The Psychosocial Network

Press queue at Walter Reade Theater
(c)2010, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

Actor Jesse Eisenberg, left, with director David Fincher
(c)2010, Eva Yaa Asantewaa

New York Film Festival
Film Society of Lincoln Center

The Social Network (directed by David Fincher) USA. 2010. 120 minutes.

Columbia Pictures in association with Relativity Media. A Scott Rudin/Michael De Luca/Trigger Street production

Now that I've seen The Social Network, I can see why Mark Zuckerberg might be worried. Actor Jesse Eisenberg (The Squid and the Whale; Adventureland) who plays the young, nerdy whelp of an entrepreneur/billionaire-to-be in David Fincher's cautionary tale of brilliance and backstabbing, is now seared into the back of my eyeballs. I know I know, very well, what Zuckerberg looks like, but I can't actually remember right now, and that might be a problem. Why? Well, I'm guessing that a whole lot more people use Facebook than can pick Zuckerberg out of a lineup, and I'm guessing a huge number of these folks are going to see this movie. They're going to have Eisenberg seared into their eyeball's recesses, too, and lord help the real Zuckerberg because his depiction here sure ain't pretty.

On the other hand, Facebook itself is lookin' sharp. If I were Zuckerberg's friend--ahem--I'd tell him to relax. This is great for product. Everything about this film makes Facebook come off as the coolest innovation of the 21st Century. I'm hoping the 21st Century will end up having lots more to recommend it, but this has gotta be good for business.

Of course, The Social Network is the story of how we got there--500 million-strong and counting, spending hours of precious time checking in, again and again, to watch cat videos, post last night's party pics and rail about politics. Well, let's say, it's one of a few possible stories of how we got there. The real Zuckerberg is sticking to his story and, famously, others have theirs. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing; Charlie Wilson's War) whipped up a Roshamon-style facemash of them, and Fincher (Fight Club; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) blended them on High. You might come away from this film feeling grateful that, where you hang out, the stakes are not this high. Then again, maybe you won't.

The pace is killer--from the nimble verbal swordplay of some very young, very smart people to the occasionally zippy, completely unexpected jabs of humor, from the rapid, cross-cutting camera angles to the unrelenting tension. The visual tone is a class act, too--perversely beautiful eye candy all around. And the acting is unforgettable. Eisenberg works so many layers into his embodiment of Zuckerberg that it's like watching a variety of interior selves jostling for control. One, obsessive in nature and oblivious of everyone around him, keeps surging forward with the dead eyes of a shark. Another barely conceals demonic rage, using his computer-like brain and words like a switchblade. And yet another, awkward and raw and needy as a newborn, rarely allowed to see daylight, can't figure out a way to connect to people for real. Eisenberg doesn't make it easy for viewers to comfortably accept his character--or any of these sub-personalities--because they never comfortably settle into place. I won't give away Sorkin and Fincher's conclusion, but let's just say the irony is devastating.

Andrew Garfield, more than making up for Zuckerberg's total lack of charm, gives a luminous performance as Eduardo Saverin, Zuckerberg's college friend, CFO and eventual adversary. Justin Timberlake--as Sean Parker, the creator of Napster--is simply fantastic. I must admit I haven't followed his music career, nor was I aware that, in recent years, he had launched a film career. As the wily Parker, he's got total control--physically, vocally, emotionally. It's a masterful performance. Rooney Mara, as the young woman who dumps a heedlessly arrogant Zuckerberg--setting off both his fit of revenge and his date with destiny--made me want to stand up on my seat and cheer. I can't wait to see her bring Steig Larsson's intriguing, strange Lisbeth Salander to the screen in The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, another Fincher project. On a smaller scale, but with huge impact, Douglas Urbanski nails a perfect moment in his brief role as Harvard president Larry Summers, dismissing Zuckerberg's former partners' complaints with withering condescension. (Watch out, Harvard! Larry's on his way back!) All in all, Fincher's tight ensemble could not be finer.

I've heard The Social Network already talked about as one of the great films of all times--a thrilling, archetypal story told with superb craft and beauty. Sounds like hyperbole, sure, but I agree. You will definitely get your money's worth and be entertained and maybe a little scared, too. Then you'll take out your iPhone and update all your friends.

For information on tonight's public screening (6pm), click here. The film will be released nationwide on October 1.

Complete NYFF information (September 24-October 10)