Malveaux - Social Network Review

Aaron Sorkin's The Social Network was an interesting film, to say the least. When first viewing the trailer for the film, I was very skeptical. I saw a movie primarily telling the story of how Facebook, a social website where people created profiles for themselves, had been created. My immediate reaction was how would a film about social media be even remotely interesting, let alone good. As the film showed in theaters, many critics gave the film very positive reviews saying that the direction in which David Fincher took, the script, and performances of both Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenburg were exceptional. After watching The Social Network, I would agree. Although the film tells the story of how Facebook came to be, the film explores much more than that. It can be argued that the movie isn't so much about the social website itself, rather the primary focus is the conflicts and relationships between Zuckerberg, his best friend Eduardo, Sean Parker, and the Winklevoss twins who are suing him. Facebook is simply the vehicle by which Sorkin and Fincher drive the story. Through these relationships, the film is able to show how important these interactions are to understanding the development of Facebook.

There are plenty of areas where the film excels. Some of those include the intelligent, yet witty dialogue between the characters, the superb casting of Eisenburg, Timberlake, and Andrew Garfield, and the development of the story. One aspect of the film that in my opinion is the most exceptional is the directing job done by Fincher. All throughout the film, the story is told in flashbacks from Facebook's inception all the way to its progression as a fully functioning website and both separate lawsuits that followed. Fincher showed the scenes from the lawsuits, the present situation, while flashing back to all the moments that caused the two lawsuits against Zuckerberg. This is where the movie shined because it kept the movie entertaining and fresh while telling the story in its entirety. Overall, whether you have a Facebook page or not or have any interest in the story behind the website itself, this is a must-see for viewers in 2010. The exceptional directing and acting alone is enough reason to see this movie; the story behind a website that you probably use to socialize with friends is just the icing on the cake.