The Social Network

When I first heard about Facebook while in university, I did not think that I needed it at first. Then later, it became apparent to me that many of my friends were using it and that I needed an account to better communicate while at school. As I created my Facebook account on September 14, 2007 starting at 12:34 pm, I suddenly understood its value. I could stay connected with my high school and missionary friends for the rest of my life. I could have my friends in Canada, the States and the Philippines see my videos and my pictures. It blew my mind because as a teenager, for example, I went to a weeklong youth conference. At the end, we exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses. 10 years later, I became a councilor for the same annual conference and now all that was being passed around were names for Facebook. It has changed how I live my life. At the same time, I can’t understand how people can spend hours on Facebook. I just have it open all the time to see the News Feed. It was great to have a movie made that dramatically portrayed the creation of something so important to me. “The Social Network” has a lot of wit and humor while telling a well, structured story. With such a story as this, you needed to help the audience understand exactly what was going on in a scene and what it meant to the whole movie. This film did this effectively. Just as "Apollo 13" introduced me to most of its cast members, so did this show. This movie introduced Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer to most of us. I know the film is a dramatized version of the creation of Facebook but as long as you know that, the film is fun to watch. It also portrays the negative consequences that come with success such as choosing the wrong friends, drugs and sex.

Kevin Spacey was the executive producer on this film by the way. I like this movie much better than director David Fincher's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". The film is non-linear in that the lawsuit meetings at the end of the story are shown throughout the film. We cut back and forth between the meetings and the events being discussed in those meetings. This framing device is perfect for such a fast-paced story about computer programming. A large part of why the movie is fun is because of the pace of the script by Aaron Sorkin. If the plot was linear, an audience may not be able to keep up with the story but the non-linear plot helps narrate the film. When Mark says "You would do that for me?" to the Winklevoss twins, it is a hint that he resents their assumption that he needs his reputation repaired. Edwardo in a the lawsuit meeting later points this out verbally for those who missed the subtext. I like how the story is dramatized because as long as you understand that the events in real life weren’t as remarkable as portrayed on screen, the film is fun. There are some monologues in this film that I would describe as genius and enjoyable plot points. I like how Eduardo writes the algorithm on the window and also when Mark comes up with “relationship status”. Today because of Facebook, people do go around in a sense wearing a sign that says whether they are single or not. The moment when “thefacebook” goes live on the net feels quite extraordinary. "The Social Network" seems to favour Mark's side of things in that he did not outright steal the idea from the Winklevoss'. True he dealt with them in an immature way but according to Mark, he took their idea and came up with a better one. Instead of a Harvard dating networking site, Mark decides to create a social networking site that mimics college life. Sure that includes dating but the focus of "thefacebook" is different from "The Harvard Connection". I like the humor of the Winklevoss twins as it takes them forever to decide to sue Mark. The reference to "The Karate Kid" is funny to me because when I first saw "The Social Network", I hadn't seen "Karate Kid" yet and did not know that there was an actual scene in that show as described in this show. The regatta and the conversations afterwards are obviously symbolic of the Winklevoss' role in the creation of Facebook. I find it amazing how Armie Hammer played both brothers. I thought the twins were two actors when I first saw the movie and so I applaud how Hammer’s appearance was altered slightly enough to create two brothers and how the special effects did not obstruct the cinematography or editing. In fact, the cinematography and editing helped to disguise the special effects. Facial replacement is becoming completely invisible on screen. This movie and "Tron: Legacy" proved that soon an actor can be in a movie without having to appear in front of a camera and the audience will not notice. I like the ironic plot point of Eduardo suggesting that they include Stanford in their expansion of Facebook. It indirectly leads to his demise in the company. Sean Parker is a great character and to me, he is the enemy in the film because his actions lead to the falling out between Mark and Eduardo. Justin Timberlake is the perfect actor for that role because you need a celebrity to play a guy like Sean Parker: creator of Napster. Seriously however, Timberlake did a great job skill-wise in this movie in my opinion. Finally, I love the irony of Timberlake (a musician) playing the co-founder of Napster (something that steals music). I also like how Brenda Song and Joseph Mazzello from "Jurassic Park" were in the film. “The Social Network” portrays many good topics such as the consequences of success. The tagline is a perfect explanation of this: “You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies”. Also through Sean Parker, we see how drugs and alcohol can ruin your life & reputation. Mark’s friendship with Sean ultimately causes trouble in the company. Another subject delved upon in the film is sex. Mark and Eduardo find success in love as well as in business but by the end of the film, they are not happy. Erica bookends the entire story in that she is in the opening scene and she is the subject at the very end of the film. It is a great ironic moment to end the story as Mark uses Facebook to reconnect to Erica, who indirectly started Facebook in the movie story. Mark hints throughout the film that he still hasn't gotten over Erica, which makes him appealing.

This film had a good chance of winning Best Picture at the Oscars but "The King's Speech" ended up being the winner and rightfully so. I think that Jesse Eisenberg had the best performance of the year in this film but I wasn't surprized at all when he lost the Oscar to Colin Firth. I knew however that "The Social Network" would win for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing. The score is unique and I can see why it won Best Original Score but in my opinion, either Hans Zimmer or Alexandre Desplat should have won for "Inception" or "The King's Speech" respectively. I am surprized by how successful "The Social Network" was at the Golden Globes and it made predicting the Oscars for that year very hard. The acting in this film was champ. Since this movie, many of these actors that I was introduced to have become synonymous with some famous characters. Hammer is the Lone Ranger, Garfield is Spider-Man and Eisenberg is Lex Luthor. Rooney Mara has enjoyed a good career and I didn't know that she played Erica so I can include her and Rashida Jones in the list of actors that I was introduced to through this show. The movie dramatizes a story that should interest anyone who uses the Internet or wants to become a rags-to-riches story themselves. The script is well structured for the benefit of the audience and it speaks to young people. Today’s teens and young adults want love, money & attention. We see not only the positive results of a young man who becomes a billionaire but also the negative consequences. After watching this movie, it motivates me to work hard and work smart. The movie has a fast pace and it adds to the wittiness of the story. I find it ironic that now I will post the link to this review on Facebook.

4.5 Stars