Fincher's 'The Social Network' impresses critics
By James Hill III
The 2010 Oscar season has officially begun with a flourish. David Fincher's "The Social Network" is a spectacular film no matter your taste in movies, and is now in direct competition with, for me, "Inception" and "Toy Story 3" for the title of "Best Film of 2010" so far.
Unlike last week's review of "Catfish," this week's review is very simple. The film has a 97 percent positive approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes for a reason; it may very well be the film of the year.
Every aspect of this film deserves the highest praise, but it is the actors that really make this film great. Jesse Eisenberg, best recognized as the star of the horror comedy "Zombieland," manages to make a very unlikable character fascinating.
Much like George Clooney's portrayal of Ryan Bingham in "Up in the Air," Eisenberg delivers a delightfully nuanced performance as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, a tragic hero who faces many challenges on his path to success.
Andrew Garfield is fantastic as the tortured Eduardo Saverin, Zuckerberg's longtime friend and first Facebook CFO. The emotional roller coaster his character travels over the course of the film shows his wide range as an actor. Garfield has been slated to star as Peter Parker in the upcoming 2012 Spider-Man reboot.
Additionally, Armie Hammer presents a memorable double performance as the Winklevoss twins, crew rowers at Harvard who sue Zuckerberg for allegedly stealing their idea in order to create Facebook.
Surprisingly though, it is pop star Justin Timberlake who manages to steal every scene he's in as the scary-charismatic Sean Parker, one of the founders of Napster who managed to pull Zuckerberg from Harvard to California and began setting in motion much of Facebook's current path. Essentially Zuckerberg with a personality, Timberlake makes the shifty Parker insanely likeable while still causing trouble for Eisenberg and Garfield.
He plays the Mephisto to Zuckerberg's Faust, tempting him to make decisions that helped the company reach its 500 million friends and billion-dollar potential. But, as we see in the film's heart-wrenching finale, those decisions may have cost Zuckerberg something far more valuable.
Aaron Sorkin, best known for writing The West Wing, delivers a characteristically intelligent, well-written script that is much funnier than I expected. "The Social Network" is a two-hour drama, but the film zips along at a quality pace and the viewer never loses interest. Additionally, director David Fincher ("Fight Club," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), showcases his incredible talent as a director.
The film shows that Zuckerberg is undeniably one of the greatest geniuses of our time; Harvard students in the film make a nod to him possibly becoming the next Bill Gates.
Facebook is utilized by one in 13 people world-wide and has turned him into the world's youngest billionaire at age 26.
But, as the movie shows, he could easily be seen as a tragic figure as well, as someone who lost his soul in the midst of his technological zeal.
After viewing this film, one wonders if that kind of sacrifice may always be necessary to reach the heights Zuckerberg has reached.
"The Social Network" is a magnificent film that takes a discerning look at one of the most iconic figures of our generation. Fincher and Eisenberg, as well as the film itself, should be Oscar locks, and by the end of 2010 this could be the film that comes out on top.
Contact James Hill III at jhill@scu.edu or at (408) 551-1918.