The Social Network – A Sony Pictures’ Release

http://www.thesocialnetwork-movie.com/

Release Date: October 1st

Rated 14A for substance abuse, language may offend

Running time: 120 minutes

David Fincher (dir.)

Aaron Sorkin (screenplay)

Based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich

Trent Reznor (music)

Atticus Ross (music)

Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg

Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin

Rooney Mara as Erica Albright

Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker

Bryan Barter as Billy Olsen

Armie Hammer as Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss

©Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network

Our reviews below:

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The Social Network Review By John C.

**** (out of 4)

In February 2004, Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) launched Facebook from his Harvard dorm.  The Social Network is the excellent and cinematic telling of the often-dark story that started the revolution of social networking.  With friends being made through the click of a little blue button and awareness of your situation gained through updates of your status, this is the first film to show us the people who started this phenomenon and how they were able to freely betray their real life friends.

The story is told through flashbacks, while Zuckerberg is being sued by Harvard twins Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss (‘the Winklevy’ – Armie Hammer in a dual role) who claim Facebook was born out of an idea they had to create a social website.  But the bigger, more personal lawsuit comes from his once best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) who unfairly did not receive enough financial credit for his role in co-creating the website.

Even though, according to recent reports, certain details have been dramatized, on a closer look The Social Network goes deeper than just the invention of Facebook.  This is a representation of the last 7 years of this generation’s obsession with social networking, and it’s an immensely relevant part of recent history.  It will be controversial, but all films that show a generation for what they are, will garner controversy.

In adapting Ben Mezrich’s book (The Accidental Billionaires), screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has filled the film with razor-sharp dialogue and snappy one-liners. Director David Fincher has handled the story in a way that is just as cinematic as his other films.   Jesse Eisenberg captures the elusive character of Mark Zuckerberg perfectly, creating a complex character that isn’t always likable, but often viewed with curiosity.  Andrew Garfield gives another excellent performance as Eduardo, and Justin Timberlake shines in portraying Napster founder Sean Parker, right down to his sinister dark side.

One of the best thrillers ever made to never feature a gunshot or explosion, The Social Network is quietly suspenseful with keyboards tapping and courtroom arguments creating a palpable sense of tension.  From the opening scene, I was glued to the screen for the straight 2 hours.  Although it arguably lacks some of the emotional resonance of other current awards-season favourites, this is a film of timely social relevance, and a brilliant one at that.

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The Social Network Review By Erin V.

**** (out of 4)

The Social Network is the story of Facebook’s early days from 2003 to its legal battles a few years later.  It’s an interesting story, and look at how Mark Zuckerberg & co. completely changed the social networking scene – for better or for worse.

The thing is about a film like The Social Network is that when watching it, you have to recognize that facts and situations are obviously slightly altered for the dramatic purposes of the shift to screen.  I don’t deny Facebook had its issues in its early days and I do think this is a fairly accurate depiction of the legal issues it faced.  Who each of the individuals actually are, I’m not so sure.  (For those interested in a brief video featuring the real Mark Zuckerberg, see here.)

Now, what do I think of The Social Network’s Best Picture chances?  I don’t really know for sure, but if I had a ballot, I’d probably want to see it as one of the 10, but with films like The King’s Speech, I don’t think I’d vote it to win.  What this film doesn’t have, unlike even a film like Never Let Me Go, is a real emotional impact.

Don’t get me wrong though – I really, really liked this film and was not at all bored during its 2 hour running time, (and just to put this out there, I don’t even use Facebook).  It’s a very well made film – with great performances by all the lead actors, and sharp writing – but it just lacked that extra edge for me.  Granted, I do think this film may really take off with audiences, and would recommend going to see it.  It is an interesting look at the creation of Facebook.

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The Social Network Review By Nicole

**** (out of 4)

What is friendship really about?  The Social Network takes a critical look at the origins of Facebook, and the pair that created it.  This film focuses on Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), the nerdy and sometimes arrogant young Harvard computer wiz who grew to be the world’s youngest billionaire.  The film begins in 2003, when young Zuckerberg, after breaking up with his girlfriend, decides to create a website with his best friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), to rate girls on levels of attractiveness.  This idea became a huge hit with the guys at Harvard, including jock twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer) who suggested online student profiles.  Zuckerberg, who had a similar idea, decides to start a social website for students, which he calls “The Facebook.”  A meeting with Napster creator Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), gets Zuckerberg to think big.  But Parker also encourages Zuckerberg to look out for number one, which not only makes Zuckerberg rich, but also lose him his best friend.

