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| Meta Title | 'The Social Network': Movie is so 'now' it might become timeless - mlive.com |
| Meta Description | What's not to "like" about Mark Zuckerberg? Many things. |
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| Boilerpipe Text | By
John Serba | jserba@mlive.com
Courtesy Photo
Jesse Eisenberg, left, and Joseph Mazzello are shown in a scene from "The Social Network."
What's not to "like" about Mark Zuckerberg?
Many things, as it turns out. The character of the Facebook founder is under intense scrutiny in "The Social Network," and beneath the strata of his persona, we find only frustration. This is good, for it stirs our interest in the man, a fascinatingly modern and ironic contradiction, a social maladroit who managed to controversially invent the Internet's most supped-from water cooler, a creation that simultaneously celebrates connection and detachment.
The mlive.com logo
A subscription is required to read this story.
Subscribe now to continue.
Too much yearning for the former often results in the latter, it seems, especially in this case. But it motivated Zuckerberg to achieve, and here, director David Fincher,
screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and actor Jesse Eisenberg forge a complex portrait of him
. The film's opening scene puts Zuckerberg in a bar opposite Erica Albright (Rooney Mara), arguing. His arrogance and intelligence -- again, one the likely product of the other -- are immediate and prevalent in Sorkin's motormouth dialogue and Eisenberg's clipped delivery.
And she dumps him, despite his protests. Relationship over. It registers somewhat on Eisenberg's face, as if he's searching for an intellectual solution to an emotional issue. Zuckerberg passes a Harvard-campus busker playing classical violin on his way back to his dorm room, where he sits down at his computer and trashes Erica on his blog. It seems he was never impressed with her bust size.
His best friend, the well-groomed Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), comes home, and they hack the university's database for photos of female students, concocting an "algorithm for hotness." The site they produce, Face Mash, is a work of cruel ingenuity: it generates two photos, and the user clicks which one is more attractive. More than 22,000 page views later, Harvard's network grinds to a halt.
REVIEW: 4 OUT OF 4 STARS
'The Social Network'
Rated: PG-13 for sexual content, drug and alcohol use, language
Cast:
Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer
Director:
David Fincher
Run time:
121 minutes
Zuckerberg gets six months of academic probation for his stunt. And infamy. Women think he's a pig. Sexually frustrated computer hackers think he's a hero. The Winklevoss twins (both played by Armie Hammer, with the help of pseudo-stand-in Josh Pence) think he's just the man for their online networking project, Harvard Connection, and they recruit him to generate code.
All of this has been a flashback. The narrative's present occurs during a deposition. Zuckerberg is a billionaire. Facebook took off, to the tune of 500 million users. The Winklevosses and Saverin are conducting their own separate lawsuits against him. The three parties present versions of the truth -- how Zuckerberg allegedly stole the Winklevosses' idea, how Saverin allegedly was booted from the project -- strands impeccably woven by Sorkin, their structural and subtextual integrity fortified by Fincher's skilled eye for visual storytelling.
Zuckerberg is so in tune with what's happening beneath the legalese, he believes he doesn't need to be at the deposition. Accordingly, Eisenberg's line readings slice with cold efficiency. Not all protagonists need to be sympathetic to draw us in, and his portrayal of a man with most of the color drained from him, a man more enigmatic than charismatic, is complex and appropriately difficult. Zuckerberg's blank qualities are balanced by Justin Timberlake, who gooses the narrative as Sean Parker, founder of Napster, who mentors him on publicizing, profiting and, yes, partying.
Eisenberg's award-worthy performance is the keystone of "The Social Network," which is so
now
, it may end up being timeless. Zuckerberg's path to fortune and infamy provides observations and commentary about the transition to adulthood, Ivy League life and education, class distinction and the young man's basic desire for physical commiseration with the opposite sex. He faces lawyers, snobs, authority figures and his intellectual betters, but no one, it seems, can hurt Zuckerberg more than a woman. This is perhaps his only tell.
E-mail John Serba:
jserba@grpress.com
and follow him on Twitter at
twitter.com/johnserba |
| Markdown | [Skip to Article](https://www.mlive.com/movies/2010/10/the_social_network_movie_is_so.html#main)
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# 'The Social Network': Movie is so 'now' it might become timeless
- Published: Oct. 01, 2010, 9:58 a.m.
