The Social Network

Last night, I finally saw The Social Network. I had been dying to watch it ever since I heard a movie was being made about the creation of Facebook, and I was not disappointed. Not only was the acting superb, but the story was fascinating. For those of you who have yet to see the movie, be advised, there might be spoilers in this post.

The real Mark Zuckerberg is currently a 26-year-old billionaire. He launched Facebook – initially called TheFacebook – in February of 2004. Today, there are over 500 million users spread over 26 countries. I use it. Nearly everyone I know uses it, and I don’t even want to think about the things I would miss without it. Facebook has become a part of everyday life for most people under the age of 40, and even people’s grandparents are wondering what all the fuss is about.

In The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg plays Zuckerberg. I feel that he truly made the movie a success with his solid performance. Eisenberg kind of reminds me of an early Michael Cera, except he looks a bit older, a bit wiser, and a bit cuter. His off-kilter attitude and dry sense of humour are exactly what I love to watch, and he definitely played the part-good-guy part-bad-guy role well. Andrew Garfield plays Eduardo Saverin, Zuckerberg’s ex-best friend who initially financed Facebook, and I recognized him from his performance as Francis Weston in The Other Boleyn Girl. He did a great job as well, and I really felt bad for his character by the end of the movie.

The musical score for The Social Network was created by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (both from Nine Inch Nails), and seriously, it’s fantastic. They created dark, industrial-sounding music that will resonate through your body, and the movie wouldn’t have been the same without their contribution. I plan to purchase the soundtrack as soon as possible, and I can see myself listening to it while running, heading to school, or trying to find inspiration to write, read, or think. Buy it. Trust me.

Overall, the movie was one of the best I have seen this year. The story behind Facebook is interesting, the acting is great, and it’s definitely an entertaining movie. I recommend it to everyone – Facebook user or not – because it’s a great story about how anyone can come up with an idea that will make them rich, famous, hated, and loved all at the same time.