The Social Network ☆☆☆½

Finally, a film I can review that will not spoil a thing unless you have been living on a different planet the last six or seven years and have never heard of Mark Zuckerberg, the Winklevoss twins, or Facebook.

I'll assume you have.

Considering the plaudits and the mild shock that it didn't get best picture Oscar night you might be wondering why it took me so long to see it and why I have given it three and a half stars. In a nutshell its because I was never that interested in the story. Yes I have been using Facebook since May 2006, I know about the lawsuits brought against Zuckerberg and would be able to point him out in a line-up. I also love David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin - so what held me back?

Honestly I just didn't want to know how much was stolen from the Winklevosses and Narendra (the twins business partner). And Jesse Eisenberg...no doubt was he made for this role, but he is one of those actors like Michael Cera or Kristen Stewart who seem to be the same person no matter what role they are in. They are the new generation of Michael Caines - perfectly good actors but with something a little too familiar for them to be entirely believable. I have seen Eisenberg in many things previously, his best probably The Squid and the Whale, and I'm not sure where he goes from here. If he could master another accent then maybe he'd be able to break the cycle of playing the same character with a different name.

That all being said I did watch the movie. And I did enjoy it.

David Fincher is a stylish director and is responsible for many fantastic films (Fight Club, Se7en, Zodiac etc etc) and The Social Network is no less impressive. I particularly enjoyed the Henley race of the Winklevoss twins with Griegs 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' backing the competition. The artistic direction too was particularly beautiful at times.
Aaron Sorkin's script was also incredibly impressive (he is responsible for A Few Good Men, Moneyball and many many others). That man knows how to get people talking, and boy can Zuckerberg talk. Actually the way he is played I wasn't sure how he managed to get a girlfriend in the first place (the breakup being the catalyst for Face Mash, the precursor to facebook). Of course this section is probably fictionalised for creative purposes, but it was quite uncomfortable to watch - that might just be me or, more likely, it was the intention of the filmmakers.

The acting across the board was superb. Andrew Garfield is quite an intense actor but he can embody a character, I have no idea what Eduardo Saverin is like in real life but I can imagine the betrayal and reaction to it was pretty similar to what was portrayed on screen to make him sue his former best friend.
Interestingly the push for advertising by Saverin is exactly what puts me off using Facebook now, I hate that companies target me because I am of a certain age or gender and send me weight loss ads or wedding planners - no thank you. 
Armie Hammer does a great job as identical twins, having to be two different people who have the same face. I also liked the dynamic between the brothers that was created in their arguments and discussions, such a rare thing even when siblings are played by different actors.
Justin Timberlake was also very good. The last film I saw him in (In Time) was such a disappointment that seeing this film has upped his credibility once more. His portrayal of Sean Parker, founder of Napster, did no favours to Mr Parker as he seems to be this paranoid mess of a person at times. But then he might well be, or it may be more artistic license being used.

I have been reading some Wikipedia articles about Zuckerberg and co, and their reaction to The Social Network, of which Zuckerberg is diplomatic but clearly unhappy to be seen as 'the bad guy'. Sorkin too is quoted as saying he was telling a story rather than relaying the truth, which I'm quite pleased about.

It really is a very good piece of filmmaking and storytelling. Beautifully shot and very well acted from start to finish. It did make me uncomfortable that such a powerful idea is wrapped up in so much controversy, but then really what revolutionary thing isn't - look at animal testing, awful when you look at the details but incredible when you see a person live because they have found the right treatment for cancer.

Since May 2006 I have communicated in a whole new way with the world. I'm not exactly thankful for the many hours I have wasted changing my profile, checking my wall, uploading photos. But I am glad it exists, and I can see why they wanted to make a movie out of it.