A story about the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook...
Margaret: 
David: 
The Social Network
Rated M
Review by Margaret Pomeranz
For the half a billion people who are now on Facebook the film THE SOCIAL NETWORK will be of enormous interest. It's about the beginnings of this phenomenon at Harvard University in 2003 when social nerd Mark Zuckerberg - JESSE EISENBERG - aiming at revenge for being dumped by his girlfriend, created an internet rating of girls in the Harvard colleges called Facemash that landed him in a lot of trouble. But that led to him being approached by sporting heroes, the rich and privileged Winkelvoss twins, Cameron and Tyler, both played by ARMIE HAMMER, to create a network of Harvard undergraduates. Zuckerberg agreed but then snowed them while he developed his own Harvard network called The Facebook.
His best friend at that time was Eduardo Saverin - ANDREW GARFIELD - who provided the start-up money for the scheme. The film is intercut with Zuckerberg's later law suits with both Saverin and with the Winkelvoss'.
This is a beautifully made film by David Fincher with a superb screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. It is totally fascinating in that the human dimensions of friendship and loyalty, envy and competitiveness play out, particularly between the characters of Saverin and Sean Parker - JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, the creator of Napster, who saw a good thing happening and rode with it.
This role of Zuckerberg seems to have been created for Jesse Eisenberg, he's amazingly good. You don't necessarily like him but you get to understand him. It's astounding to me that the lives of these still young people are so exposed on screen. The film is based on the book 'The Accidental Billionaires' by Ben Mezrich. But even so, the access to potentially litigious material is mindboggling. And despite all the shenanigans between the interested parties, it has heart and poignancy.
Further comments
MARGARET: David?
DAVID: Well, I agree. I was astonished too, especially given that, as we see in the film, so many of the characters in this story are litigious. Yes, it amazed me and, of course, the one who comes out of it best is Eduardo Savarin, who really emerges as, I guess, the hero, if there is a hero, whereas everybody else is pretty flawed. Look, this is a film like GAINSBOURG actually, in a way, that I went to without any expectations. I knew it was a David Fincher film, so there was that expectation, but Facebook, I must say, doesn't kind of thrill me too much, so I went and I thought, well, this might be interesting, but I came away thinking that, well, this is the best film from a studio I've seen, certainly since INCEPTION anyway, this year. It's been a lean year in many ways but this is a terrific film. The very opening scene, I think is a classic scene.
MARGARET: It's so good.
DAVID: An instant classic. The scene where he breaks up with his girlfriend and...
MARGARET: Yes.
DAVID: That's so well written, so well directed.
MARGARET: It's sort of how do you get that? Zuckerberg is still around.
DAVID: Yes.
MARGARET: And you have created this scene where he's...
DAVID: Very much around, I imagine.
MARGARET: ...he's rejected by this woman.
DAVID: Yes.
MARGARET: A young woman and you go, well...
DAVID: Well, that's right, but the film is witty. It's smart. It's fascinating on every level imaginable. It's beautifully made. I just absolutely loved this film.
MARGARET: It's fascinating talking to Aaron Sorkin about it.
DAVID: Yes.
MARGARET: I'm giving this four and a half stars.
DAVID: Look, I'm giving it five out of five.
