Before the opening credits have rolled, the quality of The Social Network is evident. Then-future Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is sat in a crowded bar opposite his girlfriend, who is in the process of dumping him.
It’s a well-worn setting, elevated by the well-rounded believability of the characters and the feisty intelligence of Aaron Sorkin’s script. It is these things, along with David Fincher’s excellent direction, that makes this two-hour tale about the genesis of one of the internet’s biggest websites so much more than just a formulaic drama about a group of Harvard students and their warring egos.
Whether or not you know roughly how Facebook began (let’s make the absurd assumption that you’ve heard of the website itself), there’s a fascinating tale of greed, friendship, and betrayal here.
After his bar-room break-up, Zuckerberg decides to release his frustrations the only way a computer nerd knows how: with a savage blog post about his now-ex. The spleen-venting gathers steam until the seeds of the social behemoth we now know are planted via a Hot Or Not-style objectification site.
Launching the site in conjunction with best friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), the two find near-instant success. However, with the tale told via flashbacks during a host of later legal disputes, it’s clear the expansion wasn’t exactly plain sailing.
Among his courtroom adversaries are the jock rower twins who believe that Zuckerberg stole their idea, and Saverin himself, trying to get what he’s owed after evidently being left out in the cold (we find out why late in the film). And it’s the portrayal of these characters that makes the film come to life, with characterization as good as you’ll find anywhere.
Eisenberg is exquisite in the lead role: part-asshole, part-understandable, you never know whether to root for or against him. Garfield provides a well-portrayed compassionate presence, and Justin Timberlake – who plays Napster founder Sean Parker and Zuckerberg’s mentor – classily oozes charm with just the right amount of creepiness thrown in. Just like life, there is no black or white, just a plausible range of greys.
Whether you’re a Facebook-aholic or think the internet is how the devil gets inside you, this is a must-see film. Better written and better acted than almost anything else I’ve watched recently, it’s one you’ll want to friend, and like many times over!
