The Social Network (2010) - ★★★

Director: David Fincher
Writers: Aaron Sorkin (screenplay), Ben Mezrich (novel)
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Rooney Mara

I'm conflicted when it comes to The Social Network. It's good in practically every aspect of film making. The acting was great, the music was nice, and the story was interesting. Then why did this film irritate me so much? It irritated me to the point where I couldn't enjoy the film. Jessie Eisenberg was incredible as the founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg, yet at the same time was the least enjoyable part of the movie for me.

The whole film is basically about the creation of Facebook from start to finish. It showcases the lawsuits against Mark Zuckerberg, who stood on many toes to make Facebook a successful website. This film is just as much about Zuckerberg's best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), who was both a cofounder and business partner from the beginning. I feel like the start of the film is all about Zuckerberg, then it becomes about Saverin, then back to Zuckerberg. This worked really well, because Garfield's character was just as interesting and complex as Eisenberg's. 

There was no clear star of the film for me. I feel that both Eisenberg and Garfield were brilliant in their performances. One thing that didn't quite get through to me was the inner conflict that Zuckerberg must have been feeling when he betrayed his friend. There were a couple of scenes where you could see Zuckerberg thinking about his actions, but I couldn't sense if there was any regret or sadness there. As good as Eisenberg was, I am confused as to whether his character was sincerely sorry for his actions.

Justin Timberlake did a great job in his role as Sean Parker, a party-boy and founder of two successful websites. His character was clearly supposed to be irritating, which he achieved splendidly. Another great performance was from Armie Hammer, who played both Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. For me, these two characters were one of the most entertaining parts of the film. I could feel their frustration. I actually wished that they would win their lawsuit against Zuckerberg. 

The main problem I have with the film is that I got pretty bored by the end, and that's got to count for something. I admire the fact that they didn't portray Zuckerberg as an angel, however, it didn't make me care much for him either. I can't deny that this is a good film, but I think it's far from perfect and very overrated.