Review of the Movie 'The Social Network'

The movie “The Social Network”, released in the United States by Columbia Pictures on October 2010 is the best film of 2010 and deserves to be awarded the Oscar for Best Picture category. It is a socially relevant movie that is both informative and philosophical. Based on the real life story of the social networking website Facebook and the lawsuits it had to face, the movie explores the difficulties involved in adoption of new ideas and new technology, and at the same time it explores the emotional imbalances that occur when success happens overnight. Directed by David Fincher, The Social Network stars Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, the computer programmer who invented Facebook. The screenplay by Aaron Sorkin is based on Ben Mezrich’s 2009 nonfiction book The Accidental Billionaires. The movie has so far had stunning reviews, good word of mouth and solid box office and it is time it is honored with the Academy Award for Best Picture of 2010.

The Social Network has been nominated for the following categories at the Oscar awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Jesse Eisenberg), Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor. The Social Network has been continuously receiving constant praises and people are excited about the movie. At the Oscars it faces competition from movies such as The King’s Speech, 127 Hours, Inception, Black Swan, True Grit and The Fighter. I personally feel that the movie would capture the Best Picture award as it has excellent direction by David Fincher, excellent adapted screenplay by Aaron Sorkin and marvelous portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg by Jesse Eisenberg. The movie also has excellent supporting actor cast, editing, score and cinematography. Everything about it is rich and the film can usher in the new generation factor to the Academy Awards as it addresses a very wide audience. The film has already received the Golden Globes award for Best Motion Picture for a drama and its director David Fincher has received the award for Best Director.

The Social Network deals with a wide range of themes involving hubris, ambition, friendship, jealousy, class and cultural cache and success as status and revenge. The movie has a very exciting and innovative plot that explores the virtual world where people can become friends or unfriends at the click of a mouse. The plot revolves around Mark Zuckerberg, a Harvard University student at the beginning of the movie and the year is 2003. The movie begins and ends with a subtle reference to Mark’s love for Erica Albright, giving the movie a poetic character. The movie is fast paced and shows how life and relationships can change dramatically over a short period of 18 months, by success. Mark, infuriated by his girl friend, launches a website called “Facemash” that would allow his colleagues to rank female students. He thus draws the attention of tech-savvy business people such as the Winklevoss twins and their partner Divya Narendra who invite him to work as the programmer of their website, Harvard Connection and so begins his meteoric rise in the world of networking. He launches The Facebook, a social networking site which soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. Six years later, Mark Zuckerberg finds himself the youngest billionaire in history seated amidst personal and legal complications.

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David Fincher has directed this movie with technical fastidiousness and textural richness as he skips between two separate depositions using flashback narrative in a clarifying manner. The camera has been skillfully handled by Jeff Cronenweth and the movie has awesome editing and music as well. The special effects of the movie blend with the movie seamlessly so much so they are almost unnoticeable. Good contrast is shown between the Harvard walk shown in the opening credits and the regatta sequence. While the first is shown smooth and rich, the latter sequence looks miniaturized. This contrast fits with the differing moods in the two scenes. The movie is also excellent in cinematography and editing. In the context of Visual Effects, it is really amazing to see Armie Hammer two roles as the two Winklevoss twins. The dialogues are smart and witty.

The Social Network movie is truly a masterpiece. It is a movie with an innovative theme that is well crafted with an intelligent screenplay and meaningful in the present day society. Even the film review site “Rotten Tomatoes” has given the move a perfect 100% and it is only fair that the Academy takes note of it. The Social Network has also been a box office success and any movie of such depth that also appeals to the masses is definitely worth recognition. The movie is one that the world of today can identify itself with – the changing styles of communication and its impact on relationships. Also it emphasizes how ego and selfishness arise with the arrival of money.

Mark Zuckerberg is well portrayed in a movie as a smart man who is yet in some ways dumb. Sitting before his computer, he is very active and enthusiastic, but he is always struggling in the social context. Jesse Eisenberg’s performance is fantastic as he shows very well the feeling of ease before the computer and the sense of being lost when amidst social confrontations. He does not show his discomfort only by his facial expressions. Rather he shows it with his overall body language and attitude that the people around him are infuriatingly illogical. What makes his character interesting is that he is unable to relate to people on a emotional level though he understands their needs and wants in the social networking world with great sensitivity. The first scene is particularly noteworthy. Mark talks about a wide range of topics that his girl friend finds difficult to follow. However, he is offended at his girl friend’s suggestion that he should choose to enter the club that is easiest to enter and unaware, he insults his girl friend by her by telling her that she is going “only” to Boston University. This scene shows Mark is a mercurial character who is not aware of his own elitist attitude and bad behavior. He also has difficulty communicating with Eduardo. Jess Eisenberg clearly showing that he is a man of tunneled vision, blind to the feelings of the people close to him. Eisenberg, with his astute performance allows the viewers to get glimpse of an emotionally distant man who has a keen intellect and a great passion for work.

The movie has the ability to excite, inform and entertain at the same time and is appealing to both technical and non-technical viewers. The movie addresses the technical aspects of how the networking site came into being and also how corruption and greed enter people’s lives along with money in a very simple manner. This movie has made pioneering efforts to explore the virtual world through the character of Mark Zuckerberg who is enigmatic. With such great qualities, the movie “The Social Network” is definitely the Best Picture of 2010.