Friday, December 17, 2010

The Social Network: Movie Review



A film not about Facebook, but the face of the guys behind the book.

The Social Network is a great film and it does deserve all the credit it's getting. The key is in how Sorkin crafted the story and the characters and then how the actors ably portrayed those characters. This isn't about Facebook, but more the guys, or guy, who invented it. And the way Sorkin presented these characters was perfect.   2010

Directed by: David Fincher

Screenplay by: Aaron Sorkin

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield

I was never very sure about exactly what Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) was like but I could quickly get a handle on everybody around him: Eduardo (Andrew Garfield), the Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer) and Divya Narendra (Max Minghella). They represented Harvard students, and they represented them accurately.

I was particularly impressed with Garfield. He was the slightly awkward loner, the caring friend, the ambitious businessman, and the revengeful scorned friend, but most importantly by the end he was the one who I had to see through to get to the real Mark Zuckerberg. Originally I had said that Mark Ruffalo was my vote for Best Supporting Actor, but I might have to retract that statement. It's now Garfield. And of course Aaron Sorkin for Best Adapted Screenplay. This film wouldn't have been much without the incredible and interesting dynamics that Sorkin created.

Upon it's initial release, I was quite put off because they basically marketed it as: A movie about Facebook, starring Michael Cera, and brought to you by the director of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. What about that statement would make me want to see this film? They should have tried something like "A film not about Facebook, but the face of the guys behind the book. Written by Aaron Sorkin." There, Columbia Pictures, 18 free words for you.

I want to say The Social Network is the best college film ever made, but that is such a negative genre, and I don't mean to insult the film that way.
Best of 2010