“The Social Network” offers a unique perspective into the creation of Facebook not readily seen by the public at large before Ben Mezrich’s “Accidental Billionaires.” In the movie stemming from the book, David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin deliver a powerfully beautiful tale of intelligence, wit and self-destruction.The movie follows the story of Mark Zuckerberg and the creation of Facebook. Shortly after the Web site goes live, legal trouble begins to pile up for Zuckerberg and the rest of the Facebook crew. As the company grows, so do the problems and soon best friends become worst enemies.
Without a doubt, what puts this movie into the “Oscar hopeful” category is the performance by Jesse Eisenberg, playing Zuckerberg. Eisenberg drives this movie with an eloquent portrayal of the eccentric world’s youngest billionaire. Finally, after several successful films, including “Zombieland,” Eisenberg breaks out of the “poor man’s Michel Cera” tag and into his own. In addition to Eisenberg’s stellar performance, Andrew Garfield (Eduardo Saverin) and Justin Timberlake (Sean Parker) fill out the major roles and add a layer of depth to the movie.
Throughout the course of the film, the narrative jumps from flashbacks to the present, seamlessly offering a unique vantage point for the viewer. Expertly crafted transitions blend the two periods, making a very detailed and complex story accessible to anyone. Thanks in large part to this directorial decision, the movie flows smoothly, making anyone watching want the two-hour runtime to last longer.
Going along with the well-crafted story, tight framing and intelligent placement of the camera is a prevalent feature of the film. Fincher works for a specific aesthetic in this movie with the camerawork and achieves it beautifully.
“The Social Network” wonderfully captures the stigma and essence of the past decade, an era marked by superficiality among our generation as we made the jump into adolescence and eventually into adulthood. Beyond our generation, “The Social Network” hits upon reoccurring themes that everyone, regardless of generation, who has been scorned in love can relate. Fincher and Sorkin take a larger than life figure in Zuckerberg and force us to relate to his issues and find a bit of ourselves in him.
From the opening sequence to the final lasting image, this movie is a mesmerizing triumph that should not be missed by anyone. Fincher and Sorkin capture the story and the era spectacularly in a stunningly unique movie that is nearly flawless. I did not think anyone would be able to top “The Town” as my favorite for Best Picture at the Oscars, but it’s been done. Do yourself a favor and see this film as soon as you can.
Final Grade: A+
MPAA: PG-13
