The Social Network (2010)

Director: David Fincher                                       Writer: Aaron Sorkin
Film Score: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross             Cinematography: Jeff Cronenweth
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake and John Getz

The Social Network is a cold, dark film. Granted, most of the action takes place on the Harvard campus during winter, but the dorm rooms, bar rooms, cafeterias, classrooms, fraternities, lawyer’s offices and deposition rooms are no different. Even when they move to California things don’t get any better. In addition, the story itself is grim, the protagonist is grim, the antagonists are grim, and in the end it only winds up sucking the life out of what most people would find a fascinating premise: how did Facebook get started?

In 2004, Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg developed Facebook after a series of episodes involving a breakup with his girlfriend, and an invitation to design a dating site for a couple of fraternity brothers. With investment from his friend Eduardo Saverin he built the initial site and then became seduced by Sean Parker into moving to California and growing the site as fast as possible. It was an obvious success, but Zuckerberg allowed Parker to maneuver Saverin, and the initial investor, out of the business. The film itself is split between the depositions of lawsuits by Saverin and the fraternity brothers and the backstory told in flashback.

The problem with the film, for me, is that Zuckerberg is antagonistic in every relationship he has--even with his friends. He’s certainly intelligent, but not only doesn’t he speak linearly, he is belligerently obtuse in his literal interpretation of others’ speech. In terms of the script as written by Aaron Sorkin, for which he won the Academy Award that year, it is certainly well done, with lots of quick-paced dialogue but little of the humor for which he is best known. Unfortunately it’s just not enjoyable to watch, as Zuckerberg alienates everyone including his friends and his lawyers.

David Fincher, who did an amazing job with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, has far less to do here, as the dialog-heavy story doesn’t really lend itself to interesting camera angles or montage. At times during the flashbacks Zuckerberg almost seems as if he doesn’t understand the implications of his actions, but then the film cuts back to the depositions and it becomes clear that he did. Jesse Eisenberg does a solid job of portraying Zuckerberg, for what that’s worth, but Andrew Garfield is really the only engaging actor on screen. It’s good to see John Getz again, but the rest of the cast is fairly anonymous. I didn’t see the film when it first came out because I had a feeling it would be something like this. I was right. Facebook might be the most popular website ever, but The Social Network doesn’t have a lot to recommend it.