9 out of 10 people will "Like" this movie

Rating: 9/10 (26 October 2017)

The Social Network Review In American cinema, the "get rich or die trying" mantra is exemplified in several figures from the rugged frontiersman out in the old west (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and the Revenant), the business tycoon (Citizen Kane and Wolf of Wall Street), and the various American gangsters fulfilling their ethnic stereotypes (Godfather, Scarface, and the Departed). These figures in these movies have many positive qualities like bravery, craftiness, and determination, however, they also have many vices, greed, and thirst for power is the most notable.
In David Fincher's, the Social Network our protagonist is no different. Mark Zuckerburg, played by Jesse Eisenberg, personifies a new generation of anti-hero the jaded and insecure computer nerd. Mark feels he needs to distinguish himself from others, while at the hyper-competitive Harvard. Mark's motivation to be better, however, turns into an obsession. This obsession to be the best jeopardizes his relationship with everyone who is close to him like his girlfriend and best friend.
The Social Network succeeds like a good gangster flick by showing how Mark's time at Harvard and his determination to succeed turned him into a monster or as the film would call an "asshole." An interesting question driving the film is Mark an individual "asshole" or a byproduct of a narcissistic society? By answering the question about Mark, it should also make you take a moment to pause and question yourself and wonder if you have ever been an asshole.
What makes this protagonist so well done is that Mark's online experiences are relatable for many young people watching the film. In a new era where everything is online from how 'beautiful' people think you are to messages about your ex that you wish you could take back. The Social Network covers a lot of ground about these brand new social dynamics that are still in 2017 are little discussed, and it seems like little resistance to social media is given.
In 2010 Facebook was the premier social network, but now the number of apps is only growing from twitter, snapchat, Instagram, tinder, and myspace to a name a few (okay I am making a joke about the last one no one still uses myspace). But these new social networking sites have influenced the way humans interact and how we view each other in our societal hierarchy. The networks have changed society with little resistance, and little discussion and the Social Network does an excellent job in trying to tackle this issue.
You will have to watch the movie to see if Mark is ever free from being "wired in" but it will defiantly make you reconsider both the utility of social networking sites like Facebook and the need to be the best. In sum, excellent acting and a thoughtful and original script make it worth at least one watch. The only con is that the secondary characters have little arc as the protagonist Mark takes center stage. Therefore the film could have been stronger if the other characters like Eduardo and Sean weren't so flat and linear.