2010 could live forever as the best year for movie releases in my lifetime. As I write this today (April 22, 2023), I, sadly but more confidently, feel like the years when we have two to three dozen quality movies are forever gone. With the advent of streaming television shows and series and an established vast array of cable programming, the cinematic single-viewing experience may be left to blockbuster-type movies. There have been no better examples than 2020, which I had discussed in previous reviews was the worst year of film in my lifetime, only for that argument to be surpassed by the 2021 cumulative list of below-average movies. 2021 is the first year when none of the Best Picture nominees will be in my end-of-year top ten list. Rewatching a film like The Social Network, despite receiving a 100% review, was just my fourth favorite movie of 2010. This would have been my favorite movie in many other years. Still, with The Town (my second favorite movie of all time) and the incredible Blue Valentine and Shutter Island, even a perfect film finished outside my top three.
Written for the screen by the intelligent, witty, and captivating Aaron Sorkin, David Fincher’s (Gone Girl, The Game) ninth feature-length film may be his best. Fincher is my favorite director, and while I prefer Se7en and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button slightly more than The Social Network, it’s like splitting hairs. Fincher is an expert craftsman who prefers his films to be dark, thought-provoking, and honest. Fincher’s films continually make me feel something, both during my experience and after. I’ll forever remember seeing Se7en for the first time. It was in a converted theater in Lexington, VA. The entire width of the hall I was in mustn’t have been more than 40 feet. Rows were maybe six of seven across, but they were stacked on top of one another. One of my friends and I would occasionally meet in Lexington during our sophomore year of college (Lexington is halfway between Virginia Tech and JMU) to play tennis, have a good meal, and spend time with each other. We saw Se7en one night on a whim, with neither of us knowing anything about the film other than it starred Brad Pitt, was a thriller, and had been receiving incredible reviews. We were both blown away by the movie. That was in 1995; the film has been in my top ten of all time ever since. All of Fincher’s movies have been must-sees since.
Se7en is nearly a perfect film. The Social Network is a perfect film. We have learned that ‘based on true story’ films released so close to the event they attempt to portray are often difficult to create. Something can be said about allowing an evolving entity to play out while devoting the necessary and adequate time to research the whole story. There are too many examples of ‘needing to beat somebody else to the punch’ that result in poorly finished products.
The King’s Speech won Best Picture in 2010. Tom Hooper’s film about King George VI’s struggle to cope with a stuttering problem and the speech-language pathologist turned best friend who helped him overcome the difficulties that allowed him to make his first wartime radio broadcast upon Britain’s declaration of war on Germany in 1939 was a very good film. Deserving of Best Picture? Maybe. In a different year, probably. I’ve long said 2010 has been my lifetime’s best year for movie releases. On the one hand, you had a perfect film about a film that felt so timely that it often felt like what you were watching in film form was a portrayal of what you saw when logging onto the Internet. But, on the other hand, you had a film about a King who reigned 70 years prior. All things else equal, I know what I would have picked if I was a member of the Academy, and it wouldn’t have been the film that I’ve felt like I’ve seen dozens of other times in slightly different forms. Instead, I would have chosen the film that took risks and rewarded filmgoers with a movie that is difficult not to enjoy and appreciate.
Jesse Eisenberg can play a quirky, anxious nerd playing as best as anyone. He’s showcased as much in films like Now You See Me, Adventureland, The Squid and the Whale, and The End of the Tour. However, he takes this acting trait to a whole new level as Mark Zuckerberg, who in 2004 invented Facebook, the popular website that, 20 years after its creation, is the world’s most popular social media app, with roughly three billion monthly active users. Eisenberg’s portrayal as the eccentric, genius Harvard dropout earned him his first Oscar nomination.
The film is told through cutting narration between two present-day lawsuit depositions that Zuckerberg is facing. One is against Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (both played by Armie Hammer – Call Me By Your Name, The Birth of a Nation), two Harvard classmates who believe Zuckerberg stole their “Harvard Connection” idea and turned it into Facebook. The other is against Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge, The Eyes of Tammy Faye), Zuckerberg’s roommate and only friend who provided him with the necessary startup money before being named the company’s Chief Financial Officer, only to have his share of Facebook be cut from 33% to less than one-tenth of 1% after Napster startup Sean Paker (Justin Timberlake – In Time, Bad Teacher) convinces Zuckerberg to agree to a new deal, one that Saverin signs because he trusted his former best friend.
The Social Network is filmmaking at its best. It is one of the most relevant, timely, informative, and engaging biopics ever seen. Its brilliance lies in its ability to tell a complex, non-linear story in an engaging, relatable way. It’s a fantastic first watch. It’s even a better rewatch. If you are still waiting to see it, please do. I don’t believe that it will ever fall out of my Top 100 films of all time.
Plot 10/10
Character Development 10/10
Character Chemistry 10/10
Acting 10/10
Screenplay 10/10
Directing 10/10
Cinematography 10/10
Sound 10/10
Hook and Reel 10/10
Universal Relevance 10/10
100%
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