Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The Social Network – Now we’re going to live on the Internet!


If a person looked at the Internet history on my computer the most visited website, by far, would be Facebook! I LOVE Facebook! Therefore, it was a definite that I would go see this movie. I was intrigued by the story of how a college undergrad created an internationally known website. David Fincher (director) created a feel to the film that embodied the tone of pure, fresh creativity. The timeline of the movie is of the “flash-back” nature, going from litigations to dorm rooms. Re-telling the instances that lead to the formation of the world’s largest and most extensive social network along with the personal losses of it’s creator and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The best adjective that comes to mind to describe this film is pure. Which is representative to the origins of “TheFacebook”, it was a pure and unadulterated site that’s sole purpose was to connect with friends and peers in the college life-sphere. This film depicts the journey that a forward thinking entrepreneur takes to create and keep an advertisement-free, exclusive social network for only college students. The anticipation and uncertainty of the consequences from the actions taken by the main character, Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), kept me on the edge of my seat. The audience was never sure what he would say or who he would insult or turn on during the entire course of the movie! The dynamic between Zuckerberg (Eisenberg) and co-founder of the site Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) was full of best-friend angst and jealousy, thickening the emotional uneasiness one feels for Zuckerberg.
Jesse Eisenberg was phenomenal as Mark Zuckerberg. He was just enough geek-sheik and had just enough jerk-ish charm to portray Zuckerberg as the savvy, up-and-coming Internet mogul. The audience related to and rooted for the main character in spite of his somewhat shady decisions due to his crude charm. Eduardo Saverin, portrayed by Garfield, was the victim that was wronged by those closest to him. Garfield sketched a portrait of Eduardo as a helpless pawn in Zuckerberg’s game against the elite groups Zuckerberg was desperately trying to impress. He brought a depth and helplessness to the scorned best friend. Justin Timberlake’s performance was impressive; he brought an effortless charisma to the role as Sean Parker. He was smooth-talking, egocentric character that wanted to grab onto the shirttails of Zuckerberg as he was moving up. Overall, the cast created a vibe and flow that allowed the film to masterfully unfold.
Overall, this film fulfilled its purpose. It told the tumultuous story of the beginning of not just a social network, but THE social network that is redefining the society and socialization of not just our generation, but the world. There are definitely small parts of the film that are entertaining for Facebook users, such as the story of the creation of the relationship status. As well as an overlying theme to what Facebook was and how it has become a forum for redemptions and reconciliations in the world today. So go forth and enjoy, then post your thoughts about the film on your fb page… just like I’m about to do right now! 

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