The Social Network
2010
****½
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Rooney Mara, Brenda Song, Joseph Mazzello
A compelling and entertaining film about the creation of Facebook. Back in 2003 Mark Zuckerberg is an arrogant and socially inept 19-year-old Harvard nerd whose subsequent work leads the way for the social media revolution. But was it his work entirely? The Academy Award winning screenplay, which is based on Ben Mezrich's book The Accidental Billionaires, is framed around two separate law suits which disputed Zuckerberg's intellectual property rights and ownership rights. It is unclear how much poetic license has been used, but at least all the main players come out of it looking equally selfish. Aaron Sorkin's machine-gun dialogue is sharp, witty and breathtaking, and it seems like he crammed two or even three movies into these two hours. This doesn't leave much room for flashy visuals, and David Fincher has indeed directed the whole thing with appropriate precision and economy. The predominantly young cast are excellent. Oscar winner for Best Film Editing and Best Original Score.
