“You Don’t Get To 500 Million Friends Without Making A Few Enemies.” This was the slogan for David Fincher's 2010 drama The Social Network. The film tells the story of Mark Zuckerberg as he creates the now multi-billion dollar website known as Facebook. The story switches between flashbacks and the present, showing how through the creation of Facebook Mark ultimately loses what his website is most known for, friends…or does it!? I've seen The Social Network a total of three times (in theaters, on DVD, and in a classroom) and I doubt I’ll watch it again. Admittedly I enjoyed my first viewing, yet only to a certain degree; after seeing its mass amount of critical acclaim (on Rotten Tomatoes, its Top Critics average surpasses that of Citizen Kane) I became self-conscious and convinced myself I hadn't “fully grasped” what made it so great.
I decided to rewatch the film on DVD, only to discover I enjoyed it even less! After my third viewing in a film’s studies class, I changed my ultimate standing on The Social Network from a thumbs up to a thumbs down. Of course that doesn't mean I find the film awful; it still contains an excellent cast of actors who all give impressive performances, as well as David Fincher's always impressive cinematography. Yet these aspects aren't enough to save The Social Network from its greatest, most fatal flaw…the script; specifically its two major themes of Facebook’s creation and friendship. For a film that focuses predominantly on these themes, neither one is efficiently executed; creating a disastrous mess that merely gives the illusion of competent storytelling.
The first topic one might believe The Social Network pertains to is the creation of Facebook. After all, if Facebook hadn’t become a national phenomenon part of millions of daily lives, there’d be no film to begin with! Certainly The Social Network will reveal how Facebook grows into what it’s become…and in a way it does…yet there’s a major issue. While The Social Network talks about Facebook’s growing popularity, along with all the members it’s gaining (“Facebook was the biggest name on campus in two weeks”), the film fails to explain how it becomes so popular. The Social Network believes its viewers already understand why Facebook is a sensation, going into minimal detail on exactly how it’s changed the 21st century’s cultural and social life. Now too be fair that’s true for many of its viewers, including myself who’s been using Facebook since high school (four years before the film came out). Nonetheless, there are still plenty of viewers (such as my parents, neighbors, and even one of my groomsmen) who either rarely use Facebook, or haven’t at all; making them unaware of what makes Facebook, as the film says, “Freakishly addicting.”
Imagine if one of them watches The Social Network; what would they learn about Facebook? There’s one scene where Mark tells his “friend” Eduardo he’s created a new feature called “The Wall.” From my own Facebook experience I know The Wall is an area on my profile where I can receive and respond to messages from friends; yet such an important application is never expanded upon in the film, merely breezed over as a side remark (interestingly enough, The Wall has since been replaced by the Timeline Profile Layout, which makes me wonder if more recent newcomers to Facebook would still get the reference). The film spends little time explaining the mechanics of Facebook’s influence and more time praising its popularity, “Bosnia; they don’t have roads, but they have Facebook.” The only feature that’s given attention is Facebook’s use as a dating system for finding a girl/boyfriend, “Why does your status say single on your Facebook page?” An uninformed person may finish the movie believing Facebook’s main use is as a dating site; which while it could be, is a shallow perspective towards Facebook’s vast usage. It didn't surprise me to learn the writer of The Social Network’s script (Aaron Sorkin) is largely computer illiterate, in fact it makes perfect sense. What confounds me however, is despite lacking such critical knowledge for a computer oriented plot, Sorkin was still hired for the job.
So if The Social Network’s topic isn't focused on Facebook itself, then it must be focused on its creator Mark Zuckerberg. The plot tells of Mark’s journey in making Facebook the online giant it is today; making him billions, but costing his friendship with best friend/partner Eduardo Saverin (through a betrayal which reduces Eduardo’s shares to a measly amount and removes his name as co-founder). Sounds like a pretty solid plot, one that could easily be forgiven for its lack of content knowledge...could that is, if not for one glaring error between Mark and Eduardo’s friendship: there’s none to begin with! There’s not one single instance onscreen (throughout the entire two hour film) where Mark shows genuine kindness towards Eduardo; yet the film consistently insists they are in fact, best friends. Mark’s character is a very unlikable one: he’s rude, envious, resentful, misogynistic, self-absorbed, egotistical, and apathetic towards others’ feelings...a top-notch jerkass. Of course this is done purposely, as the viewers are supposed to dislike Mark, perhaps even feel pity as he destroys his last true bond at the cost of fame and power. Yet the film forgets something vital, that in order for Mark and Edwardo’s friendship/betrayal to have an impact, it first must be believable they could be friends in the first place.
For example, in the film Citizen Kane our title protagonist is shown during the first half to be a bright, comical and likable young man; it’s completely believable Kane would make friends, including his closest colleague Jedediah. As we progress through the film’s second half however, Kane becomes corrupted by power; turning bitter, self-absorbed and cold to those closest around him (sound familiar). As a result Kane loses all his friends (including Jedediah, who he fires after a bitter disagreement) and loved ones, dying alone in his isolated palace. Because the film shows Kane during his happier years, the viewers understand why people came to like him; more importantly the viewers can comprehend why these friends and lovers would remain so long by his side, despite Kane becoming such a mean person. The Social Network makes the mistake of showing Mark solely during his “second half”; that is, by showing a very cold and calculative person without any indication of a kinder spirit.
Mark may have been a nicer person/friend to Eduardo before the film’s start (perhaps there’s an actual reason why Eduardo considers him a close friend), but there’s never any evidence to prove that; making Eduardo’s friendship with Mark seem both far-fetched and completely asinine. How could a kind, friendly, and intelligent guy like Eduardo possibly become best friends with Mark Zuckerberg, the biggest douchebag on Harvard campus? Eduardo does state in one scene he was Mark’s only friend, so there’s a possibility his friendship with Mark was more out of pity. Such an explanation makes even less sense however, when one considers how Eduardo could possibly trust Mark with control of his stocks and shares despite:
- Mark showing zero evidence throughout he’s a trustworthy guy.
- Mark showing zero evidence throughout he’s an actual friend.
- Eduardo understanding Sean Parker’s influence (who’s neither trustworthy nor a friend) over Mark and his business decisions.
It’s interesting to note the one and only time Mark shows actual kindness towards Eduardo takes place off-screen, where he apparently defends Eduardo on an animal cruelty charge. The off-screen event doesn't sound akin with Mark’s character, and why should it! Since we never see him perform any equivalent act of kindness onscreen, there’s no backup to support nor reason to believe Mark would ever be kind while out of sight.
Although The Social Network has redeeming values in cast, acting, and cinematic style, those factors can only do so much for a script that’s already broken. The film fails to dive deep into how Facebook revolutionized the social networking system; it also fails as a story about friendship and betrayal, due to there never being a friendship to begin with. The fact The Social Network constantly insists upon its viewers (it insists it understands Facebook; it insists Mark and Edwardo are close friends) only helps in pushing these flaws into the forefront. It’ll be interesting to see how The Social Network is viewed by the end of the decade. Will it be seen as one of the 2010 greats (as many view it now), or will its fatal flaws become more apparent? Only time can tell.