THE SOCIAL NETWORK
THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug & alcohol use, profanity: It's a relief to know that a Hollywood film, however disturbing , can be made with standards above the generally accepted fare and become successful!
Based on the birth of Facebook & a depiction of its founder, from an intelligent script by Aaron Sorkin (based on Ben Mezrich's "The Accidental Billionaires"), tightly directed by David Fincher & solidly acted by Jesse Eisenberg in the lead, the movie satisfies on every level, but especially as a dramatized bio of the college student, Mark Zuckerberg, who became known as the creator of something that has to date 550 million people communicating with one another around the globe - and who, sadly is shown to be incapable of any lasting relationship himself.
Zuckerberg is presented as a brash, selfish wheeler-dealer who vindictively turns to his computer to wreak revenge on a former girlfriend for jilting him. They are students at Harvard University - where we find that exceptionally bright students abound, occasionally attending classes while they caper indulgently at parties dedicated to drinking & sexual pleasures to occupy their social time - which, for many of them, is most of the time. A few, like Mark, find the computer an outlet for more than idle communication; his computerized retaliation for love lost soon becomes a social sensation that progresses to bigger & better methods for reaching larger audiences, eventually becoming Facebook.
The path to that creation is bumpy with competitive battles over the rightful control of the title as sole creator - which, as we can see, has a carrot dangling temptingly with fame & fortune at its tip. That battle is seen in a clever division of scenes (expertly edited by Angus Wall & Kirk Baster) - one during a couple of lawsuits at which Zuckerberg is being sued by former friends who feel he not only stole ideas from them, but bypassed them with unabashed deception; the other as flashbacks to the incidents leading to each scene at the depositions.
Of course, Zuckerberg comes out as the youngest billionaire in American history, with a price to pay in legal depositions & the loss of friendships. The film concludes with him being told in summary, "You're not an a-hole, Mark; you're just pretending to be an a-hole."
How much of the depiction of the main character is fact, how much is fiction, is hardly important. Neither is the revelation that Sorkin admits to rigorous researching to bring verisimilitude to his lead character. This is a movie, after all, and must be judged as such.
We are treated to Mark's actions as he absorbs the promises of the good life brought from fame & fortune - high living with drugs, booze & bevies of willing camp followers (a Hollywood addition, I later learned, since the fellows spend more time & energy at work than in partying).
It's easy to see how a self-satisfied, sometimes smug, sometimes shy fellow with brilliant electronic ability, could overcome feelings of decency or guilt, and dive full force into the upward climb to the top. His retort to the question, "But why do you do it?" is with a snappy, "Because I do."
Nor does his business card on which is printed, "I'm the CEO, Bitch!" add well to his reputedly self-satisfying personality.
High praise goes to Fincher's tight control over his cast, not only in the depiction of their characters, but in the use of a dialog spewed rapidly, continuously, throughout the film. No long pauses between speakers, no protracted scenes without brisk action (the stuff that kills the pace in most films today) - rather, a snappy pace augmented with snappy editing (Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter), a discerning use of camera (Jeff Cronenweth) accompanied by appropriately shaded music (Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross) and production designs that leap from nondescript campus digs to the Harvard scene, to California and New York (production designer Donald Graham Burt) - two hours of solid, suspenseful drama, not easily forgotten. (Grade: A)
