Allow me to join the chorus praising The Social Network, the new film directed by David Fincher from Aaron Sorkin‘s exceptional screenplay, loosely based on the creation of Facebook. I’m not sure if Mark Zuckerberg is exactly like the character depicted on screen, but as he has been written, and as he has been portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg (whom we have loved ever since Roger Dodger), Zuckerberg is an undersocialized brain who yearns for popularity and recognition but who can’t get out of his own way. When he finally gets to do something cool–to be cool–he grabs with both hands, even if he ends up being despised and friendless. I particularly like the way he ends up–still on the outside, with an online experience instead of real relationships, the creator of something cool but alone and lonely. The movie lets you see something else–how Facebook itself is a reflection of Zuckerberg’s idea of social relationships–narcissistic, status-oriented, mostly one-way. (Although what do I know? I don’t live on Facebook like my kids do.) Fascinating. One more thing–an exceptionally well-cast, well-acted film.
