Review of The Social Network (2010) by Ourtimehascome — 03 Mar 2017

I really don't understand the popularity of this film. The directing is subpar, certainly one of the worst Fincher films. It's incredibly dark, even during the day. It's as if I'm watching the movie with dark-tinted sunglasses the entire time. The screenplay is undeniably Sorkin. Conversations drag on for extended periods of time, often losing track of their main focus. It's clear there was some sort of disconnect between Sorkin and the director because Fincher just can't keep up most of the time. The music is annoyingly painful most of the time. It does nothing new within the ambient genre, neglecting original performances for a neglectful, dark atmosphere. Like the film itself, it is overrated.

Acting wise, Jesse Eisenberg does a great job, but only because he's playing what he's good at: himself; the nervous, meticulous, obsessive, socially-awkward nerd who thinks academia is what's most important in life. Everyone else is so incredibly bland, I wouldn't be surprised if there was no effort involved whatsoever.

Concerning the subject, the general idea is correct, but the specifics are muddled. I'm sure Sorkin realized halfway through writing how uninteresting sitting in front of a computer and creating Facebook really is, so he focused on the only drama throughout the entire experience: lawsuits. Unfortunately, they're handled poorly in the film. I have to wonder if it isn't fact-based, then why exactly is it focused on Zuckerberg and Facebook? I've come to the conclusion it was decided to use a much more overly dramatic, fictionalized view of the events and center it on Facebook because it sells. And my does it sell.