By
- [John Serba \| jserba@mlive.com](https://www.mlive.com/staff/jserba/ "John Serba at jserba@mlive.com")
Courtesy PhotoJesse Eisenberg, left, and Joseph Mazzello are shown in a scene from "The Social Network."
What's not to "like" about Mark Zuckerberg?
Many things, as it turns out. The character of the Facebook founder is under intense scrutiny in "The Social Network," and beneath the strata of his persona, we find only frustration. This is good, for it stirs our interest in the man, a fascinatingly modern and ironic contradiction, a social maladroit who managed to controversially invent the Internet's most supped-from water cooler, a creation that simultaneously celebrates connection and detachment.
A subscription is required to read this story.
[Subscribe now to continue.](https://www.mlive.com/subscribe)
Too much yearning for the former often results in the latter, it seems, especially in this case. But it motivated Zuckerberg to achieve, and here, director David Fincher, [screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and actor Jesse Eisenberg forge a complex portrait of him](http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/10/the_social_network_writer_aaro.html). The film's opening scene puts Zuckerberg in a bar opposite Erica Albright (Rooney Mara), arguing. His arrogance and intelligence -- again, one the likely product of the other -- are immediate and prevalent in Sorkin's motormouth dialogue and Eisenberg's clipped delivery.
And she dumps him, despite his protests. Relationship over. It registers somewhat on Eisenberg's face, as if he's searching for an intellectual solution to an emotional issue. Zuckerberg passes a Harvard-campus busker playing classical violin on his way back to his dorm room, where he sits down at his computer and trashes Erica on his blog. It seems he was never impressed with her bust size.
His best friend, the well-groomed Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), comes home, and they hack the university's database for photos of female students, concocting an "algorithm for hotness." The site they produce, Face Mash, is a work of cruel ingenuity: it generates two photos, and the user clicks which one is more attractive. More than 22,000 page views later, Harvard's network grinds to a halt.
#### REVIEW: 4 OUT OF 4 STARS
**'The Social Network'**
Rated: PG-13 for sexual content, drug and alcohol use, language
**Cast:** Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer
**Director:** David Fincher
**Run time:** 121 minutes
Zuckerberg gets six months of academic probation for his stunt. And infamy. Women think he's a pig. Sexually frustrated computer hackers think he's a hero. The Winklevoss twins (both played by Armie Hammer, with the help of pseudo-stand-in Josh Pence) think he's just the man for their online networking project, Harvard Connection, and they recruit him to generate code.
All of this has been a flashback. The narrative's present occurs during a deposition. Zuckerberg is a billionaire. Facebook took off, to the tune of 500 million users. The Winklevosses and Saverin are conducting their own separate lawsuits against him. The three parties present versions of the truth -- how Zuckerberg allegedly stole the Winklevosses' idea, how Saverin allegedly was booted from the project -- strands impeccably woven by Sorkin, their structural and subtextual integrity fortified by Fincher's skilled eye for visual storytelling.
Zuckerberg is so in tune with what's happening beneath the legalese, he believes he doesn't need to be at the deposition. Accordingly, Eisenberg's line readings slice with cold efficiency. Not all protagonists need to be sympathetic to draw us in, and his portrayal of a man with most of the color drained from him, a man more enigmatic than charismatic, is complex and appropriately difficult. Zuckerberg's blank qualities are balanced by Justin Timberlake, who gooses the narrative as Sean Parker, founder of Napster, who mentors him on publicizing, profiting and, yes, partying.
Eisenberg's award-worthy performance is the keystone of "The Social Network," which is so *now*, it may end up being timeless. Zuckerberg's path to fortune and infamy provides observations and commentary about the transition to adulthood, Ivy League life and education, class distinction and the young man's basic desire for physical commiseration with the opposite sex. He faces lawyers, snobs, authority figures and his intellectual betters, but no one, it seems, can hurt Zuckerberg more than a woman. This is perhaps his only tell.
