DVD Review: The Social Network

For being close to fifty years old, David Fincher has a director’s credit list as cool as Quentin Tarantino’s. He’s been the brains behind hits like “Alien 3,” “Seven,” “Fight Club,” “Panic Room,” and “Zodiac.” Fincher’s been given the chance most recently to Americanize the Swedish film, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” due in theaters this fall. If anyone can slam dunk such a task, Hollywood has no doubt that Fincher can take care of business.

Every few years, someone comes along who, with inborn talent, changes the world for better, or for worse. Usually with their achievements, comes credit and gratitude. Other times, jealousy and financial greed steps in, making the claim to fame harder to achieve. “The Social Network” chronicles the battle of Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) against his Harvard colleagues, where he must prove to the court system he was truly the mastermind behind the last decade’s greatest advancement, “Facebook.” To be the man who gets all the credit, he’ll have to fight off friends, classmates, and lawyers, to prove once and for all his genius is where the credit is truly due. This won’t be a battle over chump change, however, more a battle of the billions. Along with Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), Zuckerberg will need to come up with a methodical plan of attack, to walk away with his snide smile, and obese bank account, both firmly intact. Most billionaire geniuses are out to protect their nest egg, but Zuckerberg is more worried about getting the credit, than getting the cash. Only the true top dog will be the one that walks away unscathed emotionally, morally, and financially.

In comparison to the many films about the birth of Rock N’ Roll, there would be no argument that this movie had to be made. For as many million people use Facebook, there has to be thousands that were curious of its origin. This saga, whether mostly accurate, or just a loosely based rendition, was rather informative. There were many little details about Zuckerberg’s legal battle that I had no idea about. I found Sean Parker, the creator of Napster, to be a very entertaining individual to see portrayed as well. The fact he was responsible for it being called “Facebook,” instead of “The Facebook” seemed rather humorous to me. Fincher has a very unique style that is difficult to sum up simply. His films are always well cast, depicting the characters most accurately. The scores always set the tempo, keeping the viewer invested in the experience. This is one of the few movies recently that I purchased without having seen it. “The Social Network” didn’t do too shabby at The Golden Globes this year, dominating in four prestigious categories. It won for Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Original Score. Now it’ll be a long two months to see if it does just as well at the Academy Awards. As long as you’re prepared for a courtroom drama, “The Social Network” was a very entertaining watch. Try to fit in watching it, at least before the Oscars get here. “The Fighter” is the only other movie I’d like to see do just as well this season.

Grade: B+

Review By: Charlie Giltenboth