The Social Network (David Fincher, 2010)

[J Adams]

I've seen this film and it is not *that* great. I doubt it will have much resonance 10 years from now, let alone 50. Linking the narrative to a courtroom-style process is a rather stale device. And while it is adequately cinematic, it still plays like a TV drama--particularly in the artificially plotty narrative drive and low-key acting styles adopted by the cast. And the ending was more silly than poignant. B

[tavernier]

This is very entertaining but very slick and shallow--inevitable, I guess, given the subject matter. Thanks to Sorkin's snappy dialogue and Fincher's smart direction, it plays nicely but evaporates from memory once it's finished: their clever narrative structure helps put suspense, excitement and even tragedy into a story that, let’s face it, isn’t that dramatically compelling. I found Trent Reznor’s score mostly redundant (but the Beatles tune at the end is a brilliant choice); except for Timberlake--a total lightweight--the cast is top-notch.

Any comparisons to Kane and Eve are odious, and I like Fincher and Sorkin's work.

[Anhedionisiac]

I was wondering when would the backlash start

[tavernier]

I was wondering when would the backlash start

Once people start seeing the film.

[J Adams]

It started at Alice Tully Hall at 8:01pm last Friday. It's a worthwhile ride but it's been ludicrously overpraised. I guess crix think Facebook is "cool" or something and are afraid to give the film a hard look.

[FerdinandGriffon]

It started at Alice Tully Hall at 8:01pm last Friday. It's a worthwhile ride but it's been ludicrously overpraised. I guess crix think Facebook is "cool" or something and are afraid to give the film a hard look.

Except The Social Network doesn't think Facebook is cool.

[Finch]

Yet another rave, courtesy of Slant's Nick Schager.

[J Adams]

It started at Alice Tully Hall at 8:01pm last Friday. It's a worthwhile ride but it's been ludicrously overpraised. I guess crix think Facebook is "cool" or something and are afraid to give the film a hard look.

Except The Social Network doesn't think Facebook is cool.

Not sure about that. Maybe it thinks it was cool back in the good old days. And I interpreted the little ending bit as pro-Facebook.

[John Cope]

This is actually the aspect of the picture I'm most concerned about. The trailer was so riveting to me because it implicates us as well. If that angle is not pronounced enough in the film it will be a real loss as it's certainly possible to suggest as much via the characterization of Zuckerberg himself.

[J Adams]

I didn't interpret the film as anti-Facebook, but rather as anti the "process" by which it came about. Facebook is presented as inevitable and somewhat useful. But to be honest, as Tavernier suggests, for many people it may not be the sort of film that provokes a lot of analysis of that type. It's a business thriller about people getting screwed. And if you hate Ivy Leaguers you will love it.

[Jeff]

it's been ludicrously overpraised. I guess crix think Facebook is "cool" or something and are afraid to give the film a hard look.

I haven't seen the film, and I having a pretty hard time believing that it could possibly be as great as I've been led to believe. The quote above, however, seems completely unfair.

Some great critics who have been writing about film professionally for a long time wrote reviews that indicated that they have given it a very hard look. They talk about themes of loneliness, isolation, communication, the need to belong, and the ultimate emptiness of online tools as a means to fill that need. It seems kind of ridiculous to assume that people like Kent Jones, Scott Foundas, Todd McCarthy, Glenn Kenny, Andrew O'Hehir, Stephanie Zacharek, and Manohla Dargis -- many of whom have expressed either personal apathy or antipathy towards Facebook gave it very positive to glowing (and in some cases, quite lengthy) reviews just because they think Facebook is "cool," and they want to be cool too.

[Mr Sausage]

I'm pleased the reviews so far have resisted the temptation to show how above Facebook the reviewer is. I predicted a lot more conservative social signaling than there has been. I do, however, expect a lot of that kind of thing to happen in this thread come the week-end.

[FerdinandGriffon]

And if you hate Ivy Leaguers you will love it.

Well, that's kind of the key. Fincher makes a strong case for Facebook as the natural and potentially horrifying development of the hellish social and political networks at schools like Harvard, and for punks like Zuckerberg and the twins as the sort of leaders that these places are designed to breed. I think it's a film that's very, very critical of some of the most fundamental institutions in American society (not just recent additions like Facebook).

[John Cope]

I think it's a film that's very, very critical of some of the most fundamental institutions in American society (not just recent additions like Facebook).

Well if that's the case, that's great.

[HistoryProf]

I'm pleased the reviews so far have resisted the temptation to show how above Facebook the reviewer is. I predicted a lot more conservative social signaling than there has been. I do, however, expect a lot of that kind of thing to happen in this thread come the week-end.

don't worry, the internets are sure to bring out the haughty anti-socialites in droves in the coming weeks.

