THE SOCIAL NETWORK

US, 2010, 120 minutes. Colour.
Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, David Selby, Rooney Mara, Joseph Mazzello, Max Minghella.
Directed by David Fincher.

I really don’t like Mark Zuckerberg.

That does not sound like a review. But, it is. And a favourable review at that.

Of course, I don’t know the actual Mark Zuckerberg. I am responding to the portrayal in The Social Network, the performance by Jesse Eisenberg and the direction by David Fincher. They show his abilities and skills, his ingenuity – and his rather unpleasant personality (which some commentators endorse, though his smiling photo in Wikipedia looks far more genial than Jesse Eisenberg does).

Whether we are Facebook members or not, this is an intriguing film about the communications phenomena in our time, of the internet in general and of sites like Facebook in particular. With the introduction of Facebook we are dealing with a short time ago in the history of the world, quite some time ago in the history of the net, 2003-2004.

While the film shows the action of this period, it is framed by legal meetings where Zuckerberg is being sued by a group of Harvard undergraduates who had invited him to develop a site for students at the university, The Harvard/ Connection. He didn’t do this work. Instead, with the help of his best friend, Edoardo Saverin, he developed The Facebook, later, on the advice of Sean Parker, dropping the The. He is also being sued by Saverin. The settlement discussions provide quite some drama in themselves, with Zuckerberg showing almost supreme disinterest, doodling and occasionally intervening. He is sometimes referred to as nerd and dork – and that is how he comes across, the intelligent, obsessed, technically wizard creator who lacks person skills. Jesse Eisenberg, who has done some interesting variations on this type, including Rodger Dodger, The Emperor’s Club, Cursed, Adventureland, Zombieland and The Squid and the Whale, perfectly embodies this interpretation of Zuckerberg.

The interpretation comes from writer, Aaron Sorkin, who has tackled the complexities of people in power and power struggles in the military (A Few Good Men) and in politics (The American President, The West Wing). It also comes from director David Fincher, who seems to revel in dark themes and psychological game playing (Seven, The Game, Fight Club, Zodiac). Fincher is always able to bring a dark visual look to dark themes.

The other two principal characters in The Social Network are Eduardo Saverin who was business manager but edged out by Zuckerberg’s lack of trust in his abilities and on the advice of internet wiz, Sean Parker, who had founded such sites as Napster, for the downloading of music. If the film has a sympathetic focus for audiences, it is Saverin, played nicely by Andrew Garfield. Which leaves Parker (played with nasty arrogance by Justin Timberlake) as the unsympathetic focus, taking the heat off Zuckerberg.

There is plenty of dialogue that may delight geeks but will bamboozle the ordinary audience who will accept it as a necessary evil if they are to delve via the film into some of the history and mystery of the internet.

The final information reveals the results of the multimillion dollar settlements – and informs us that Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire.

1. The reputation of the film? Nominations and awards? A 21st century story? 21st century types and issues?

2. Audience familiarity with the internet, with social networking? Facebook and its use? Identifying with the issues? Interest in the issues?

3. The internet and its development, the internet bubble and financial failures of the early 21st century? The use of the internet, social networking, the connections, information, simultaneous information, links, the money involved, companies, exploitation?

4. The structure of the film, the introduction to Mark Zuckerberg, his interaction with Erica, with Eduardo? The board and the inquiry? His lawyer? The prosecutor? His antagonists suing him? Interspersing the flashbacks with the board? Dramatising the response?

5. The final information about the Winklevosses? The money settlement? The settlement with Eduardo? His name on Facebook? Zuckerberg himself and his being a billionaire? The audience reaction to the information, the amounts of payments?

6. Harvard, the setting, the colleges, socialising, student rooms, the wealthy students, the president’s room, the rowing training?

7. The California contrast with Harvard? The New York scenes with Eduardo, Henley-on-Thames? – and the opening out of the internet issues?

8. The portrait of Mark Zuckerberg, Jesse Eisenberg’s performance? His appearance, manner, way of talking? The dork – nerd? His intensity, seriousness, ambitions? His less worthy motives about networking, his relationship with girls? With the Winklevosses? Agreeing to help them, stealing their ideas, legally in the right, not using their codes? His lack of scruple? His friendship with Eduardo and betraying him? Sean Parker and his spell over Mark? Being infected by Parker’s enthusiasm? Changing? Issues of exploitation of Facebook? His behaviour during the board meetings, insolence and arrogance? Not paying attention?

9. Zuckerberg and Erica, the initial talk, her reaction against him, his idea about the women and the animals, blogging, drinking, sending out the information, its effect? The number of people logging on? Erica and her rejection of him? The later meeting, his not offering an apology?

10. The Winklevoss brothers, their wealthy background, their father? Developing the Harvard link? Their friends and associates? The information about Zuckerberg and the blogging? Their interview with him? Thinking that he made an agreement? The emails and his disdain? Their reaction to his stealing their idea, Facebook? Their being Harvard gentlemen and not suing him? The rowing practice, going to Henley, the race, the various responses to their losing, Prince Albert of Monaco? Their father and his support? The discovery that the race was on Facebook? Their anger, the decision to sue? Their meeting with Zuckerberg at the board? Their reactions to his answers?

11. Eduardo, his wealth, his friendship with Mark, sharing the room, providing the money, sharing the ideas? The success? The relationship with girls, Christy and her friend, at Bill Gates’ talk? The tasks allotted by Mark? Facebook becoming more commercial? The issue about advertising? Eduardo and his dislike of Sean Parker? Going to New York, canvassing for advertising? His return, Christy becoming paranoid? Signing the documents? The deals? Discovering that he had been edged out? The board, his behaviour at the board, the sense of being betrayed by Zuckerberg?

12. Sean Parker, his career, his personality, relationships with women, interest in Zuckerberg, promoting him, the meeting, his style, talk, high living? Taking ‘the’ out of The Facebook? The issues of money, Eduardo? Sean Parker and celebrities, deals? The lawyers? The million subscribers? Edging Eduardo out?

13. The Facebook staff, their enthusiasm, the different friendships, their percentages of the income? The increasing number of subscribers, their celebration? Parker, the drugs, the women, the arrival of the police?

14. Eduardo, the realisation of what had happened, the documents and the lawyers, his confrontation with Sean Parker, Parker and his cowardly backing out?

15. The motivations for the establishment of Facebook, the American way, materialistic, not altruistice?

16. A 21st century story, the audience wanting the information, the background of Facebook, the challenge of Facebook – and their reaction to this story of Mark Zuckerberg and their reaction to him?