The Social Network

The Social Network movie review

How can a guy trying to be an asshole, with minimal social graces and whiplash condescending retorts for anyone around him, invent the biggest social networking site in the world? A guy can. That guy being Mark Zuckerberg.

The Social Network is the Facebook movie. Its not about Zuckerberg, it’s about how it was built and people involved in it who end up suing each other.

Starting with a conversation between Zuckerberg and his girlfriend Erica Albright, which leads to her dumping him, the movie’s dialogues are a an absolute delight.

You know how it feels when you text SMS to and fro with a girl/boy at hyper kinetic speeds? Yeah, the dialogues are exactly like that .Quick retorts for every remark. Clever punch lines against every accusation hurled. With energetic and witty exchanges littered throughout the running time, it has got quotable lines in plenty.

Told in flashback mode, it is revealed how Mark Zuckerberg ended up facing simultaneous lawsuits against him, one by the Winklevoss twins and Divy Narendra on intellectual property theft of stealing idea of a similar website and another by his best friend and co-founder of Facebook, Eduardo Saverin played by Andrew Garfield (who will be the new Spider-man in the next Spider-man reboot).

So what is The Social Network about other than a slightly fictionalised account of the founding of Facebook ? Is it a boardroom drama involving college kids fighting over intellectual property rights? Yes, but not quite. It is more than that.

This is one of those films that does not have a lead protagonist, just a guy who happens to be the central character. Whether to like, loathe, despise, criticise, empathise, hate or love him is up to the audience. Despite his superiority complex, he craves acceptance and attention from the elite ‘final clubs’ of Harvard. He is cocky, stubborn, bull headed, insensitive and even sexist .After his break up, he chides his ex-girlfriend of enhancing her 34b frame with help of Victoria’s Secret, on his blog. And later on, in drunken stupor ends up making Facemash.com a pre cursor to Facebook – a website where you could compare and rate girls which gets 22,000 hits within an hour, that same night. But this also earns him the entire Harvard’s hate and a 6 month disciplinary suspension.

The incident however brings Zuckerberg to the attention of the Winklevoss twins who approach him to help them build a website Harvardconnection.edu to help girls find suitable Harvard boys. Zuckerberg agrees but keeps them waiting as he changes the idea and stealthily sets up Facebook.com with funding from his roommate and co-founder Eduardo Saverin. It is a conflict of interest and conflict of recognition of the source of the brilliant idea that is Facebook.

The Social Network doesn’t take sides..every side’s story is told.

Zuckerberg doesn’t believe in being left out or slow down and he would do anything to pursue his billion dollar idea. However the only guy who seems to impress him is the dashing founder of Napster, Sean Parker, played delightfully by Justin Timberlake. Zuckerberg shifts base to California for expanding his website. Banking on Parker’s ‘burnt my finger once’ experience and contacts in Silicon Valley, Facebook grows exponentially and gradually Eduardo is pushed aside. It traces ethos and values that today’s young entrepreneurs follow enroute to success.

With 500 million users, Facebook is huge today. Incidentally now the biggest photo library in the world..where people share and over share. Sign up and show off. In true Facebook lingo, this film is a comment on our lives. Though it never points this explicitly it is a comment on our need of acceptability, our craving to be a pseudo celebrity, our virtual version and lives on the web.

In a way the song used in the trailer is a perfect choice. Its ‘Creep’ by Radiohead, performed by Vega Choir. Notice how the lyrics mention about our need to be special, to be missed when not around.

The adapted screenplay by Aaron Sorkin is based on the book by ‘The Accidental Millionaires’ by Ben Mezrich. Truly fantastic screenplay. Oh ..fun fact. The twins is played by the same person, Armie Hammer..aided by some pretty impressive CGI .

Casting and acting is spot on. Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg is brilliant in his ‘ I am CEO -bitch’ mannerisms and his dialogue delivery .He is ably supported by Andrew Garfield and ultra confident playboy entrepreneur Justin Timberlake. Director David Fincher’s film is fast paced, engaging and culturally relevant. The Social Network is a must watch. Like, like, super like J