I’m a life long fan of director David Fincher and find myself increasingly impressed by the visions he brings to screen. I like his gravity towards perverse subjects, trademark visuals and the ways in which he continually innovates with technology and effects work. When the rest of the world and I heard that Fincher was behind ‘the Facebook movie,’ speculation grew rapid fire. What exactly would this movie become? Teaming up with dialogue king Aaron Sorkin, Fincher creates the surprisingly watchable film about money and friendship. It was my favorite film of 2010 and would make a strong case for my top 10 of the decade list. Keep reading to see what I chose for my 5 Favorite Things about The Social Network.
5. The Direction: Too obvious to pick? Fuck no. For me, Fincher is one of the most interesting and talented directors working today. His abilities as a director far outshine others working in his field and he continues to shape fascinating works of art. The Social Network is no exception, as he creates such distinct mood and style with each scene that it sometimes reduces my vocabulary to a single word: cool. He maintains a strong, perfectionist presence in every aspect of the filmmaking process. It’s still a travesty to me that in the same year David Fincher directed The Social Network, Darren Aronofsky directed the stunning Black Swan and yet, the Academy Award for Best Direction was lobbed to Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech. Remaining in the category was The Cohen Brother’s True Grit and David O. Russell’s The Fighter, both certainly films showcasing talented direction. With those four films so distinctive of their directors, it pains me that the only movie on the list that could have been made by anyone else took the award home. Shit, like the Academy ever gets it right.
4. The Dialogue: I’m basically a total Sorkin Fangirl because of this movie. LOL LYKE IM SO YOUNG RITE?! It’s not that I wasn’t aware of his existence beforehand, but I wasn’t really familiar with his trademark stuff beside all those key scenes in A Few Good Men. So when I saw The Social Network my head exploded. The speed, the wit and the structure of his diabolically catchy quotes had me absolutely spun. There are so many memorable lines in the film that I was left begging for more. Making up for lost time, I’ve watched his awesome 90’s sitcom/drama Sports Night, made everyone I know sit down on Sundays for The Newsroom, and flooded my Netflix queue with West Wing episodes.
3. Jesse Eisenberg: For someone who was mainly compared to Michael Cera before this film’s release, he turns in a knock out performance that doesn’t even ring close to what the other actor has accomplished. There is a subtly in his performance that can’t be contributed only to Fincher or Sorkin. He makes the character his own and constantly has the audience questioning his likability. Eisenberg is often very reserved when discussing his performance in the film but it is quickly evident how much thought and care went into his characterization of Zuckerberg.
2. The Music: Thankfully, this was one award that the film was able to get away with. The original score composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross landed the film the Academy Award. For anyone who’s listened to it, this was a deserved choice. The music is so unique and unexpected for a movie that contains a lot of legal depositions and coding sessions. It sends electronic pulses through the entire body of the film and propels each scene enthusiastically into the next. As a bonus, the music makes for some great background sounds when I’m typing away or working on a project.
1. The Characterization of Mark Zuckerberg: This is the one aspect of the movie I feel never gets credit and is one of the biggest tent poles for me. In conversation of the film, Mark is often reduced to being labeled a dick or a ruthless backstabber and the phrase “He made Facebook because of a girl” get’s thrown out a lot. Sure, Eduardo (Mark’s opposite) is a do-gooder hero if there ever was one, but he’s written that way to expand the film’s drama. Mark on the other hand, while still fictionally exaggerated, is handled with a lot of personal reality. If you think the movie is trying to say Eduardo = Good, Mark = Bad, then I think you’re missing the point entirely. Mark is in fact, a genius. There is no denying the man’s abilities and knowledge that is referenced frequently throughout the film. As a result, Mark comes across as patronizing, always talking to others like he is better or smarter than they are because well…. he is. It’s not a great excuse for how to treat others but at the end of the day, all his opponents in the movie were wrong and he was right. He’s a multi-billionaire not because he screwed over everyone on his way to the top, but because of his creativity and drive. His individual downfall is his inability to adequately handle the personal relationships in his life. I understand this character, and while I don’t condone his actions, I submit to the fact that he was actually right about most of his ideas. I love the quote from Rashida Jones’s character at the end of the film, where she says “You’re not an asshole, Mark. You’re just trying so hard to be.” It’s such a loaded quote and a perfect cap to the movie.
Did you like The Social Network? What are some of your favorite things about it?