By Rebecca Spence, Arts Editor
It is a bit ironic that a review of The Social Network, a movie all about a revolutionary website that rapidly spreads information, is being published a sluggish three weeks after the film’s release. This tardy review should prove, however, that I thought this film was important enough to write about even after its initial buzz died down. To put it bluntly, if you haven’t seen this film yet, make plans to see it now.
The Social Network tells the story of Mark Zuckerberg and the birth of Facebook at Harvard in 2003. Jessie Eisenberg portrays Zuckerberg not as a lovable geek, but as a narcissistic and arrogant genius. His characterization is flawless throughout the two-hour film. David Fincher, the film’s director, intertwines the narrative of Facebook’s creation with events from the future: a pair of lawsuits against Zuckerberg, one by three wealthy Harvard students who claim he stole their idea, and one by Eduardo Saverin (played by Andrew Garfield), Zuckerberg’s former partner and best friend. Garfield proves himself as an up-and-coming actor by playing his character with honesty and depth.
The only questionable performance in The Social Network is Justin Timberlake’s role as Sean Parker, the founder of Napster. His acting was competent and inoffensive, but the simple fact that it was Justin Timberlake was distracting and often disrupted the film’s natural flow. Other than that, every other element was outstanding. From Aaron Sorkin’s engaging dialogue and well-paced screenplay, to the cinematography that takes advantage of Harvard’s exquisite campus, to the original score that perfected the film’s mood—all the pieces fall into the right place. So much so that when the credits start to roll you may feel the urge to say, “Man, that was a good movie. I mean, I knew it was gonna be good. But that was really good.”
That’s thing you need to know about The Social Network. It’s not just a good movie. It’s a good movie that doesn’t end after the two-hours. It stays with you once you leave the theatre, on your walk home, and in your bed when you go to sleep at night. It’s a movie that is hard to forget. It’s a movie that will never let you look at Facebook the same way again.
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