Addicted to The Social Network?

Whatever you think about Facebook, a film about it doesn't immediately set the imagination on fire.

And, if the focus is primarily on the legal cases brought about by those involved or not involved, depending on your point of view, in its inception then you potentially have the makings of a paint-drying story.

However, Aaron Sorkin's screenplay in the hands of director David Fincher has turned the story of the creation of Facebook by a student at Harvard University and the subsequent law suits into an interesting, entertaining and engaging character piece.

The film was apparently legaled (as we refer to it at work) to within an inch of its life and with million dollar compensation claims having been already been paid out to disgruntled participants in the Facebook story you can understand why.

It does raise the question, though, of how much of the film is actually true and as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is the primary specimen under the microscope how accurate a portrayal of him it is. After seeing the film I found this article on the BBC website which seems to claim that the film is only about 40% accurate. Putting that one side it is still a great film.

Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) doesn't come off very well although I feel more empathy with his character than most reviewers seem to. I didn't see him as quite as calculated as some have made out. He seems to be socially inept rather than machiavellian.

Yes, his initial web creation was motivated by revenge on a girlfriend who dumps him but he subsequently becomes consumed by the project, connecting only with those who are on the same wavelength.

There are great performances all round, even from the curly-haired Justin Timberlake who plays Napster founder and Facebook investor Sean Parker. But special mentions have to go to Eisenberg and Brit rising star and soon to be Spider-man Andrew Garfield who plays his one time friend and co-founder Eduardo Saverin.

The two hours running time trips by and there is plenty to digest and discuss afterward with one question left floating: 'How many genuine friends does the world's youngest billionaire, Mr Zuckerberg, have now?'

I'd give it four stars out of five although having just watched the trailer again with the superb cover of Radiohead's Creep I'd almost be tempted to push that to five. Almost.

On Rotten Tomatoes UK it's got a staggering 97%. And Metacritic which aggregates views from the US has given it 95%. Bit of a thumbs up all round then.

 

Comments

[Rev Stan]

Ah, I'll give it a go.

[Adam]

The book it's based on - The Accidental Billionaires - is well worth a read, if you enjoyed the movie.