Why should I care? This film doesn't tell me.

Rating: 2/10 (12 January 2011)

As one of those who completely fails to appreciate the inherent narcissism that underlies Facebook (as well as its clunky, confusing interface), I was disappointed that Aaron Sorkin completely failed to make me understand why I should have any interest at all in the story he tells. What I saw was a story about a social incompetent who screwed over several people and somehow blundered into something that made him very, very wealthy but, in the end, had no effect whatsoever on who he was as a person.
Classic drama is all about how the central character faces a personal crisis, learns important lessons, and comes away changed in some fundamental way. In this film that just doesn't happen. It's just a story about an unpleasant person who created this "thing" that appeals to people's least interesting characteristics, made a WHOLE lot of money, but came away from it pretty much the same person he was when he went into. Boring. Just like most of what I see on Facebook.
What was really disappointing was that, given Sorkin's powerful work on "The West Wing," I was expecting some profound reflections on what effects this shallow person has had on society. That might have been an interesting film--too bad it didn't get made. Instead, we get a navel- gazing look at someone who made it possible for millions of people to make their navel-gazing public.
Just like Facebook, this was mostly just a major time-suck and I left wishing I'd done something more important with the last two hours of my life.