A Step Away From Brilliance: The Social Network Review

It's difficult to imagine what potential value, if any, there would be in a dramatic narrative film (as opposed to a documentary) made about a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter or, heaven forbid, MySpace (it even feels weird to type now). However, from the moment I first saw the trailers for The Social Network in theaters, I was inexplicably intrigued. There were no explosions, no spectacular special effects, no ridiculous stunts, and no Bruce Willis in sight. That's not to say I can't be drawn in by a riveting drama or a kitschy romantic comedy now and again, they're just few and far between. But Social Network had me curious from the get-go. Unfortunately, with my busy schedule around the time of its theatrical release, I never really had a chance to see it. And once it came out on DVD, the film had sort of slipped back under my radar. It turns out, all I needed was an excuse. So, when my good friend, Tim Gibson, suggested I review the movie for this blog, that was all it took to finally add the film to my library.

I'm glad I did. Aside from one major, though by no means deal-breaking, complaint (which I'll address later), I thought the movie was a stunning success.

An example of a major, by every means deal-breaking complaint.

For those 3 of you who have yet to see Social Network, the story details the birth of the internet sensation, Facebook, from a Harvard University-exclusive phenom, to its growth into a multinational, billion-dollar industry. As well, it delves into the lives and experiences of its founding fathers, namely Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) and Eduardo Saverin (played by Andrew Garfield). One of the first interesting aspects of the film is its narrative structure, which seamlessly interweaves past and present, driving the main through-story forward as a series of recollections made during two separate and consecutive lawsuits, both filed against Zuckerberg. The first is by a trio of Harvard classmates who claim that Mr. Zuckerberg infringed on their intellectual property, essentially stealing their ideas and merely expanding on them to create Facebook. And, well... he sort of did. The second suit is filed by none other than the co-founder and original CFO of Facebook, Zuckerberg's (former) best friend, Eduardo Saverin. As the two lawsuits play out, the characters recount moments from the past about the history of the site's creation and the conflicts therein. It was really a strong choice in terms of how to present the story, as opposed to the traditional linear approach.

Or Memento's explode-your-brain approach.

The strengths of this film truly run across the board. The writing was solid and witty, but not in the "too good to be real" stylings of Abbott & Costello. The acting (hats off especially to Justin Timberlake) was driven and emotional (except for Eisenberg, who I think was rightfully channeling his inner anti-socialite). The story was compelling and surprisingly insightful. The pacing felt comfortable and appropriate for the tone of each scene. The musical score was mellow enough to underlay the rest of the film, never feeling intrusive or insincere. The editing was invisible, as it should have been. And, the use of contrasting images, lifestyles, personalities, and even time lines adds a smooth layer of depth to the whole package. Everything really seemed to come together for this film.

Everything except one. And here's my only complaint about this movie: Zuckerberg's character never changes. Now, this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, if he wasn't a douchebag throughout the entire film. From the very first scene, he's established and even explicitly named as an "asshole". Granted, he's an ivy-league software engineer and computer scientist with a near-genius IQ who quoted Latin epic poems, presumably for fun. Add that all up, and you get a list of friends about the size of a paperclip. Also, he was Jewish and partly colorblind, so, you know.... that probably didn't do much for him either. It's easy to see where some resentment and awkwardness issues might play in. And Jesse Eisenberg does a wonderful job capturing the monumental douchebaggery that Zuckerberg has kind of come to be known for, as even his many supporters have shown. The problem is, that it becomes almost impossible to root for our "hero" throughout the film, because you really come to dislike most of his arrogant, anti-social, and sometimes downright despicable tendencies (like screwing your best friend out of his entire investment in your company). Now, there's no rule that says your main character needs to be likable or morally upright.

Is there?

However, if they're going to start out completely undeserving of our sympathies, we should see some sort of change - or effort to change - for the better on their part. Or, they should get inexorably worse and their refusal to change should bring about their tragic, fatal end. Yes, you could argue that Zuckerberg's natural inclinations to be a pile of elephant dung to most everyone he met brought him to the point of two separate lawsuits and the distancing of some of his best friends, but it also brought him a beautiful new girlfriend and a company worth an estimated 23 flipping billion dollars. I'd say that's pretty much a win for the guy at the end of the day. I know the film is probably a solid portrayal of how the man is in real life, but if that's the case, then this story becomes less about Zuckerberg and more about how a well-designed website triumphantly overcame one of the worst public personas in internet history (second only to Maddox).

And it was this lack of strong, main character development (several of the supporting characters have some very solid arcs) that I found to muddle some of the other aspects of the film and keep the entire production from being the absolutely brilliant piece it could have been. Themes like the repercussions of fame and publicity get lost or skewed when handed to a character for whom such things apparently carry no weight. The lessons that want to be taught by this movie are never learned by its main character, and that was a little disappointing to see. All-in-all, though, The Social Network was a firmly enjoyable, clever, and insightful movie, and if you haven't taken the time to see it, I would highly recommend you do.