You don’t have to be a charismatic person to get a lot of friends.
Or at least that’s how the story goes for Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook, in the critically praised film, “The Social Network.” The movie covers the evolution of Facebook from its conception in a Harvard University dorm room to the celebration of its first million users.
The first scene begins with Zuckerberg, who is played by “Zombieland” star Jesse Eisenberg, in a bar being dumped by his girlfriend. In a drunken rage, Zuckerberg runs to his computer and uses his programming genius to get revenge. His creation, called Facemash, draws on the database of Harvard’s entire woman student population and prompts users to compare them. The site instantly goes viral, crashing the entire Harvard computer system.
Backed with the financial support of friend Eduardo Saverin, played by Andrew Garfield, Zuckerberg starts working on thefacebook.com. In just one month, half of Harvard’s student population is registered for the website.
Zuckerberg and his small group of supporters aren’t prepared for the chaos the website’s success creates. Before Zuckerberg even has time to catch his breath, he is slammed with a lawsuit from the Winklevoss twins, who are both played by Armie Hammer. The twins claim Zuckerberg stole their idea for the website.
“The Social Network” is perhaps the best movie that has been released this year. The acting is flawless and the cast perfectly picked. And millions will flock to the movie theater to see a film about the website they visit multiple times a day — they just won’t be impressed with that site’s creator.
Zuckerberg’s character comes off as nothing but a jerk. He treats everyone who ever believed in him as stepping stools to the top.
Whether the events are dramatized or not, the creation of Facebook makes for a noteworthy movie that people of this decade are going to take interest in, and that’s all viewers are going to care about.
