Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake,
Armie Hammer, Rooney Mara
Rated: Pg-13 for crude and sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and language
It’s hard to believe that less than ten years ago there was no facebook. Communication was vastly different, and personal connections were, well, a lot more personal. David Fincher reminds us of that time, when people actually had to talk, and friends actually had to interact in his new film The Social Network, which is loosely based on facebook’s creator Mark Zuckerberg. The film paints Zuckerberg as the outside kid, one who wants to be in the group, but wants to do it his way. His own pride and selfishness blind him, and make it even more difficult to connect with people. Then, he is asked to work on a project with some other students in creating an exclusive website to connect Harvard friends. Zuckerberg, who initially agrees, ditches the project, and begins working on his own invention: “the facebook.” Jesse Eisenberg, who is best known for playing quirky, teen-angst roles similar to Michael Cera, completely breaks the mold, and gives one of the best performances I’ve seen in a while as the quick-witted yet socially confused Zuckerberg. However, his co-star, Andrew Garfield, who plays Zuckerberg’s best friend, Eduardo, is the emotional center of the film. He’s the one we connect with, the one friend who anchors Zuckerberg. Garfield is splendid, and deserves an Oscar nomination, as well. No matter his recognition for the role, he has a bright acting future ahead of him. The film even boasts a good performance from Justin Timberlake as Napster founder Sean Parker, the party boy who only enhances Zuckerberg’s problems, even if Mark is too blind to see it.
While I have seen nearly all of Fincher’s films, this is by far my favorite. He’s in top form, especially with the techno-yet-isolated score of Trevor Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails fame) which could be the best score since Dario Marianelli's Atonement soundtrack. Fincher also understands every line of Aaron Sorkin’s wonderfully witty yet powerfully poignant script. Don’t think this film is “just another bio.” It’s more of a critique of our culture than anything else. It nails Generation X, our desire to fit in, to be cool, and to connect with others, no matter our surrounding. However, in the internet age, we’ve let computers do the talking for us, making us incapable of doing it ourselves. Despite their ever growing friends list, everyone in the film feels alone. Zuckerberg wants to fit in, from Harvard to Silicon Valley, but his selfish attitude and the backstabbing of his friends only repel them. Eduardo, whom seemingly doesn’t have to try in order to fit in is surrounded by crazies like Zuckerberg and his girlfriend Christy. Parker tries to connect as a social celebrity and mentor to Mark, but only seems to bring more chaos and headaches wherever he goes. Even the trio whom Zuckerberg betrays can’t get anyone to believe that Zuckerberg stole their idea. Generation X is no different. We want to fit in, yet we so we find delusional ways of telling ourselves that we have, none of which are satisfying. Like Zuckerberg, we think friendship is when you stare at your computer screen, hitting the refresh button, wondering if the people we truly care about will accept our friendship. What The Social Network understands is that life is more than a profile and friendship is more than exclusivity to information.
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