An Interesting Twist Makes "The Social Network" A Must-See
More by Allison Wetterauw
NEIRAD enilno edition
With more than 500 million members, Facebook is a generational phenomenon. But when people log in every day, they probably have no idea how the social network came into existence. Enter “The Social Network,” a new film that sheds light on the machinations behind the scenes of the site’s founding.
The story of the lawsuits and history is surprisingly interesting. Director David Fincher did an excellent job turning a potentially boring story into an interesting movie. The film portrays how a Harvard computer genius made so many enemies in the process of founding the site that now links people all over the world.
Relatively unknown actor Jesse Eisenberg plays Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg. Eisenberg portrays Zuckerberg as a social misfit who gets involved with the wrong people. Eisenberg makes this character come off as a big jerk, but at the same time a huge sucker. In some scenes Zuckerberg comments over and over how he knows how smart he is – this behavior can come off as condescending.
The opening scene displays what type of person this character is when Zuckerberg is on a date in a bar. Instead of asking questions about his date he keeps going on and on how he received a SAT perfect score. This scene displays Zuckerberg’s social ineptness. Yes, Zuckerberg does seem conceited yet the film suggests it compensates for a deeper underlying insecurity. But sympathy will be in short supply when Zuckerberg says to a BU coed he is dating, “You don’t have to study because you go to BU.” The viewer instantly feels horrified at his insensitivity yet also somewhat sympathetic when the girl breaks up with him.
“The Social Network” flips between the time of its founding in 2003 to present day. It is set between Harvard where Zuckerberg started the site then to fast forward to the two most recent lawsuits. The suits were filed by Zuckerberg’s previous Harvard business partner s over stock options and claims Zuckerberg stole their idea. He was the defendant in two lawsuits, one filed by former best friend Edwardo Savin who is played by actor Andrew Garfield. Zuckerberg was also the defendant in a lawsuit filed by Harvard classmates Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, twins that sued him for $65 million.
Even the present-day scenes show how fast technology has evolved even since 2003 when Facebook first launched. From the slight out-of-fashion clothing to the old flip phones prevalent six years ago, the historical accuracy adds to the authenticity. It is the only modern-day historical movie that teenagers born in the early 1990’s can really relate and say, “hey I remember that!” It is also really cool to see what the old Facebook looked like and the slight changes it has undergone since its inception.
The casting for this film was spot on. Although I was hesitant at first to hear that Justin Timberlake was selected to play Napster founder Sean Parker, I must admit he perfectly captured the role. Timberlake made the character seem like he was quite naive and immature, but at the same time the cool guy that everyone idolized and wanted to be friends with. This depth was not exactly what I was expecting from the ex-boy band member.
The other great casting included actor Armie Hammer who played the role of both Winklevoss twins. Hammer shines in a humorous scene where these Olympic crew brothers are already part of an “old boys club” with khaki pants, polo shirts acting like they own the universe. It will ring true with Darien viewers who will have a sense of déjà vu at this little slice of Fairfield County culture. (Interesting side note - the real-life Winklevoss boys trained @ Saugatuck Rowing Club in Westport, which their dad built for them to train.)
The Harvard frat party scenes could have doubled for a Ralph Lauren casting call. This could be taking a slight stab at the type of wealthy people that actually pay tuition at Harvard versus the smart kids that get in on killer scholarships. It provides a clever contrast between the two social groups: the jock collegiate guys versus the computer nerds.
Overall this movie is a must see for our generation. The story behind the multi-million dollar lawsuits is an interesting angle combined with the story of the founding of a site many of us spend far too many hours. We all know this addictive website. Now the next time we log on to chat up a friend up we will also know the controversy behind the now billion-dollar social network.
“The Social Network” is rated PG-13.