[Mr Sausage]

And not one of them is going to see the irony of using the internet to bitch about the shallowness of the internet.

[Venom]

Not sure what to think about this. Fincher is excellent certainly, but I HATE Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenberg is nearly as annoying as Michael Cera. Also a little soon for this, especially when Middle Men was only two months ago (and internet porn is definitely bigger LOL).

[J Adams]

And if you hate Ivy Leaguers you will love it.

Well, that's kind of the key. Fincher makes a strong case for Facebook as the natural and potentially horrifying development of the hellish social and political networks at schools like Harvard, and for punks like Zuckerberg and the twins as the sort of leaders that these places are designed to breed. I think it's a film that's very, very critical of some of the most fundamental institutions in American society (not just recent additions like Facebook).

Yes, that's probably why the crix are overpraising this film--they tend to be anti-capitalist/anti-elite. I still don't see how the film is anti-Facebook, and it seems rather lame to hate Facebook (indifference I can understand). In the film, whatever Facebook itself is, or "means", recedes into the background after its "offensive" predecessor is developed (the hot-or-not thing). I don't think Facebook in its current incarnation is presented as an analogue to the college/elite social environment which, let's face it, is just part of growing up. Facebook now has 500 million users, doesn't it? It's just part of the air at this point.

[Finch]

Mixed review from Aaron Cutler at The House Next Door. Wouldn't be surprised if his dissenting take on the film turns out to be better written and more coherently argued than Armond White's.

[Kellen]

Fincher interview from the NY Film Festival:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxDjCyyf ... r_embedded
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v7Uj3wn ... r_embedded
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VCuLT6S ... r_embedded
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1m8gJ6m ... r_embedded
Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q69_ll56 ... r_embedded
Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xdF1cuA ... r_embedded

[Mr Sausage]

An excellent and stylish character study that benefits by having an interesting story to tell on top of that. This movie, as far as I can tell from a single viewing, has no ambitions to be a wider study of modern socializing, so I suspect a lot of people will criticize it as shallow. Its two biggest triumphs, however, are: A. its narrative and visual energy, and B. its sure grasp of its central character. The first we expect from Fincher. The second is skillful in a number of subtle ways: for its restraint, for the way Eisenberg uses a lack of an emotional reaction to indicate his character's actual feelings, and for the way it allows Zuckerberg to be genuinely unlikeable while never being repulsive or alienating.

The structure is also ingenious in a subtle way: by structuring the movie around the two depositions, the movie can overcome any biases, dramatic licenses, and most importantly, any character exaggerations, by suggesting that such things are a product of after-the-fact recollections and hearsay rather than straight reporting. The movie hints at the possible artifice of the eye-witness accounts in certain small moments of dialogue.

I was surprised when the movie ended: its momentum is so assured that I couldn't tell two hours had passed. Also, Fincher manages to make one of those Ivy League boatraces actually exciting, and does so by abstracting the motions and the momentum instead of making drama out of who'll win. Delightful.

[Jack Phillips]

I was surprised when the movie ended: its momentum is so assured that I couldn't tell two hours had passed.

That was exactly my experience.

Great point about the boat race. I hadn't really thought about it, but having read your analysis, I see you're right. Your other points are also spot-on.

I was enormously entertained by this, but I was disappointed when Fincher trotted out what is essentially The Rosebud Ending--only in this case "Rosebud" is a character, a character whose identity and significance are made clear from the very beginning, and a character who is, apparently, either completely made up or a composite (she doesn't get any afterstory titles at the end).

[Jeff]

The theme here will not be unfamiliar to fans of director David Fincher. Jesse Eisenberg embodies Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg (or, rather, a slightly fictionalized version thereof) in a remarkable performance. Zuckerberg’s story begins with a deliriously talky breakup scene that would make Howard Hawks proud. Literally incapable of engaging in normal social interactions with other human beings, Zuckerberg attempts to converse with a new girlfriend by alternating jabs of condescension and sarcasm. He talks fast and thinks faster, and unfortunately has no filter between the two. He desperately needs to have social relationships, but is ultimately afraid of engaging in them, so he couches himself behind a barbed-wire fence of biting wit and fierce intelligence. Much is made of the fact that he has exactly one friend, Facebook co-creator Eduardo Saverin. It’s a relationship that he clearly values, but does not know how to manage. Maybe that’s because he’s jealous of Saverin’s levelheadedness and financial competence. Those are things he can’t seem to manage. He also doesn’t have the athletic prowess or high-powered connections of brothers Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, fellow Harvard students who allegedly plant the idea for Facebook. Zuckerberg is unable to reconcile his envy, his social ineptitude, his disdain for society, and his desperate longing to be a part of it. The protagonists of Fincher’s Fight Club and The Game knew these feelings well, but they take on new meaning when juxtaposed with the ultimate social emptiness and artificiality that defines Facebook.

