Michael Cera stars as Tom Anderson in The Social Network, a biopic about the rise and fall of MySpace. Tobey Maguire and Lance Bass play supporting roles. If you’ve ever been on MySpace, you owe it to yourself to watch this film.
Oh man, I crack myself up. David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club), directs Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake play supporting roles. If you’ve ever been on Facebook, you owe it to yourself to watch this film.
This movie is not about Facebook. It is about a good idea that’s worth money, and how money changes people. Mark Zuckerberg, a computer genius going to Harvard University, is recruited by the Winklevoss twins to help them develop a social network exclusive to Harvard students. Mark takes their idea, improves upon it, and launches thefacebook, with the help of his best friend and business partner Eduardo Saverin (Andrew “New Spider-Man” Garfield).
As thefacebook starts to blow up, the Winklevoss brothers begin to challenge Mark over stealing their idea, eventually deciding to sue. The site’s potential catches the eye of Sean Parker, the creator of Napster. Justin (N*Sync) Timberlake plays Sean Parker, and Sean’s ideas like simply calling the site Facebook add to the potential value of the social network. Sean doesn’t think that Eduardo is a good fit for the company, and Sean and Mark begin to phase him out of the company. Eduardo gets a little pissed and decides to sue.
The story is framed by Mark sitting in rooms surrounded by suits, dealing with separate lawsuits from his former best friend and the Winklevossi. Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay is based on a true story. That doesn’t make this a documentary. This film captures the vibe of Facebook’s creation and that’s more important than a step by step recreation of the site’s development. Both Sorkin’s script and Eisenberg’s performance make Zuckerberg a hero, but you don’t necessarily sympathize with him. Mark Zuckerberg might have stolen ideas, but he created Facebook, and the film makes that clear. He might be arrogant and treat people badly sometimes, but you never hate him.
James Garfield does a great job as Eduardo Saverin. He’s still kind of a newcomer, but in case you’ve been living under a rock, he was cast as the lead in the new Spider-Man reboot. It’s pretty safe to say that with this supporting role and the lead role in a guaranteed blockbuster will cement his status as a box office draw for the next few years.
Justin Timberlake’s music sucks. His solo career rips off 1980’s Michael Jackson. His pop group career rips off the Backstreet Boys and they ripped off New Kids on the Block. Justin Timberlake the singer sucks. But Justin Timberlake the actor is surprisingly good. I don’t want to admit that I like Justin Timberlake, so that means he is actually good. He is a natural on camera. In his first scene, he’s a suave ladies man, he seems cool and relaxed. Later after he ousts Eduardo from Facebook, he flinches when Eduardo feigns a punch. He tries to recover and regain his composure, but you see a crack in his armor. Justin Timberlake created a genuine moment on screen. He made Parker the second most interesting character in the movie, and there are a few interesting characters.
This is a great movie all around. Trent Reznor’s soundtrack is solid. Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay is solid. David Fincher’s direction is solid. The cast is solid. Even if Facebook fades away, this movie will still be good. It might not be relevant, but it will still be good.
Critically Rated at 15/17
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