*E-mail John Serba: [jserba@grpress.com](mailto:jserba@grpress.com) and follow him on Twitter at [twitter.com/johnserba](http://twitter.com/johnserba)*
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| Readable Markdown | By
- [John Serba \| jserba@mlive.com](https://www.mlive.com/staff/jserba/ "John Serba at jserba@mlive.com")
Courtesy PhotoJesse Eisenberg, left, and Joseph Mazzello are shown in a scene from "The Social Network."
What's not to "like" about Mark Zuckerberg?
Many things, as it turns out. The character of the Facebook founder is under intense scrutiny in "The Social Network," and beneath the strata of his persona, we find only frustration. This is good, for it stirs our interest in the man, a fascinatingly modern and ironic contradiction, a social maladroit who managed to controversially invent the Internet's most supped-from water cooler, a creation that simultaneously celebrates connection and detachment.
A subscription is required to read this story.
[Subscribe now to continue.](https://www.mlive.com/subscribe)
Too much yearning for the former often results in the latter, it seems, especially in this case. But it motivated Zuckerberg to achieve, and here, director David Fincher, [screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and actor Jesse Eisenberg forge a complex portrait of him](http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/10/the_social_network_writer_aaro.html). The film's opening scene puts Zuckerberg in a bar opposite Erica Albright (Rooney Mara), arguing. His arrogance and intelligence -- again, one the likely product of the other -- are immediate and prevalent in Sorkin's motormouth dialogue and Eisenberg's clipped delivery.
And she dumps him, despite his protests. Relationship over. It registers somewhat on Eisenberg's face, as if he's searching for an intellectual solution to an emotional issue. Zuckerberg passes a Harvard-campus busker playing classical violin on his way back to his dorm room, where he sits down at his computer and trashes Erica on his blog. It seems he was never impressed with her bust size.
His best friend, the well-groomed Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), comes home, and they hack the university's database for photos of female students, concocting an "algorithm for hotness." The site they produce, Face Mash, is a work of cruel ingenuity: it generates two photos, and the user clicks which one is more attractive. More than 22,000 page views later, Harvard's network grinds to a halt.
#### REVIEW: 4 OUT OF 4 STARS
**'The Social Network'**
Rated: PG-13 for sexual content, drug and alcohol use, language
**Cast:** Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer
**Director:** David Fincher
**Run time:** 121 minutes
Zuckerberg gets six months of academic probation for his stunt. And infamy. Women think he's a pig. Sexually frustrated computer hackers think he's a hero. The Winklevoss twins (both played by Armie Hammer, with the help of pseudo-stand-in Josh Pence) think he's just the man for their online networking project, Harvard Connection, and they recruit him to generate code.
All of this has been a flashback. The narrative's present occurs during a deposition. Zuckerberg is a billionaire. Facebook took off, to the tune of 500 million users. The Winklevosses and Saverin are conducting their own separate lawsuits against him. The three parties present versions of the truth -- how Zuckerberg allegedly stole the Winklevosses' idea, how Saverin allegedly was booted from the project -- strands impeccably woven by Sorkin, their structural and subtextual integrity fortified by Fincher's skilled eye for visual storytelling.
Zuckerberg is so in tune with what's happening beneath the legalese, he believes he doesn't need to be at the deposition. Accordingly, Eisenberg's line readings slice with cold efficiency. Not all protagonists need to be sympathetic to draw us in, and his portrayal of a man with most of the color drained from him, a man more enigmatic than charismatic, is complex and appropriately difficult. Zuckerberg's blank qualities are balanced by Justin Timberlake, who gooses the narrative as Sean Parker, founder of Napster, who mentors him on publicizing, profiting and, yes, partying.
Eisenberg's award-worthy performance is the keystone of "The Social Network," which is so *now*, it may end up being timeless. Zuckerberg's path to fortune and infamy provides observations and commentary about the transition to adulthood, Ivy League life and education, class distinction and the young man's basic desire for physical commiseration with the opposite sex. He faces lawyers, snobs, authority figures and his intellectual betters, but no one, it seems, can hurt Zuckerberg more than a woman. This is perhaps his only tell.
*E-mail John Serba: [jserba@grpress.com](mailto:jserba@grpress.com) and follow him on Twitter at [twitter.com/johnserba](http://twitter.com/johnserba)* |
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