THE SOCIAL NETWORK (David Fincher, 2010) ***1/2

Rating: 8/10 (22 January 2011)

When I first heard of this, I was wary of both the subject matter (the creation of the Internet fad that is "Facebook") and the fact that a director of Fincher's status would lend his services to such an intrinsically 'geeky' venture. Since it has been sweeping the boards all through the current awards season, I had to take notice and opted to check it out prior to Oscar night (having passed the film by during its initial theatrical run locally).
To be honest, it took me some time to warm up to the film given its essentially intractable nature (similar to PI [1998] and PRIMER [2004]); in this regard, it is best approached as a conspiracy thriller – with the intricacies of the dual lawsuit raised against Mark Zuckerberg proving undeniably gripping. The film is clearly dialogue-driven (with some key scenes irritatingly taking place in noisy surroundings), but the script emerges a surprisingly witty one; besides, it is most effectively scored (in part by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor) – being appropriately capped by The Beatles' "Baby You're A Rich Man".
I have one quibble, though: I doubt young Americans today ever really bother mentioning the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Irving Berlin or Cole Porter in their daily conversation, or that the hotshot behind the "Napster" application cared where THE TOWERING INFERNO (1974) was shot!; incidentally, it was odd for pop star Justin Timberlake to play someone who has had such a ruinous effect on the music industry! Moreover, I do not agree with those who feel Zuckerberg was a scoundrel: the way he is played by Jesse Eisenberg, he seems more gullible than opportunistic – and, especially powerful as a character-defining moment for him, is the poignant finale. By the way, the fact that one (especially somebody so young) can amass billions simply for having brought the world closer together, as it were, imparts Capitalist/Divine implications that are profoundly disturbing (and which, perhaps, one sensibly ought not to ponder too much on!).