I was actually a very prompt movie picker when I first saw this film, as it had at that time just been released to theatres, and I was excited to write about a film made about the beginnings of the social media monster we all know as Facebook. Love it, or hate it, no one can deny the importance of our connections through the site, and how it has changed our lives, and even world events. Whether this is for better, or not, remains to be seen.
After seeing it again, now on DVD, I was reminded all over again how much I really love this film, and though at first unsure whether it would withstand the test of time, I'm of the opinion now that thanks to its Oscar attention and the timelessness of its themes, it will remain an interesting story, and a beautiful film to watch.
Directed by David Fincher and starring Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, he plays the character as cold, quick witted, and utterly brilliant. As such, he really isn't all that likeable, and we flinch as we watch him alienate his friends and fall into the trap of his ambitions. But with such flaws and by making such mistakes, he is relatable, and we sympathize.
Andrew Garfield, as Mark's friend, Eduardo, is probably my favorite character. His style is interesting to me and very indicitive of the Harvard Economics student who co-founded Facebook with Mark. Compared to Mark's sandaled feet and messy hair sticking out his hoodie, Eduardo is always put together and looking his best. He strikes us from the start as the best sort of friend to have, and also one that Mark in particular needs, as he seems to have quite few due to his prickly personality.
Second on my favorite characters list is Justin Timberlake as Napster founder, Sean Parker. He is a breath of fresh air midway through the film, and really turns the film from its snide and dreary mood to one of movement. Things are never the same after Sean Parker's arrival. I love the intensity of the clash between his fresh ideas, Mark's growing greed, and Eduardo's slipping grip on the runaway idea which began in their Harvard dorm room, but would take them to California "where it's all happening", to their own office with investors backing Facebook and putting them on the fast track to being billionaires, and lastly to some ugly pre-trial hearings.
That being said, this film is a bit lacking when it comes to its female characters having similar depth. This seems to be a repetitive problem for David Fincher, as Fight Club, and Se7en both focus on male lead characters with women only playing back-up. Though women in general (or should I say, dating them!) had a major influence on Facebook's founding, these girls remain accessories to the men in the film, and not real characters. Some would even go so far as to call their portrayal sexist. I think it's just more of a guy film.
It's also a little off on its facts, from what I hear. The biggest mistake, according to Mark Zuckerberg himself, being that movie-makers "can't wrap their head around the idea that someone might build something because they like building things." - As opposed to doing it as revenge on a girl he failed miserably at dating.
Facebook has more than 350 million active users, and is the second ranked site in the US, behind only Google. Mark Zuckerberg, aged only 25, is considered the world's youngest billionaire, with Facebook estimated now to be worth $33 billion. He didn't really invent anything that was very new, but he did improve what social networking could be, and he describes his contribution as more of a utility in people's lives, than just a website. In a way, though, this film isn't really about any of that. It's about wanting friends, as we all do, but ignoring the ones you have, and the effects, both positive, and negative, of taking a genius idea and actually making money with it. In this we have a triumph and a tragedy.
8/10
-Dani
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