Sorkin and Fincher Create Wonder

Rating: Null/10 (30 January 2011)

Anything written by Aaron Sorkin is worth seeing. To say the least, his work is sharp, witty, clever and funny. I doubt I would have been as eager to see 'The Social Network' if it was written by someone else. It only adds to the excitement that David Fincher is directing the film. He's more of a visual director whose films have a dark claustrophobic feel. Now I was very curious about what a Sorkin-Fincher collaboration would yield.
Even though I pretty much knew I was going to like it, the outcome still surprised me, especially how Sorkin's lines and Fincher's direction came together. Needless to say, the execution is first rate. Fincher maintains his trademark dim lighting and spacious in motion cinematography. The editing is equally meticulous.
Given that the concept is about Facebook, one would expect pretty much an almost rags to riches story and if I hadn't known of Sorkin and Fincher, I would have expected the same but this is far from the clichéd underdog becomes billionaire story. The themes presented are quite dark and 'The Social Network' is a character driven film.
The majority of the cast is very good. Jesse Eisenberg is excellent as the awkward and intelligent loner who's making millions all of a sudden. Andrew Garfield is competent as Mark's only friend who stands by him. Rashida Jones stands out in a brief role. The only weak link is Justin Timberlake who cannot seem to act even under the direction of someone like Fincher.
To those of you who think 'The Social Network' is just some ditzy movie about Facebook or is all hype and low on substance, you'll be surprised. I doubt one can go wrong with Sorkin and the addition of Fincher only makes this a must-see.