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.