Quest for 75: The Social Network (86 of 75)

Sure I use Facebook almost every day, but it was Aaron Sorkin’s involvement which got me interested in seeing The Social Network.  I didn’t inherently care about how Facebook came about any more than I care about the backstory behind YouTube, MySpace or Google.  Having LOVED Sports Night and Studio 60, I’ll have at least a mild level of interest in any project to which Aaron Sorkin attaches his name.

Jesse Eisenberg might not be a household name in many of the homes of folks prior to seeing The Social Network, but this is certainly not the first time he’s put in a really good performance.  Although playing the founder of Facebook is his best work to date, I wasn’t surprised by that level of talent on display from Eisenberg.  Though the roles certainly weren’t Oscar-nominee worthy, he was very enjoyable in Roger Dodger, Adventureland and Zombieland, and I’ve heard good things about his work in other things like The Squid And The Whale.

Having noticed him in The Imaginarium Of Dr Parnassus, it was great to see Andrew Garfield at work with a much meatier role here.  Though it didn’t give us any insight into what his portrayal of Peter Parker in the Spider-man reboot will be like, we did get a glimpse of the talent he’s capable of putting on display.  I look forward to getting a copy of Boy A and Lions For Lambs and seeing what he did there, though let’s be honest, his career is going to have a distinct Marvel-related direction over the next decade.  His role in The Social Network makes me hope that he keeps a Christian Bale style schedule whereby he does an artsy / meaty / independent flick in between big budget action films.

If you hadn’t seen his work in Alpha Dog or (the terrible film) Southland Tales, you might’ve been surprised by how well Justin Timberlake performed, but I wasn’t.  From what I’ve seen of him, I know that Timberlake is a talented guy, and although I don’t know that he’s going to be nominated for any big awards from a lead role in any films in 2011, he’s more than capable of being a strong force in the supporting cast.

The dialogue is crisp and witty and left no scene without a good line or two, which you can expect from Aaron Sorkin.  The direction was phenomenal, which you can expect from David Fincher (Se7en, The Game, Fight Club, Curious Case Of Benjamin Button).

The critics I’ve heard talking about the best films of 2010, most of them list The Social Network in the #2 spot, just behind Inception.

If you’re over the age of 13, you should see this movie.  Especially if you use Facebook.  If you don’t use Facebook, you’ll still enjoy the movie, and you’ll probably sign up for an account after you see it.  Unless you find yourself hating its founder in which case you probably didn’t fully understand the ending of the movie.  Regardless, you’ll almost definitely enjoy the film.  It’s a drama, so don’t expect too many laughs.