The Social Network

The Social Network is a great film not because of its dazzling style or visual cleverness,but because it is splendidly well-made.

Who had imagined that a broken heart,a drunken mind and the ensuing frenzy would usher in a revolution in global networking? In an attention-grabbing opening scene,a beer-swilling Harvard undergrad is in the throes of a breaking up with his girlfriend Erica. This episode may be fictional,but what follows is the turning- point. Mark Zuckerberg hacks into the facebooks of Harvard dorms to collect the head shots of campus women. He programmes a page where they can be rated for their beauty,which crashes the campus servers. Soon from a mundane website called The Harvard Connection, Zuckerberg grows it into The Facebook,dropping The later at the suggestion of Sean Parker,the Napster maverick.

A mere six years and 500 million friends later,Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history,but success has spawned both personal and legal complications. You cant make 500 million friends without making some enemies. Zuckerbergs eventual enemies originally were his friends/ partners.

The most prominent of these adversaries is Eduardo Saverin,Zuckerbergs roommate and first business partner. The film rotates between a linear narrative and two elongated scenes: the birth and rise of Facebook and two separate depositions,Saverin vs. Zuckerberg and Narenda and the Winklevos twins vs. Zuckerberg.

The Social Network has the distinction of being a smart cinematic exercise as its brilliant. It hurtles through two hours of spellbinding dialogue,makes an untellable story clear and fascinating. It is impossible to make a movie about a computer programmer,yet director David Fincher and his writer Aaron Sorkin are able to explain the Facebook phenomenon in terms the audience,especially the Facebook illiterate,can immediately understand. Who knows how many more will sign up after watching this film,taking the figure beyond the current 500 million.

David Finchers casting is incredible. The hyperactive Mark Zuckerberg is perfectly cast with Jesse Eisenberg and does the films brilliant opening sequence with impeccable ease. Justin Timberlake pulls off the tricky assignment of playing Sean Parker. Andrew Garfield is earnest as Eduardo Saverin,the CFO of the company that took off without him. Armie Hammer Jr. is seamless as the Winklevoss twins,aided by Finchers direction and Kim Baxter and Angus Walls editing.

The Social Network is a great film not because of its dazzling style or visual cleverness,but because it is splendidly well-made. Despite the baffling complications of computer programming,web strategy and big finance,Aaron Sorkins screenplay makes it all clear and compelling.

RATING:

One for direction and narrative. One for script. One for performances. One for cinematography,editing and overall values.