Movie Review Rewind: The Social Network (2010)

Brandon Vick flips the calendar back to 2010 for a look at David Fincher's The Social Network on the latest edition of Movie Review Rewind!

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How could a film about the creation of Facebook be so enthralling and poignant? I will tell you how. You get a director such as David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fight Club), a master behind the camera, and a young talented cast with outstanding performances by Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield.

The Social Network is a film about the time we live in now. It is current and relevant but with hints of what we may have lost forever. Our loss of human connection and social capabilities. And with the improvement and creation of technology being on the fast-track, we lose our privacy in the process. Fincher has made a film with layers and issues we can all recognize as a society.

Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook and the youngest billionaire in the world. Zuckerberg created Facebook (first called “The Facebook”) essentially because he was pissed off at a girl. At least that is what lead to the invention of the social network website. He needed his best friend’s help, Eduardo Saverin (Garfield), and he took care of the business side of things. Together, with the help of an idea from the Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer), Facebook became the phenomenon it is today. But it is a kingdom with a lot of cracks. In the end, Saverin and the Winklevoss twins would sue Zuckerberg and get millions and millions of dollars from him.

Zuckerberg is a highly intelligent guy and he knows it. You must possess a lot of patience to be his friend. Ego is involved and he can be a real asshole sometimes. Well a lot of the time. The only person who may have more confidence than Zuckerberg is Napster founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). It was actually his idea to drop the “The” from “The Facebook.” But with Zuckerberg’s genius comes complications involving relationships and friendships or the lack thereof.

Eisenberg brings a lot of the same attitude to his roles. The stories are different but Eisenberg still has the same demeanor. He is practically the same guy in Zombieland and Adventureland (I enjoyed him in both). But he throws all of that out the window to be Zuckerberg. He has the attitude and cockiness of a computer genius who has created a communication revolution. But as the poster says “You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.” Unfortunately, those few enemies are people he knew and was friends with. He hurt the people who were the closest to him, and Saverin was the closest.

Garfield may be an unknown to most, but once the Spider-Man reboot comes out that will not be the case anymore because he was chosen to be the web-slinger hero. But for those who may recognize him from the Red Riding Trilogy and the recently released Never Let Me Go, we know how good of an actor he is. He really outshines everyone else in this film.

Eduardo put a lot of money in to building up Facebook and was the business man for the website. He put up with a lot when it came Zuckerberg and his comments and decisions. Finally, when it all comes to ahead, Garfield lights the screen up with his anger and emotion that you have been waiting for since the very beginning.

The Social Network is not about the website as much as it is about friendships and the demise of them. The film is about succeeding at all costs and dealing with the consequences later. It is about the lies and the betrayal that follows. Fincher has made a quality film that is engaging, interesting, and simply fascinating. He may be telling a story about the origins of Facebook, but it is deeper than that. It is about us, who we are, and how we are changing the world for better or worse.

Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.

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