Movie Review: The Social Network

As mentioned in My Happy 10, movies are one of my ultimate indulgences and I try to catch a flick on the big screen as often as I can. The other week I went to see The Social Network. The film is surrounded by Oscar buzz, with breakthrough performances from its very young and seemingly inexperienced cast, yet beneath the snappy script and sharp editing is the underlying message of the psychological power of the internet and more importantly, why we feed it as much as it feeds us.

The Social Network follows the story behind the inspiration and creation of the Internet phenomenon that is Facebook and while the film had the potential to be bland and boring, script writer Aaron Sorkin has succeeded in making it not only entertaining, but gripping. The blisteringly sharp dialogue is fast and witty and while it requires a level of concentration the convincing performances make it palatable.

This film is unquestionably carried by the outstanding cast that bring these characters to life. Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook is played by the awkwardly brilliant Jesse Eisenberg, who's prior acting experience fell in the realm of comedy in films such as Zombieland and Adventureland. With intense closeups and lines delivered with conviction, Eisenberg portrays Zuckerberg as a cold, calculated and determined genius who is incredibly comfortable with his talents and will stop at nothing to prove it.

Zuckerberg's best friend and the original financier of Facebook is Saverin, played superbly by Andrew Garfield. Saverin is a far more sympathetic character, warm and inviting, which only ignites the audiences' apathy towards him when Zuckerberg's betrayal of their friendship lands them in a feuding legal battle.

The underlying beauty of this film however, is not the incredible creation of an online social network but rather a story of friendship, ambition and betrayal. It is a character study of an incredibly fascinating individual whose actions both positively and negatively affect his life.

Six years and 500 million online friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history. However, the irony remains that despite wealth, fame and a life-defining invention, Mr Facebook is utterly friendless and seeks the one thing that unites us all as humans- our quest for love and acceptance.