If you want to see an enthralling movie about business in the 21st century, forget about that stinker Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (I have been trying to since I saw the thing). Oliver Stone should have been paying attention to The Social Network to see how to deliver sizzle, intrigue and drama.
Set in those heady, crazy, ancient days of 2003, Jesse Eisenberg stars as Mark Zuckerberg - a Harvard undergrad who is as brilliant as he is prickly and resentful. After making quite a name for himself by setting up a website that crashes the Harvard servers, Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer), twin brother Cameron Winklevoss (also Armie Hammer) and Divya Narendra (Max Minghella) decide to hire Mark to help them program a social networking site for Harvard students.
However, Mark decides to go off on his own with buddy Eduardo Saverin (Andrew "The Next Spider-Man" Garfield) to create The Facebook, which leads to a lawsuit as it becomes the hottest thing on the internet since Paris Hilton's sex tape.
Did Mark steal intellectual property and Facebook from his former employers?
Did they have any sort of deal in place?
Can he and Eduardo stay loyal to each other as Napster creator Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) starts to get Mark's attention and ear?
Even your grandmother knows what Facebook is, but neither of you know the story of alleged betrayal, theft and corporate finagling that made it what it is today, and makes The Social Network so compelling and captivating.
Right from the beginning, in the very first scene, the audience learns The Social Network is something special as writer Aaron Sorkin (based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich) fills the movie with the snappy, smart, mind-blowing dialogue you loved in The West Wing, Sportsnight and The American President. Even more shockingly, Sorkin brilliantly incorporates the phrases and actions we associate with Facebook, like the Relationship Status, Facebooking someone and more, but not in an annoying, obvious way. Each one brings a laugh and instant recognition for how smoothly he drops it into the script.
Then, Sorkin and director David Fincher set up The Social Network to show us the human drama, not the technical business speak. As Fincher wonderfully goes back and forth between testimony given by those suing Zuckerberg and the story of how they all got to that law firm, we see the friends working towards a dream, but how that dream turns into a nightmare of litigation, betrayal, petty feuds and the broken hearts as Facebook became a multibillion dollar business enriching only some. You don't need a Harvard MBA to understand what is happening here, and you never wonder why something is important to the story.
Of course, The Social Network wouldn't be the same without the cast. With Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake in the picture, the audience is seeing some of the best young actors in the business today, and even I am shocked to be including Timberlake in that sentence. Mr. Bringing Sexy Back might be bringing back an Oscar nomination to the Timberlake abode if the Academy voters are willing to open up their minds and recognize undeniable talent when they see it.
More importantly, Eisenberg makes Zuckerberg equally admirable and detestable, kind of like any successful CEO. He never goes too far either way, so the audience gets to debate among themselves whether or not the young billionaire is a hero or villain, but I worry the supporting cast might steal some attention from Eisenberg as he deserves a Best Actor Oscar nomination for a great performance in a movie full of them.
Armie Hammer also will blow you away as the Winklevoss twins. You never feel like it is one person playing two roles as each one gets his own personality, voice tone, attitude, and more. In a world where special effects gurus can make Superman fly, the Cloverfield monster attempt to eat you and take Captain Kirk to worlds we could never imagine, Fincher and Hammer top them all by making everything so seamless on screen.
The Social Network is awesome.
4 Waffles (Out of 4)
The Social Network is rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug and alcohol use and language.
Did they have any sort of deal in place?
Can he and Eduardo stay loyal to each other as Napster creator Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) starts to get Mark's attention and ear?
Even your grandmother knows what Facebook is, but neither of you know the story of alleged betrayal, theft and corporate finagling that made it what it is today, and makes The Social Network so compelling and captivating.
Right from the beginning, in the very first scene, the audience learns The Social Network is something special as writer Aaron Sorkin (based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich) fills the movie with the snappy, smart, mind-blowing dialogue you loved in The West Wing, Sportsnight and The American President. Even more shockingly, Sorkin brilliantly incorporates the phrases and actions we associate with Facebook, like the Relationship Status, Facebooking someone and more, but not in an annoying, obvious way. Each one brings a laugh and instant recognition for how smoothly he drops it into the script.
Then, Sorkin and director David Fincher set up The Social Network to show us the human drama, not the technical business speak. As Fincher wonderfully goes back and forth between testimony given by those suing Zuckerberg and the story of how they all got to that law firm, we see the friends working towards a dream, but how that dream turns into a nightmare of litigation, betrayal, petty feuds and the broken hearts as Facebook became a multibillion dollar business enriching only some. You don't need a Harvard MBA to understand what is happening here, and you never wonder why something is important to the story.
Of course, The Social Network wouldn't be the same without the cast. With Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake in the picture, the audience is seeing some of the best young actors in the business today, and even I am shocked to be including Timberlake in that sentence. Mr. Bringing Sexy Back might be bringing back an Oscar nomination to the Timberlake abode if the Academy voters are willing to open up their minds and recognize undeniable talent when they see it.
More importantly, Eisenberg makes Zuckerberg equally admirable and detestable, kind of like any successful CEO. He never goes too far either way, so the audience gets to debate among themselves whether or not the young billionaire is a hero or villain, but I worry the supporting cast might steal some attention from Eisenberg as he deserves a Best Actor Oscar nomination for a great performance in a movie full of them.
Armie Hammer also will blow you away as the Winklevoss twins. You never feel like it is one person playing two roles as each one gets his own personality, voice tone, attitude, and more. In a world where special effects gurus can make Superman fly, the Cloverfield monster attempt to eat you and take Captain Kirk to worlds we could never imagine, Fincher and Hammer top them all by making everything so seamless on screen.
The Social Network is awesome.
4 Waffles (Out of 4)
The Social Network is rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug and alcohol use and language.
