Topics change, but themes do not. Worthy of a Shakespeare tragedy, along comes the Social Network, the adapted account of how Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook. Beautifully acted, written, and directed, this is in my opinion the best original film of 2010.
Mark Zuckerberg has been openly critical of his portrayal in this movie; however, Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of the way the character is written is spot on. Eisenberg portrays a very intelligent, gifted programmer who finds an idea he believes in. The idea is bigger than Zuckerberg himself, so he is willing to sacrifice anything to see it succeed, although not without personal turmoil. Eisenberg digs deep into the character and nails the inner conflict Zuckerberg possesses. Equally strong acting comes from the young cast, particularly Andrew Garfield, who plays Facebook’s co-creator and initial CFO, Eduardo Saverin.
As good as these actors are, Aaron Sorkin’s script is the piece de resistance of the movie. In the first 15 minutes, he establishes the breakneck pace that these kids think at, and the script never slows down. The flowing dialogue creates moments of humor (one of the best of which includes a visit to the Harvard Dean) and pathos. Who would think that listening to someone talk about programming could generate unbridled enthusiasm?
All of these elements are brought together very well with David Fincher’s direction and Trent Reznor’s musical score. Fincher establishes the Ivy League mentality and Reznor sets the mood almost immediately. The lawsuit scenes are nicely modernized, and Harvard never looked better.
What elevates the Social Network above just a period piece are it’s central themes. As contemporary as the setting may be, the themes are as old as time: betrayal, theft, and the need to belong. The weaving of these themes into a story we all have lived through makes the Social Network something special. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go recommend this movie to all my Facebook friends.