The Social Network ****

A film that speaks out to the people of our generation, The Social Network tells us the story of how one young Harvard student changed social interactions on the internet forever. The film an adaptation of a non-fiction book, The Accidental Billionaires, by Ben Mezrich.  Jesse Eisenberg portrays Mark Zuckerberg, the brainchild behind the Facebook phenomenon. While it is up for debate how accurate Eisenberg's portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg as a withdrawn jerk really is, there is no questioning the Eisenberg delivers exactly what we need to know about the character, that is, the quiet, socially awkward genius who had an idea that would make him the worlds youngest billionaire.

The film is directed by David Fincher, who has created some of the most memorable films of our time, such as, Seven, Fight Club, Panic Room, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. While Fincher has built his career around stylistic thrillers, over the past few years he has made his mark in the drama genre. Taking Aaron Sorkin's adapted screenplay and turning it into an in depth examination of changes in social networking in the Internet age.  Fincher is able to produce a film that is as smart as the titular character and still has the audiences full attention throughout the story. The film itself is presented through a non-linear timeline, that is, the full story is told through a series of flashbacks told through the testimonies the other characters during depositions against Zuckerberg.

The entire cast has been carefully chosen to represent those involved in the creation of Facebook and the events following its release. Eisenberg is probably one of the only young actors in Hollywood that, not only looks like Mark Zuckerberg, but has the guts to tackle such a role. While throughout the film Zuckerberg is portrayed as a rude social outcast, there is the other side to his personality that only wants to distinguish himself from those he feels intellectual relation to. There are a series of characters whom you many never have known were involved in Facebook, such as, Dustin Moskovitz (Joseph Mozzello) and Chris Hughes (Patrick Mapel). The others, who argue that Zuckerberg stole the Facebook idea from them are Divya Narendra (Max Minghella) and twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss who are actually played by the same actor (Arnie Hammer).

The one person who has surprised audiences and is already generating early Oscar buzz is none other than Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker, the co-founder of Napster. Timberlake gives a performance that nearly steals the spotlight from the others. What really stood out, in my opinion, was how much Sean Parker's involvement in the story of Facebook resembles a deal with the devil story. Parker seems to want to help Zuckerberg build the next billion dollar idea, but as the film progresses we see that Parker is simple out for himself to cash out on the next big idea of the decade. Timberlake clearly did his homework on the role and it more than paid off. He was has shown tremendous range as an actor and commands the screen every second he is on.

Whether or not you have a Facebook page, it is impossible to argue that Mark Zuckerberg has not changed the Internet forever. Having generated a population of over 500 million, almost double the population of the United States, Facebook is the new communication medium that will only escalate. The Social Network is a film will remind our generation and future generations of that change. This is definetly a film we will be hearing about during Oscar season in the spring. This film of the week has earned a solid 4 out of 4 stars.

Watch the trailer: The Social Network trailer

See this weeks box office: This Weeks Box Office