January 11, 2011 and is rated PG13. Biopic, Drama. Directed by David Fincher. Written by Aaron Sorkin. Starring Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, Brenda Song, Jesse Eisenberg, Josh Pence, Justin Timberlake, Rooney Mara.
