'Social Network' epic, intimate at same time
Checking into Facebook sporadically while writing my review of "The Social Network," I notice my hairstylist commenting on how freakishly hot it's been in Los Angeles, an old friend announcing she's flying back to Dallas from a business trip in New Jersey and a sports colleague posting a photo of himself while on assignment in Wales covering the Ryder Cup.
They're all the usual mundane updates and observations that have become second nature in an age when we must share the meaningless immediately — all part of who we are and how we live and work. But the origin tale of Facebook itself is filled with high drama, betrayal and rage — just one of the many fascinating contradictions that make "The Social Network" so smart, meaty and compulsively watchable.
Director David Fincher and writer Aaron Sorkin have gotten together to create an epic tale about how we're able to tell the world about the tiniest details of our lives; they depict potentially dry, unwieldy topics — computer coding and competing lawsuits — and they do it in an intimate way.
Why we think people are itching to discover so much about us is another conversation for another time. But at age 19, Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg figured out that we'd want to do just that, and he determined it while playing around on his computer one night in 2003, drunkenly miffed after his girlfriend dumped him. At least, that's how the story goes; Facebook itself calls the movie fiction. Still, here we are now, 500 million users strong worldwide — and here Zuckerberg is, billions of dollars richer.
Zuckerberg himself is the biggest contradiction of all: a socially inept guy who came up with a revolutionary way for others to connect, a hugely inventive genius who's also depicted as being small, petty and back-stabbing. He's coy about his own life and likes but he's become obscenely wealthy by urging others to divulge theirs.
In starring as Zuckerberg, Jesse Eisenberg rises beautifully to the challenge of portraying an unlikable protagonist and making us feel engaged by him — or even want to see him succeed, depending on your perspective.
And perspective is everything, as you'll find in "The Social Network." Eisenberg hones the awkward intelligence that's become his trademark in films like "The Squid and the Whale" and "Adventureland," but there's an edge to it now, a bitterness that makes him the most dangerous nerd ever.
Based on Ben Mezrich's book "The Accidental Billionaires," ''The Social Network" couldn't be more timely, with Trent Reznor's synth-heavy score contributing to the contemporary, techie vibe.
But it's a classic tale of ambition, greed, ego and self-destruction. It looks like a Fincher film with its dark, smoky warmth, similar to "Fight Club," ''Panic Room" and "Zodiac." And yet it's his least show-offy film from a technical standpoint (although how he digitally depicts a set of twins is seamless).
Just as you can't stop yourself from checking into Facebook more than once a day, you'll find yourself drawn to "The Social Network" again and again. It's easily one of the year's best.
TITLE: “The Social Network”CAST: Jesse Eisenberg, Rooney Mara, Andrew Garfield, Justin TimberlakeDIRECTOR: David FincherRATED: PG-13 for sexual content, drug and alcohol use, and languageGRADE: ★★★★¹⁄₂ (out of 5)
