The Social Network

Hell hath no fury like a programmer scorned.

The first thoughts that entered into my head after hearing that a movie was being made about Facebook included 'why, oh why?' and visions of Farmville invitations and poking wars.
There must be a God because none of those thoughts appeared on screen.
I then read who was attached.
David Fincher.
Aaron Sorkin.
Bring it.
Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club) is up there in my top five all time favourite directors. Everything he touches is a masterpiece and The Social Network is no different. So when you bring the likes of Sorkin (The West Wing, Charlie Wilson's War) to write the screenplay you know this gonna be some good shit.
The film is based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich.
By now most of the people on the planet know who Mark Zuckerberg is and his meteoric rise to fame and fortune through his Facebook website. As the tag line says, you don't get five hundred million friends without making a few enemies. In one of the coolest break-up scenes I've seen, Mark (Jesse Eisenberg - Zombieland) is dumped by his girlfriend Erica Albright (Rooney Mara - Youth In Revolt). After listening to Mark for a few seconds it's clear he is incapable of having a meaningful relationship with anyone. He lives constantly in his head and has one goal - to be popular.
That night, Mark mixes two things that should never be mixed - drinking and blogging. He drinks and posts unflattering comments about his now ex girlfriend. At the same time he is writing code for a website that compares two girls against each other. His best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield - The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus) lends Mark an algorithm that makes the site work.
The new website crashes the servers at Harvard University and gains the attention of a few older students looking to get their own website online.
Adonis-like twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (both played by Armie Ammer - Reaper) and friend Divya Narendra (Max Minghella - Syriana) tell Zuckerberg about their idea for a social networking site exclusive to Harvard students and they want him to write the code.
Mark, has other ideas.
'The Facebook' spreads accross the country like a virus. Mark and Eduardo meet up with Napster creator Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake - Shrek The Third). While Eduardo and Sean don't see eye to eye, Sean and Mark seem to be on the same wave lenght.
The twins get pissed off and eventually take Mark to court for intellectual property theft. Eduardo fails to read the fine print in his new contract and also takes Mark to court.
It's in these hearings that we get to meet the real Zuckerberg. He is quick witted, extremely intelligent, analytical and narcissistic and would probably make a really, really good lawyer himself. Where some might apologise for their actions, Mark wants to make sure that he gets credit for his achievements.
The film ends shortly after Facebook's one millionth user party and through a series of subtitles we learn what the outcomes were of Mark's court hearings. Of course, that was years ago and Facebook now has over half a billion users and worth twenty-five billion dollars.
I used to joke that Jesse Eisenberg was a graduate of the Michael Cera School Of Acting. Seems ol' Jesse has started up his own academy and got himself a PhD. It was a stoke of genius to cast him as the vessel of Aaron Sorkin's words, mainly because I don't think there is anyone who can talk as fast as Sorkin writes.
I loved the inter cutting of Zuckerberg's two different court hearings alongside the day to day happenings. There was never a dull moment; no 'dreaded second act lull' that haunts many films.
Usually in films you can tell the difference between the hero and the villain; the hero is good and the villain is bad. I wasn't so sure here, the line was blurred so far out of focus. As one of the characters point out, creation myths need a devil. What happens then when the devil is the creator?
You don't have to be on Facebook or even like it to enjoy this movie, however, if you don't like it, I will un-friend you.
I can understand early reviews of the film likening it to a work of Shakespeare. It is a modern day tragedy, a tale of woe with a simple warning for its viewers - keep your friends close.
On the other hand, it is also based on the most common plot device around:
Boy meets girl.
Boy loses girl.
Boy wants girl back.
Things I learnt: never piss off a computer geek; don't drunk-blog; I want a business card that reads 'I'm CEO, Bitch.'
(insert Like button here)
Ten out of ten.

What a brilliant trailer!