The Social Network

Released: September 24, 2010

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Genre: drama

Box Office (numbers in millions):

Domestic: 96.96 Worldwide: 224.92

Adjusted for Inflation:

Domestic: -- Worldwide: --

Directing: David Fincher

Screenwriting: Aaron Sorkin

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake

Review:

The Social Network was based on the 2009 Ben Mezrich book The Accidental Billionaires which charts the founding of the social networking website Facebook. The site’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg, was not involved in the project and the factual accuracy of the film has been questioned. ^WK

The story follows Zuckerberg (Eisenberg) as a Harvard University student who creates a campus website to allow students to rate female students’ attractiveness. It blossoms into a social networking/dating site for students. Through a series of betrayals and back-stabbing, Zuckerberg wrestles control of the site away from others who were involved in its creation on his way toward becoming the world’s youngest billionaire. ^WK

TheIndependentCritic.com’s Richard Propes says the movie is “stimulating, energetic, entertaining and wondrously written and acted across the board.” ^IC He says Eisenberg is “eerily spot-on with how most of us likely picture the rather elusive Mark Zuckerberg.” ^IC He’s “portrayed as withdrawn, observant, calculating, self-assured and, yes, vengeful with even a touch of sociopathic tendencies. In other words, he's destined to become a billionaire.” ^IC

Eisenberg is “matched note for note by Justin Timberlake's spin on Zuckerberg's semi-faux mentor and Napster founder Sean Parker and perhaps even moreso by Andrew Garfield's Eduardo Saverin, Zuckerberg's academic peer and early financier and patsy.” ^IC

Propes also notes “how well the combo of Fincher’s direction and Sorkin’s writing weave themselves together.” ^IC The Writers Guild of America ranked the screenplay as the third greatest of the 21st century behind Get Out and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.