Told through expert editing, flashbacks and superb acting, The Social Network looks at today’s “me” generation, and the artificial social realm of the internet.  The film touches on issues such as cyberbullying, online addiction and the social deterioration the internet can lead to.

Everything about this film worked.  The story is interesting, the screenwriting is great, and the four main actors, Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake and Armie Hammer, are all outstanding.  Don’t miss this Oscar worthy film.  It will change the way you look at life.

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The Social Network Review By Maureen

**** (out of 4)

Love it or hate it, whether you use it a little, a lot, or not at all Facebook is a permanent fixture in the 21st century social scene.  The Social Network is based on the start-up of Facebook in 2003 by Harvard computer programming student Mark Zuckerberg.

The Facebook story is a fascinating one.  On the one hand there’s Mark Zuckerberg (played brilliantly by Jesse Eisenberg) a genius programmer with hyper-focus drive, poor social skills, an arrogant attitude and as the story unfolds, what seems to be a lack of concern for his roommate, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield).  Was Zuckerberg just plain greedy?  Does he have Asperger’s syndrome to explain his poor social skills and hyper-focus on building Facebook?

On the other hand, there’s his roommate Eduardo Saverin who co-founded Facebook.  Without his technical, financial and emotional support at the beginning, would Facebook have taken off the way it did?  As the story evolves, Saverin is slowly pushed aside as Napster creator Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) takes over as Zuckerberg’s business advisor.

The movie focuses mainly on the two lawsuits filed against Zuckerberg over the rights to Facebook.  The first comes from Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, twin brother Harvard students and rowing champions (both played by Armie Hammer) who claim the social networking site was their idea.  The second lawsuit was from Saverin claiming his former friend cheated him out of his share of Facebook as the co-founder.

The legal hearing scenes are really interesting to watch.  The dialogue is sharply written and the dry, often cold delivery of the lines by Jesse Eisenberg is darkly humorous and fascinating to watch.  It leads to the question, what is Mark Zuckerberg really like?

The whole movie leads to the bigger question, what really is a friend?  Can you party and click your way to happiness?  Does making a ton of money make it better?  With a compelling and timely story and incredibly good acting, especially from the two main leads (Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield) The Social Network is a must see movie whether you are a fan of Facebook or not.

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The Social Network Review By Tony

**** (out of 4)

The Social Network is a dramatization of the creation of facebook by Mark Zuckerberg  (Jesse Eisenberg) directed by David Fincher with a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin based on the book by Ben Mezrich.  Right from the opening of the film, Mark’s genius and obsession with programming success coupled with social awkwardness are obvious as he is being dumped by his girlfriend Erica (Rooney Mara).

Back at his dorm after insulting Erica in a blog he sets up a website overnight, with some programming help from his best friend Eduardo Savarin, hacking databases of coed pictures to display them in pairs for guys to rank for hotness.  Having at once impressed a lot of males while alienating most women, Mark is disciplined by the administration for disgraceful messaging and crashing the server with illicit information, but he also attracts attention from the wealthy Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer) and Divya Narendra (Max Minghella) who enlist his help in setting up an exclusive Harvard social network.  Zuckerberg instead sets up a better network: thefacebook, with Eduardo’s seed money, and spreads it to other college campuses.

When Napster founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) finds it he persuades Mark to drop “the” from facebook, move to Palo Alto CA to expand his business, and to ignore Eduardo’s advice to advertise, which would take away its coolness.  Once venture capitalists get involved, Eduardo is frozen out, though Mark appears not to realize it until it is too late.  The whole story is related in flashbacks based on testimony during a pretrial hearing with Zuckerberg being sued by the twins and Narendra for stealing their idea and by Savarin for a more equitable share.

With brilliant performances, particularly from Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake, The Social Network takes us through the academic and virtual world like a high stakes thriller, as the flawed genius of Mark Zuckerberg gets him unwittingly into problems that he may or may not be able to get out of.  The intelligent script is challenging, in a good way, and the film never drags despite its two hour length.

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Consensus: With excellent acting and a smart screenplay filled with sharp dialogue, David Fincher’s The Social Network is a thought-provoking look at the founding of Facebook and the internet age.  Sure to be an awards contender, this film is a must-see. **** (Out of 4)