The Social Network

By Kensey King     10/7/10 7:00pm

High school and college students are quite familiar with how much of their free time is consumed by social networking websites, and whether you love or hate its constantly changing de- sign and layout, Facebook has earned the distinction of being one of the most important communication tools of this generation. With its spectacular cin- ematography, dialogue and actors, The Social Network reveals the story behind the creation of the social networking behemoth and the minds that made it a reality.From the get-go, the audience is made aware of the fact that Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland) is a nerd. After breaking up with his girlfriend, Zuckerburg creates a website out of spite called FaceMash, which allows students at Harvard to view and rate pictures of female students. His creation of FaceMash brings him to the attention of Cameron Winklevoss (played by Armie Hammer, 2081) and his friend Divya Narendra (Max Minghella, Syriana), who hire Zuckerburg to help them create a networking site for Harvard students. Instead, Zuckerburg decides to create his own social networking site, The Facebook, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Although most of the cast of The Social Network is made up of young, no-name actors, not one of them stands in the shadows of the film's movie veterans, Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake (Black Snake Moan). Eisenberg manages to create a high level of complexity in his acting and evoke sympathy from the audience even though his character is a rather dry and antisocial fellow. Andrew Garfield (Never Let Me Go), who takes on the most emotional role in the movie as Eduardo Saverin, handles his character as the co-founder of Facebook and the betrayed friend well and evokes a great amount of compassion from the audience. Playing the role of the tech- savvy jerk, Timberlake plays a new-age Darth Vader - dark but also Zuckerberg's father figure.

Director David Fincher, who was nominated for an Academy Award for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, makes this film appealing from every angle and every scene. He adapts Ben Mezrich's nonfiction novel The Accidental Billionaires into a believable and fast-paced screenplay. He thankfully manages to make a mainstream motion picture that keeps out the Hollywood glamour and fairytale ending while leaving the judgment calls up to the audience.

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The Social Network is not the typical box office movie and does not fit the mold of the stereotypical comedy or drama. Thanks to its behind- the-scenes schemers, relevancy to everyday life and its grade-A actors, The Social Network is a must-see movie for 2010.

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