The Social Network (2010)

User Review

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  Barneyonmovies

  8 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: 'The Social Network,' isn't just the origin story of one of tech's most infamous douchebags; it's also the origin story of social media as we know it today.
  
  Following Mark Zuckerberg (Jessie Eisenberg) founding Facebook right from its infancy, Aaron Sorkin's script shows the idea for exactly what it is; a platform to learn more about people you meet or know, but one which in turn reduces social interaction to a product catalogue where users are encouraged to judge others and promote themselves.
  
  That's not only because of how Zuckerberg describes his invention, or the fact it was born out of a site he set up for people to compare how hot the girls they know at Harvard are, but also the fact his approach to social interaction aligns perfectly with the model he's designed. Just like a user of social media is encouraged to be, his character is played as painfully literal, judgemental and entitled to people's time, yet terrified of confrontation and idolising of anyone with confidence and success. This leads him to surround himself with adoring nerds and bimbos to make himself feel better, and even to cut his only genuine friend and business partner (Andrew Garfield) out of his life.
  
  Thankfully that all results in a far more critical portrait than an adoring one, and it's brought to life very well by director David Fincher, with absorbing performances and camerawork.
  
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: The time-jumping structure can get a little confusing at times.
  
  VERDICT: 'The Social Network,' is an expsé of Mark Zuckerberg and his invention. Few things have made me want to delete all my social media as much as this.

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