One Thing I Don't Like

Earlier I wrote about some recent pop culture items that I enjoyed. Now I'd like to mention a film I'm not too fond of.

1. The Social Network- Unlike Pulp Fiction let's just start from the beginning. The first thing I read about this project was that David Fincher was going to direct a movie about Mark Zuckerberg and the creation of Facebook. My interest was piqued. Months later I see this trailer for The Social Network:  

 

And I'm gonna be honest, the trailer looked fantastic. It still does but that may have more to do with the perfectly chosen Radiohead cover than anything else. Then comes the final piece of the proverbial hype machine, positive critical reception. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone sums up the concensus when he wrote that "The Social Network is the movie of the year. But Fincher and Sorkin triumph by taking it further. Lacing their scathing wit with an aching sadness, they define the dark irony of the past decade." Thus, when I walked into the theater my expectations were high. I'm sad to say they were not met. Not even close. Now I'll be first to admit, that part of my distaste for The Social Network stems from the hype it received before I saw the film. However, I still believe there are some issues with this film.

SPOILER ALERT!

     First, I disagree with Mr. Travers' assessment that The Social Network represents the past decade. Though one can not deny the impact of Facebook and the rise of social networking has had on my generation, and most likely generations to come, simply making a film surrounding the creation of Facebook, does not inherently mean that the film somehow taps into the national zeitgeist. Instead, the film I saw centered around the problems of a select group of upper class white males. Excuse me if I disagree when critics claim that a film concerning only male Harvard graduates, deserves to be remembered as defining something as complex and diverse as an entire generation.
    Secondly, I do not think Aaron Sorkin's script was as insightful and revolutionary as many others have claimed it to be. I will grant that Mr. Sorkin has a masteful grasp of the English lanugage. However, the opening scene of The Social Network comes across less as a useful introduction to the protagonist, and more as a tiresome display of one writer's ability to hold multiple conversations with himself. Bravo. As well, the way in which Fincher and Sorkin, alter the facts surrounding Zuckerberg's story raise interesting questions for the viewer to ponder. Consider the scene in which Mark creates a website where college students can rate other college girls based upon their attractiveness. In real life, the website created rated both males and females. Does this fact change how one views Zuckerberg? I think so. To me the film intentionally sets up Zuckerberg to be a total jerk, especially in relation to women. And yet at the end of the film the audience is informed, by one of Mark's female attorneys no less, that he's "Not an asshole", he's just "trying really hard to be one." The rest of the screenplay and film, do not match this closing assessment and as such the ending left me feeling as if Sorkin and Fincher were merely making a hasty, last-ditch attempt at a balanced view of Zuckerberg.

via theshiznit.co.ik

    I don't want to end this discussion on such a negative note. When the film was released on DVD I gave the picture another watch. Though many of my criticisms still held true it's important to note that the film is filled with some superb performances (Andrew Garfield, the next Spiderman, is especially good) and occasionally does seem to tap into the common ethos of the modern college student. However, I can't help but feel that all of the praise and adoration for this film are bit unwarranted. Is it a good movie? Sure. Is it a generation-defining classic? I think not.

Here's a video that summarizes The Social Network rather well.

Dan