Kim Gentes

A super geek. An average story. Brilliant direction.

Summary: What would it be like if you had a movie made of your life? Some things would be exciting enough to be "media" worthy, other things might seem rather "run of the mill".  But what makes your story particularly interesting to your friends and family is that it actually happened, and it actually happened to someone they know.  

Mark Zuckerberg is a geek.  A Harvard geek.  The story of his rise to fame and the explosion of his website, Facebook, is not as tumultuous and extraordinary as you might think.  But it is believable and it is engaging.  "The Social Network" takes you on that story, and it does so with an exceptional script, excellent acting and perfect direction.

Jesse Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg as the irrepressible, though socially awkward computer geek that bumbles his way into the brilliant idea of Facebook.  Eisenberg's execution of the script, pacing of his lines (rapid fire geek-talk included) and coyish (though duplicitous) characteristics leave you with the character as he is: uncertain, yet brash; loyal, yet easily seduced; naive, yet considerably cunning and possibly disingenuous.  There is no lack of top notch acting in this film.  Andrew Garfield plays the slighted best friend, Eduardo Saverin, who carefully executes the hint of similar genius on a script that sounds genuine and compelling.

But the best acting in this film is done by Justin Timeberlake. I know, it sounds like a claim to garner celeb thanks, but frankly, Timberlake simply is deviously brilliant as Sean Parker, former co-founder of Napster.  The Parker character is the icon for the slimy underworld of hubris filled "entrepreneurism".  With pithy lines and insidious conniving, Parker weaves his way into Facebook ownership and management by befriending Zuckerberg and essentially destroying the relationship between the startup's founder duo. It would be hard to dislike this character more, and that is the point.  What Javier Bardem does as an unrelenting assassin in "No Country For Old Men", Timberlake does as a creepy, self-infatuated, megalomaniac in "The Social Network".

I am not sure how close to reality that the film plays with the dialog, but the top notch writing in this film keep you laughing and very interested in the next moment. And the next.  And the next. Each of the 121 minutes flew by and director David Fincher made sure you couldn't find one of those minutes you regretted.

Negatives? If you don't like witty cynicism this film may prove to be less than entertaining.  And it appears that the film certainly steps out of reality a few times with its overwrought scenes of partying and plot twists that keep you watching.

I would not bring my kids to see this film, though there is no explicit nudity in the film or excessive language (relative to other films). But the film is clearly portraying a college atmosphere at its hedonistic height (and exaggerating it at that, says the real Mark Zuckerberg in a separate interview about the film). There are numerous drug and alcohol use scenes, parlayed against additional scenes of sexual innuendoes. All told, it's simply too much for anyone under 17, in my opinion.

Those items aside, "The Social Network" is worth watching.  With the rash of bland to bad films that have come out this year, it's not hard to call the film one of the best 3 of the year.  As a geek myself, I found "Social Network" amusing and self-complimentary to all who might classify themselves as such. But mostly, its just good fun and surprisingly moralistic (the yarn points at a simple moral lesson throughout).

Go see it. You won't be disappointed.

Amazon DVD Link: http://amzn.to/pLJ5dz

Review by Kim Gentes.