I was reluctant to be on Facebook for awhile because I am really a private person. At the suggestion of Michele, the newsletter’s editor, I signed up for the social network. To be honest, I still have mixed feelings about it. Yet, I’ve reconnected with old friends, family and feel closer to current friends. So it has been a good thing.
Facebook has become popular world wide, but many may not be familiar with the story behind its creation. They get that chance with The Social Network. The story is based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich. The screenplay was written by Aaron Sorkin (Sports Night, The West Wing) and directed by David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).
What makes the movie so interesting is that the events of the story happened in the last eight years. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO, and others in the film are real people. It seems the names have not been changed to protect the innocent.
The cast in The Social Network is so strong it’s frightening. Let’s start with one of my favorite young actors, Jessie Eisenberg (Zombieland, Adventureland and Roger Dodger), who plays Zuckerberg. Eisenberg’s portrayal is incredibly intense as the driven Harvard student who wants to be accepted by social groups at the Ivy-League school. One night after a relationship crash, he embarks on building a social network through his computer, initially called Facemash.
Zuckerberg does some cruel things, especially to Eduardo, played by Andrew Garfield ( Spiderman in the upcoming reboot). Garfield did a great job playing Zuckerberg’s best friend and the co-founder of Facebook, who was constantly dealing with Zuckerberg’s irrational behavior, trying to figure out his role in the company, and coping with a crazy jealous girlfriend, Alice, played Malese Jow. It was very funny to see Eduardo deal with Alice, Zuckerberg and Facebook at the same time.
A surprising casting choice is pop singer Justin Timberlake, who plays Sean Parker, creator of Napster. To Timberlake’s credit, he’s been in such films as Alpha Dog and Edison Force and does sport some acting chops.
Rooney Mara plays Zuckerberg’s former girlfriend, Erica Albright. After she decided they should only be friends, Zuckerberg wrote nasty things about her on his blog. Mara didn’t play a weak woman; she was extremely strong, especially in a scene where Zuckerberg comes up to her while she sitting with a table full of friends. She put him in his place in a very direct way.
The movie mixes such events with different court depositions involving Zuckerberg and people who sued him over the creation of Facebook. Usually this technique would bog down a movie, but Fincher does an excellent job of making the transition smooth for the audience. It’s in the deposition scenes where Eisenberg’s acting hits a supreme level. He was icy cool and calm.
The Social Network brings to the screen real-life events surrounding the birth of the most famous Web site to date. Whether you are interested in how Facebook began or not, you will be enlightened and entertained by this movie. Sometimes, it is personal and not just business.
edited by Michele Ristich Gatts
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