The Social Network

When first announced there was much furore regarding The Social Network; a film about the creation of Facebook. Many critics and bloggers jumped upon the film as a cash-in merely wishing to appeal to some of Facebooks 500 million users. Rumours circulated about directors and screenwriters with the Fincher/Sorkin pairing many believing too good to be true. But it was true and the film has come to fruition in double-quick time, especially for Fincher who spent 18 months merely in post-production on his last film: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Despite this doubtless positive announcement many didn’t hold their breath, Sorkin’s renowned snappy dialogue would clash with Fincher’s cold directorial style. And now with Trent Reznor rumouring to score, even I was on side of the pessimists.
The first teaser trailer offered hope but I remained steadfast in my lack of enthusiasm. Then the theatrical trailer was shown before Inception and my original trepidation transformed into unbridled fervor. Could the 3 vastly different collaborators, with such a (seemingly) lackluster plot and subject matter have crafted an eloquent, relevant film? Has the director pulled it off?
Fincher is known in the industry as a dark, brooding director with Se7en, Fight Club and Zodiac being primordially heavy films. There can be no doubting that the subject matter of The Social Network is perceived by many to be light and friviolous. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although it takes significant artistic license with the plot and some of the characters this is a dark, thoroughly Fincher-esque film about one teenagers rise to fame and fortune, as his friends all fall by the wayside.        A main critique of Finchers work is them being emotionally distant and cold and whilst that was certainly true of Se7en and perhaps to a lesser degree Benjamin Button here his style perfectly matches the tone of the film with the direction mirroring our cold, calculating protagonist Mark Zuckerberg.
Jesse Eisenberg is a revelation as the co-founder of Facebook. Having previously been tarred with the same brush as Michael Cera and the Superbad ilk, here he excels as the marvelously written, darkly funny, almost-autistic Zuckerberg. Andrew Garfield, as Eduardo Saverin keeps a moral compass tied to the film as Zuckerberg loses control and starts to rapidly expand his business leaving him behind. It’s a remarkably assured performance by the future Spiderman and gives hope that the superfluous reboot might have more dramatic chops than Sam Raimi’s trilogy. Much to my chagrin, Justin Timberlake is also commendable as Sean Parker, the creator of Napster. His cocksure arrogance entraps the audience as much as it does the impressionable Zuckerberg and he seems at home with Sorkins witty dialogue. The supporting cast is flawless with Rooney Mara leaving such an impression on Fincher that he cast her as the much sought after Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in his remake of the Swedish hit, ahead of much more A-list talent such as Emma Watson and Kiera Knightly.
Sorkin, who has recently announced his own directorial debut, deserves his usual reception for crafting an entirely non-chronological story that is essentially a courtroom drama, yet maintaining dramatic momentum. An Oscar nomination in this category is assured and a win, the first for Sorkin, is not out of the question. Although doubts were raised over Fincher and Sorkin clashing on style with the script and direction, both are marvelously balanced against Trent Reznor’s minimalist score. The Nine Inch Nails front man, with help from Atticus Ross has created a soundtrack that is modern but ethereal and haunts every scene with an undercurrent of fear.
One of the main reasons I respect David Fincher so much is his versatility with regards to his chosen subject matter. His two most similar films are Zodiac and Se7en being both about serial killers but other than the fiction/non-fiction divide they’re both told in entirely different ways and with The Social Network he opens another facet of his talent previously unseen by the public; a gentle, subtle finesse.
Some critics might state that with so many pop culture references that The Social Network will have a shelf-life of 6 months but the fact that the film surrounds Facebook couldn’t be less important. I’m aware of how rampant a cliche this is, but the story does have Greek tragedy parables with Zuckerberg’s fall from grace mirroring his rise to youngest billionaire in the world, and if not that then at least its closest associate in the film industry is Citizen Kane, no hyperbole intended.
The Social Network is a lauded, successful amalgamation of Fincher and Sorkin, both of whom are now moving onto pastures new with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Politician respectively, before they fill up there schedules though they best leave the 27th of February blank…for the moment…this one maybe, just maybe be the first statuette for both of them.