Does "The Social Network" Define an Entire Generation?

Rating: 10/10 (2 October 2010)

Early reviews of The Social Network claimed that the film based upon the book, The Accidental Billionaires, about the sordid history of Facebook defined an entire generation. When one gets passed all of the hyperbolic praise and adulation I would say that The Social Network is indeed a very well made film. It does indeed sum up the 00's in a way that no other film has done so far. And much like previous films about generational conflicts, The Social Network takes a snapshot of how young people socially interact with one another in the new millennium. Still, many people have accused the film of doing a hatchet job on Facebook's CEO and founder, Mark Zuckerberg, but I would argue that this film does no such thing. Instead this is a film where Zuckerberg is portrayed as a rather ruthless character with the drive to take Facebook as far as it could possibly go. No one else in the cast, despite their accusations of being ripped off by Zuckerberg, had this driving force behind them. Simply put, if you would have invented Facebook, then you would have invented it. It isn't original ideas that have made Zuckerberg a multi-billionaire, but being in the right place at the right time, riding the ascending cultural wave of a major fad.
It is this "moral ambiguity" that makes The Social Network a compelling movie. The characters live in a dog eat dog world. Certain individuals are propelled to the forefront, but that success doesn't come without any sacrifice. Friendships deteriorate, grudges are formed, lawsuits are filed, and the very legitimacy of Facebook itself is questioned. In the end, I would have to say that this is one of the year's best films and definitely deserving of an Oscar nod.