Friday, October 1, 2010

Box Office Review – The Social Network

A few months ago I attempted to read The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich the book which The Social Network is based on. I don't think I got more than a fifty pages into the book before I stopped reading. I didn't like the way it was written and so I never finished it. After watching David Fincher's take on the story I can honestly say that there are some stories that have to be told through cinema, and this is one of them.

Personally I find the majority of David Fincher's work unappealing. That's not to say he isn't a good director, he's a fantastic director. His films aside from Zodiac just don't do much for me. That being said, Zodiac is one of my favourite movies. The Social Network is very close to the greatness of Zodiac.

The Social Network is about the creation of Facebook, and I remember when it was first announced it seemed like a joke. How could a movie about Facebook be interesting seemed to be to general consensus. Now after its release the general consensus seems to be love for the movie. My opinion is not much different. The movie is one hundred percent dialogue and it is fascinating from start to finish. The dialogue is handled like fight scenes in an action movie. There are times when Jesse Eisenberg unleashes a tongue lashing so furiously that it is as if the receiver gets slapped in the face. This celebration and focus on dialogue is what makes the film such a wonderful watch. Thankfully the actors chosen for the film are able to handle such dialogue heavy scenes.

There are three actors that I want to single out in the film, even though everyone in the film is great. Jesse Eisenberg as the main character Mark Zuckerberg totally inhabits the role. Zuckerberg is unlikeable from the very the beginning scene and Eisenberg gives such a believable performance that his previous roles as the likeable loser are forgotten. Andrew Garfield gives a very powerful performance as Zuckerberg's partner/friend/enemy Eduardo Saverin. I am starting to believe that he is incapable of giving a bad performance. The most startling performance in the film is Justin Timberlake as Napster founder Sean Parker. It is startling because he actual gives a great performance. This is the film that proves Timberlake could actually have a good future as an actor.

David Fincher has created a film to be very proud of. A movie that is entirely dialogue driven isn't easy to do. Fincher is an indulgent filmmaker when it comes to visual, but he reins that in for this film. The most indulgent thing he does in the movie involves a beer shattering as if on the lenses of the camera, but this is so cool that I let it slide (like I have anything to do with it). The Social Network is a movie for people who love dialogue and it is also a movie that will make people love dialogue. This is a fantastic movie that is destined to be a classic.

A Gold Banana



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