History has proven that over the years the most successful of movies have covered very important and prominent moments or issues in our nation's development. Case in point: "Forrest Gump" was practically a four-decade history lesson in a little under two and a half hours, killed it at the box office, and continues to change the way that we pronounce words like "Jenny" and "chocolate" to this very day.
But in a time and culture where recent history is more likely to offend than entertain, it is easy to understand why a movie that explores the conception of a social networking website that revolutionized, well, pretty much everything, could have such golden potential. It's pretty safe to say that this movie won't be offending too many people, if you don't consider the devastatingly staggering number of teens who feel that Facebook has in some way contributed to any minute levels of emotional and sometimes physical damage.
"The Social Network" explains the story behind the creation, development, and expansion of Facebook, and how Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg, "Zombieland" and "Adventureland") went from heartbroken Harvard student, to CEO of potentially the world's most influential social networking site, to the planet's youngest billionaire. The movie also discloses the drama surrounding Facebook's initial stages as a "members only online club" created as an act of jealousy and revenge by a troubled Zuckerberg.
It is cunningly appropriate that "The Social Network" is full of such drama that only Facebook can create. Without revealing too much of the movie, here is a quick timeline of drama: •Boy (Zuckerberg) with superiority complex gets dumped by girlfriend (Rooney Mara, "Youth In Revolt") for his conceited attitude towards his surroundings and his presumptions that he will get recruited into a "final club," one of Harvard's exclusive all-male social "fraternities" of sorts.
•Boy, in drunken and vengeful rage, attempts to prove how "average" his ex-girlfriend really is by hacking into Harvard's resident hall directories, known as "face books," downloading the photos of all of the female residents, then creating a website that allows students to compare photos and rank girls based on "hotness."
•Website crashes Harvard servers, boy gets noticed by twin entrepreneurs Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, (Armie Hammer and Josh Pence, respectively) in one of Harvard's final clubs and is approached with an idea to create a networking site that connects all students with a "Harvard.edu" email address. Website utilizes concepts of exclusivity and access, two principles associated with Harvard final clubs. Hmm...
•Boy agrees, assuming that assisting the twins will get him notoriety within the final club and on campus, but boy starts his own networking site with ideas and funds from his close-knit group of programming friends.
•Boy launches Facebook, gains instant recognition, but is accused of stealing the twins' intellectual property. Suing ensues. Pun intended.
•Boy is approached by Napster founder Sean Parker (ironically, Justin Timberlake) and encouraged to move to California. Boy obliges, moves Facebook from Harvard dorms to California suburbs, followed by boy's deistic infatuation of Parker.
•Tensions develop between boy and Facebook CFO Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"), which results in even more suing and bridge-burning.
•Boy loses millions, makes billions. Both numbers account for dollars and friends.
You can't make that up. The movie is actually based on a book written by Harvard grad Ben Mezrich entitled "The Accidental Billionaires," in which Mezrich utilized the services of Saverin as a consultant on the project. However, as is the case with all book-to-film adaptations, the details can tend to get a little hazy. My advice would be to see the movie and decide for yourself, and then tell everyone you know how you felt about it with a witty status update.
All sarcasm and authenticity aside, I highly recommend "The Social Network" to all current or former users of Facebook. It was an enlightening experience to discover the roots of our global addiction and realize that life on "The Book" ain't that bad. So what if your ex is leaving spicy comments on your best friend's wall? At least you didn't lose all of your friends and most of your money creating the damn thing.
And you can Tweet that.
Mark and his friends hack into Harvard's resident hall directories to exact revenge on students.
