Facebook Story Earns a Definite "Like"

Rating: 8/10 (3 October 2010)

I'd heard of Facebook, of course. Who hasn't? But it wasn't until just about two years ago that some (college-age) friends of mine convinced me to set up my own page. To tell you the truth, I didn't think a whole lot about it. Innovations on the Internet are proceeding at such a rapid pace that I can't keep up with most of it let alone all of it, so the fact that Facebook existed really didn't make me think anything of it one way or another much less do any research into it. And then I saw The Social Network.
Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is a brilliant Harvard undergraduate in 2003 with far more intelligence than he has social skills. After a brutal break-up with his girlfriend, Erica (Rooney Mara), Zuckerberg opts for some very public revenge. He begins by posting some less than flattering blog entries about Erica and then, in an all-night flurry of programming, he sets up a Website that features photos of female Harvard students where each can be rated for "hotness." These actions not only wound Erica but garner the attention of the Winkelvoss twins (Armie Hammer, with Josh Pence as a body double upon whose face Hammer's likeness is digitally imposed) who have a Website idea of their own.
Zuckerberg meets with the Winklevosses (or "Winkle-vi" as he amusing terms them) and their friend Divya Narenda (Max Minghella) to discuss doing programming work for them on an application they want to put together to enable girls to date Harvard guys. But Zuckerberg thinks he can do something both broader and better, and "The Facebook" is born. With assistance from his friends Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and Dustin Moskovitz (Joseph Mazzell), his idea takes off in a major way even as the Winklevoss twins are still trying to get him to do something—anything!—for them.
"The Facebook" has such an impressive take-off that it gets the attention of Napster's mastermind, Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). And once Parker and his marketing skills and ideas get involved, Zuckerberg never looks back even though his few friends are being left further and further behind him.
The Social Network is based (obviously) on true events, though those involved with the movie have never pretended that parts and pieces aren't dramatized for the big screen (Zuckerberg insists that most of it is). Written by Aaron Sorkin (who was the driving force and writer behind one of what is, in my opinion, the best written television shows of all time, The West Wing), the dialogue is both witty and strangely natural when being voiced by the true computer nerds who are featured in the movie. Eisenberg says his rapid-fire lines so convincingly that I almost believe I was there when he loved, lost, and then won in a big way with his online creation.
The other cast members prove they are also well up to the task of bringing these real life people to movie life. Though Eisenberg carries almost every scene on his shoulders, he couldn't be as good as he is without the very able efforts of the supporting cast. I'd also point out that the one genuine special effect in the movie—that of making Armie Hammer's face and voice an integral party to the body of Josh Pence—is flawless (and I was watching).
BOTTOM LINE: The Social Network has already been touted as a potential Best Picture nominee come Oscar® time. I'm not entirely convinced that the movie as a whole is quite up to that standard, but I'd be truly stunned if the screenplay wasn't nominated, and I certainly wouldn't consider it undeserving if Eisenberg got a nod. I'm not always interested in recent American history (after all, I was there for some of it), but I also found the behind-the-scenes look at the invention of a phenomenon to be fascinating. And frankly, even if computer applications or online interactions aren't your thing, The Social Network remains a compelling exposé of what has become a huge influence on relationships in today's society. That it's entertaining, amusing, appalling, and heart-rending by turns is almost just icing on a very substantial cake.
POLITICAL NOTES: There have been numerous privacy concerns related directly to Facebook. In fact, one of Zuckerberg's problems with his first "hot" ratings site (which he called Facemash) involved what school administrators termed a violation of the privacy of Harvard students. Facebook has addressed some of the issues, and continues to say it will correct or modify others. It remains to be seen, though, just how much privacy some people will willingly forgo in exchange for the complete experience of what has become very much a real life social network.
FAMILY SUITABILITY: The Social Network is rated PG13 for "sexual content, drug and alcohol use and language." There are moments within the film where parents of younger teens may find themselves having to explain things they'd rather not, or where they could feel obligated to comment on things so their children don't think those actions are quite as "cool" or acceptable as they appear on screen. The plot is also fast-moving, and scenes switch back and forth from several venues and viewpoints, which makes the storyline relatively complex, perhaps too much so for younger viewers. I'd recommend The Social Network for older teens (15 or 16 and up) and adults.