The Social Network

The first seventeen minutes of, The Social Network, unravel at a pretty frenetic pace, and is foreshadowing of how the movie will play out. The very first scene in the dimly lit bar with the couple discussing final clubs at Harvard, is definitive of the character of the protagonist of the film, Facebook creator, Mark Zuckerberg. He speaks rapidly, with an immense presence of intelligence and awkwardness about him, but he certainly lacks the ability to properly communicate with the opposite sex. His subsequent dumping and the vengeance he latter seeks out on poor Erica are the driving force behind the billion dollar social networking site and this potentially Oscar-winning film.

The Social Network which stars Jesse Eisenberg, as Mark Zuckerberg, isn't just a hyped up movie that's getting a lot of buzz from Facebook lovers. It's a movie about an idea that changed how the world stays connected to one another. It brings to life essentially everything that was going on in Zuckerberg's life that fall of 2003, when he created facemash, which eventually led to interest from the entire campus, notably the Winlevoss' twins. The film presents these events at a pace that is utterly entertaining, while Aaron Sorkin, the movie's screenwriter, infuses it with a script that is witty, clever, and downright masterful.

The film gets a huge boost from the acting of it's supporting cast, especially Andrew Garfield, who plays Eduardo Saverin, a co-founder of Facebook and it's initial CFO. He generates feelings of sympathy from the audience through his falling out with Zuckerberg over the direction of the company in its early stages. Justin Timberlake plays the role of Andrew Parker, the creator of Napster and Plaxo, who has sort of fallen from grace, but is considered by Zuckerberg to be somewhat of a "god". I remember being initially a bit skeptical of his casting in the movie, but after seeing it am convinced that it was a perfect role for him. Armie Hammer, who plays both Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, rounds out a terrific supporting cast.

There's something about The Social Network, (a certain je ne sais que, I guess) but it was very compelling to see a film about an event so transforming to the culture of the world unfold. Maybe it's because I was in college right at the time of Facebook's explosion, or that Zuckerberg took an idea that perhaps I or some of my friends could've come up with and become the youngest billionaire ever. Whatever it is though David Fincher, the movie's director, and Columbia Pictures have created an already impressively successful movie that could have the legs to carry it to a healthy showing come awards season.