The Social Network





Directed By: David Fincher

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Brenda Song, Rashida Jones, and Rooney Mara

David Fincher has never made a bad movie.  Just think about films like Se7en, Fight Club, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.  He's one of the few directors whom I completely trust.  If he's making a film, I know it's going to be good.  That's why it's not surprising that he delivers another solid movie in his 2010 film The Social Network.

Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), the founder and creator of social networking titan Facebook, is currently in the midst of two lawsuits that date back to the earliest days of his website's history.  His best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) is suing him for diluting his shares in Facebook.  Having originally held 34% of the company, Saverin now owns only 0.03% of it.  Simultaneously, the Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer) are suing Mark for stealing their social networking website.  They claim that Facebook was their idea.  As Zuckerberg recounts the founding of Facebook in both legal proceedings, director David Fincher takes us on an historic journey from the dormitories of Harvard to the tech epicenter of the world, Palo Alto.

The Social Network delivers subtle, restrained filmmaking that's somehow bold and innovative.  It's a modern film that introduces the world to the next generation of actors as serious professionals.  It's a well-written film that captures the monumental nature of this iconic website.  It's a revealing film that shows us the true costs of innovation.  Director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin have made one damn good movie.

Fincher brings out the best in his actors in any film.  In The Social Network, he shows that Eisenberg, Garfield, Hammer, Timberlake, and Mara are all actors who have long and prosperous careers on the horizon.  They all give great performances and are highly entertaining.  Eisenberg plays a very stolid Zuckerberg that delivers a lot of great one-liners.  Garfield gives a strong performance as the emotional Eduardo Saverin.  There's two of Armie Hammer, and we just can't get enough of his hilarious performance.  Justin Timberlake shows that he's more than just a singer who wants to be an actor; he has some serious potential off the dance floor.  Finally, Rooney Mara brings a certain grace and elegance to her role as Erica Albright that is undeniable.

Beyond the impressive performances by the cast, The Social Network is filmmaking at its best.  Fincher is tasked with doing so much in a film of this nature.  He has to highlight how significant the innovation of Facebook truly is while showing how individuals with their own personal interests and issues come together to build an iconic company.  He also has to make the movie modern and relevant to the Millennials.  That's a tall order for one director, but Fincher was the right man for the job because he got it done.  With strong writing from Aaron Sorkin and some very creative filmmaking, Fincher crafts a smart, beautiful production in The Social Network.

Facebook was launched in 2004.  Just six years later in 2010, Hollywood made a movie about it.  That's a pretty fast turnaround, even for something as monumental as Facebook.  There was no need to rush to tell this story for any particular reason.  That being said, David Fincher delivers one fine film.  The Social Network wholeheartedly deserves a sober rating.