The Social Network

The sad thing is The Social Network is only 120 minutes long. How am I gonna get through the 234 minute long Dances with Wolves Blu-ray that's been sitting on my shelf?

Maybe you should rewatch some of your most-beloved films or even just parts of those films, so that you can feel better about the moviewatching experience before you attack something which will probably feel like a trial. Either that, or hook up with a good friend who wants to hang out and watch a good movie.

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This reminds me. Wasn't there a recent film about the invention of windshield wipers with the ideology as The Social Network? Not to mention the perhaps countless predecessors to even this film.

Honestly, I feel like there are two kinds of films surrounding this sort of subject matter and they are basically distinguished by a radical pessimism or optimism.

The thing is, I don't feel like The Social Network fits in the former category as well as some would like. Fincher definitely tries to cast Zuckerberg's motives as being far more mysterious than a pure, brutal individualism. The same goes for Timberlake's character.

Perhaps this is new?

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Maybe get a piece of paper and check off its similarities with Avatar.

The invention of the Tinker Toy, I'm in for that if the inventor had a nympho wife.

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Let it sit there forever. It is a snooze.

I would like to see a movie about the invention of the Post-it. And they must include the legal struggles surrounding it. And the prurient driving force for me would be: how much money did everybody get?

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Surprisingly I agree he wasn't that bad... Timberlake.

Eisenberg has always irked me. He's one of those actors like Matt Damon, or that Juno Hard Candy girl who I just do not like watching on screen for whatever reasons. It's not a question of any ability or lack of ability they have, it's just them and their persona. I did enjoy hating him in The Squid and the Whale and with a supporting part, it worked because he didn't carry the film. Zombieland was a mess of a film with some great scenes and great ideas horribly tied together, which at 88 has barely enough substance to make a movie.

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Post it notes aren't sexy. Not sexy like it should be.

still havent seen it but i get an idea from this to pretty say the movie was good

g8 movie

The Social Network is such a good movie in terms of capturing the online social media networking phenomenons of our era. Found it unbelievably interesting to get at least a glimpse into the story behind the Facebook founding.

Mark Zuckerberg should be very proud of the performance and effort by Jesse Eisenberg. He was fantastic.

Saw it the first time in the theater, was impressed by the direction, the dialogue, the cinematography, the acting, the screenplay, and the score. Textbook example of how to craft a movie. I was let down by the ending, however, which in turn has ruined the movie for me. This film, as impeccably crafted as it was, was as emotionally and ethically repulsive as the Joker.

Initially, the ending felt empty. An emotional thrill ride that ends with a hollow and vacuous note. But after seeing it the 2nd time on DVD and listening to David Fincher's own testimony as to the morality of the film, I realized that the main character (in Jesse Eisenberg's performance) and the supporting character of Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) shape the filthy and valueless spirit of this film. David Fincher meant to do this and agrees with everything the "protagonist" does.

The Social Network purports that the current generation (which happens to be mine) shapes a brand of "new ethics" realized by dishonest representation, theft, betrayal, narcissism, jealousy, and pride that values "getting there first at all costs" which ultimately glorifies bad business, and frankly, cold and calculating inhumanity.

Many give this film a bad review because it isn't historically accurate. But who really cares? Its a movie, not a history lesson and as far as I can see, doesn't parade around as if to tell the true origins of facebook. Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher both openly admit taking creative liberties. THIS ISN'T WHAT MAKES THIS FILM BAD. What makes this film bad are it's "new age" morals. Which in reality, aren't new age at all, they're just ethical garbage that we've seen before from evil characters.

During one scene, Sean Parker tells the actual story of the founder of Victoria's Secret, who quickly sold it for $5,000,000 and then subsequently committed suicide after it was valued at over $500,000,000 a couple years later. He seduces Zuckerberg with this fable convincing him of the dark and sadistic idea that big money ideas are rare and you have to take whatever steps necessary to be the richest of your peers and take revenge on those that dislike your condescending and narcissistic nature. As his girlfriend puts it in the opening scene, no one hates these guys because they're smart/successful. We hate these guys because they're absolute jerks.

If this film actually defines our new era, I'm fearful. No longer is a person successful when he matures morally or spiritually, or when he values principles above the material. No longer is a hero created from the positive and altruistic side of humanity. The hero is the self-centered billionaire with no friends and no redeeming qualities, the very people who used to get their "Come-upins" in our films. Thank you Social Network for teaching us that we can be ruthless, cold, and unlikeable individuals with no real consequences as long as the result of our being so is lucrative.

I don't think the film tries to say that the younger generation is any more corrupt than all the other "younger generations" which came before and have all gone on to be the old guard. What I think it's telling us that with the technology which we have available now, it's much easier for people to "ruin" other people's lives or become rich while trampling on other people. It could have just as easily been about the Wall Street Meltdown. I think it's really about the use of technology and the freedom it allows one to "bend the rules", if any. We have always had people who take advantage of others and every new generaion is supposed to take us all to hell in a handbasket. I don't believe that is anything new and not what the film is about or even says.

So it shows us a kid who uses technology to bend the rules and take advantage of others...ok, so what does it have to say about that? That in the the end it really doesn't matter because you're a billionaire anyway.

Thank you David Fincher for such a meaningful addition to cinema

It's happened before. This isn't the old days where all the "bad guys" had to be punished at the end of movies, no matter what the reality was. The movie doesn't try to tell you what to say or think about what happens. It just presents a story and leaves it up to you. It is a social satire in my opinion, just as The Graduate was. What are we supposed to say at the end of The Graduate? Who are the "good guys" and who are the "bad guys"? I know the film paints some characters as better than others. but it's still open to your own interpretation. I think the problem which many people have with The Social Network is that they have no one to root for. Well, I say, "Root for good movies."

ok, I agree with that ;-) somewhat. Although I don't like movies with nothing to say. At the end, I'm asking "what's the point."

BUT, David Fincher does actually have something to say here...and it's everything I talked about. Our heroes ARE Jesse Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg and Justin Timberlake's Sean Parker. To him, their moral delinquency is merely "aggressive business." And the kicker is that he assumes and asserts that this defines this new generation of entrepreneurs. What a waste...well made film...

I have to disagree. Zuckerberg is not the hero, and the film is definitely not telling us that it was all worthwhile. It's telling us the exact opposite. Consider the very last shot:


I can't think of a clearer way for the film to show us that, even though he got what he wanted, he still isn't really happy. I don't know if this describes the man himself or not, but in the context of the film he isn't laughing all the way to the bank.