I am starting a new series titled "My Favorites" (WIP name) which I will try to update every week or so, where I discuss my favorite films of all time. Personally, I don't have an exact favorite film, but the ones in this series are up there for me. I'm going to kick off this series with one of the first films that really sparked my appreciation for cinema, The Social Network. (This series is not exactly reviews, but instead just me talking about the film.)
Here's your IMDb summary of the film, if you have never heard of it before:
Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg creates the social networking site that would become known as Facebook, but is later sued by two brothers who claimed he stole their idea, and the co-founder who was later squeezed out of the business.
The Social Network is directed by one of the best working directors, David Fincher. This man has crafted masterpieces such as Se7en, Zodiac, Gone Girl, Panic Room, The Game, Fight Club, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and of course, The Social Network. You will probably see some of these films pop up in this series later on. Also, The Social Network is written by one of the highest praised screenwriters of our time, Aaron Sorkin.
This film also came out at the perfect time. 2010 was at the apex of Facebook's reign over social media, since it's inception in 2005. Educating the masses of how the website they visit every day came to be was a near essential feat to do, and Fincher and Sorkin sought to do it, and succeeded. This film is one of the more well known "Oscar-y" films that there have been, likely because the general plot of the film is very appealing to most audiences, especially the younger crowd.
If you read that IMDb description above, or have seen any of the marketing the film had prior to it's release, you know that this movie was advertised as "a movie about how Facebook was made." And its understandable why that was the general idea expressed through the marketing. It is an appealing plot that some people will be genuinely interested by. However, The Social Network is not "a movie about the creation of Facebook." It is a success story, a character piece, and a true tale of friendship and betrayal.
The strongest work of art is more than just what is on display. It ascends beyond just the paint, just the film, just the words. The novel The Great Gatsby is not only popular because of it's superb writing. It defined an entire generation of people, those who lived in 1920's New York. The Social Network is comparable in that regard to Gatsby. When our time has come, and the early 2000's become known as an era forgotten, The Social Network will be one of the works of art to define our generation. It is almost a crime to have not seen this film, or know the story behind it.
As I stated previously, The Social Network is a success story, a character piece, and a tale of friendship and betrayal. Friendship is one of the strongest themes seen throughout this film. There's another one that complements and contrasts friendship very well. Greed. Greed is an incredibly prominent theme that is in the veins of the film, and how it blends with the theme of friendship was masterfully done. Largely, the greed displayed in the film was the greed for money, not surprisingly. Money breaks people apart, and it is on a grand display in this film. Finances are the leading cause of divorce, and it is what most people argue about. This film conveys what the idea of money and greed does to two considered inseparable friends, and does so in the best of fashions.
In this modern era of franchises, big superhero extravaganzas, and cinematic universes, it is hard to keep an audience entertained without some huge action setpiece for everyone to ogle at while shoving popcorn down their face. The Social Network, in addition to being perfectly written and directed, is extremely engaging and entertaining. Many casual film-goers don't really want to watch a dramatic true story that was nominated for a bunch of awards, but I believe that any mature audience member will say that The Social Network was not boring for second. The multi-dimensional characters and the smartly crafted dialogue keep the audience captivated, while never losing sight that it needs to respect the actual people.
Just for a moment, let me discuss the technical aspects of this film, because they are all exceptional. David Fincher is a master of storytelling, and he tells an engaging story, complemented by marvelous direction. Sorkin's dialogue is probably the finest part of the film. Without the top-notch script that Sorkin created, the "look inside the misanthropic genius's mind" idea that they were rolling with would have just fallen flat on it's face. The dialogue just feels so real, where you don't even feel like you are watching a depiction of these events, but rather the events themselves.`To be honest, this is one of the best screenplays ever written. Instantaneously from the first scene of the film, you understand what kind of person Zuckerberg is, and it only develops more and more from there. Every single character his impeccably written and the acting jobs only improved it.
Jesse Eisenberg, in his breakthrough role as Mark Zuckerberg, plays a geek with limited social abilities, a brilliant mind, an arrogant and pretentious asshole at times, but at the same time was likable enough for you to enjoy watching his endeavors for two hours. This role paved the way for Eisenberg's successful acting career, which has only just began. Andrew Garfield, who since the release of this film has been cast and fired as Spider-Man, plays Zuckerberg's only friend, and Facebook's co-founder, and gives his best performance to date, the best performance of the film, and was criminally not nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. Justin Timberlake, playing Napster founder Sean Parker, acts with so much arrogance and charisma, you would think this guy was actually a regular actor and not musician.
Fincher's wonderful direction and Sorkin's perfect dialogue weave The Social Network together, with thoughtful commentary on our "social media generation", all while having three outstanding performances by young actors, an amazing score and cinematography, making one of the most insightful films of the 2010's so far, and easily one of the best. If you have not seen The Social Network, I urge you to watch it somehow. It is one of my favorite films of all time, and one of the best I have ever seen. Although this is not a review, I have to say,
Consensus:
A+
Thank you all for reading, and I hope you like this series of posts.
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