These are not complicated themes, and there is certainly nothing new or revolutionary about them. What makes The Social Network special is the master-level craftsmanship of the writing and direction. Aaron Sorkin’s script crackles with smart, witty dialog that manages to make the recitation of complicated computer algorithms and legal procedures feel more like a boxing match than a dissertation. His nonlinear structure is never gimmicky or confusing. Fincher is more restrained here than he’s ever been before, but it suits the material, and every shot feels just right. There’s no need to employ hyperbole in describing the quality of the film. Despite thematic connections, The Social Network is not Citizen Kane or All About Eve, and it doesn’t really aspire to be. It doesn’t define a generation or a decade, and may not even end up being the best American film of the year. What it is instead is a sui generis entertainment that has something to say about the society that spawned Facebook. It’s an engaging drama for thinking adults, and that itself is a rarity worth celebrating.

[Mr Sausage]

He desperately needs to have social relationships, but is ultimately afraid of engaging in them, so he couches himself behind a barbed-wire fence of biting wit and fierce intelligence. Much is made of the fact that he has exactly one friend, Facebook co-creator Eduardo Saverin. It’s a relationship that he clearly values, but does not know how to manage. Maybe that’s because he’s jealous of Saverin’s levelheadedness and financial competence. Those are things he can’t seem to manage.

What I thought was so wonderfully displayed was Zuckerberg's inability to truly hear what other people are saying. Not only does he talk at people, he also projects his own thoughts and desires onto them to the point where sympathy becomes impossible. Like when Saverin blurts out that he's not just unhappy with his girlfriend, but afraid of her, and Zuckerberg cannot really hear what he's saying: he just mumbles distractedly "at least you have a girlfriend," and you can see that he's disconnected from the conversation and become lost in his own desires. He wants social acceptance and yet he is unable to get outside of his own head. You can see why he was drawn to the idea of Facebook (and to the idea of inventing something cool and popular): you can have a million friends without ever needing to leave your house, your room, your head. Socializing without sociability. And Zuckerberg uses Facebook as a replacement for social skills; for example trying to use Facebook's popularity to convince his ex-girlfriend to talk to him, only to find that she's not heard of it since she's not at Harvard. So Zuckerberg runs off to expand the site. Facebook's expansion from campus to campus to eventually the world comes essentially from Zuckerberg's need to make people like him through his reputation for having created a popular social tool. So much of Facebook seems to reduce to Zuckerberg's attempts to compensate for his limitations as a human.

What saves the character from being totally offputting is that you can see how sensitive he is to any social rejection, like when he's dumped, or when he gets the note in class, or when Saverin is accepted into one of those Harvard clubs rather than him. Tho' he deals with his negative emotions in a puerile manner, you can feel each verbal barb reveal his unhappiness and loneliness.

Just such a solid piece of story-telling.

[Jeff]

Great points all around, Sausage. You really nailed the nature of Zuckerberg's particular brand of sociopathy. I also agree with what you said about the crew races. They are oddly appealing. That's especially the case with the trip down the Thames, with it's canted angle, and particularly aggressive version of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" pounding on the soundtrack. It's really the only Fincherian sequence in the film, and might seem like an unnecessary interlude at first. Besides its own appealing propulsiveness though, it serves to illustrate the fact that even though the Winklevi are big, blonde, rich, Harvard-entrenched Olympians, they're going to come up just a little short.

It is fabulous storytelling all around, but there is one thing that seemed a bit glossed over. Early on they emphasize that what will set Facebook apart from the other social networking sites is the fact that it is exclusive. The Harvard.edu address (and later the addresses of other Ivy League universities) has a cache that will make students want to register. So why does it continue to expand so rapidly once it's open to the rest of the world? Obviously the appeal turns out to be universal, but the film never really addresses that. More to the point, what is it about the site that makes Sean Parker flip out when he sees the girl's profile page? He glances at it for ten seconds and then has to get her out of the shower immediately to find out what the site is called. He's convinced, based on that glance, that he's seen the Next Big Thing? I had registered for Facebook for nearly a year before I actually used the site at all. I logged in to see what the fuss was about, but didn't see the appeal, and just let my account sit dormant for months. Obviously, lots of dramatic license was taken with that scene, and I just didn't think it worked.