I’ve heard misguided comparisons to Citizen Kane. It has been described as “the defining film of a generation.” The Oscar for Best Picture/Director/Writer has already been given to this film and its creators.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

There is so much to love about David Fincher’s film about the founding of Facebook, The Social Network. In the hands of the dialogue master, Aaron Sorkin, we are welcomed with a razor sharp script that plays along perfectly with Fincher’s stunning visuals (wait until you see the tilt/shift camera work in the rowing scene). The ensemble cast brings this true story to life with ferocity and heart. Jesse Eisenberg delivers a career best performance while Andrew Garfield finally gets on the mainstream radar. Trent Reznor’s score is haunting throughout and definitely will create Oscar buzz. This is a must see film — just not in the way the media is portraying it.

As you probably know, Mark Zuckerberg’s path to Facebook started with an angry, drunken night after getting dumped by his girlfriend. He hacked into all of the Harvard databases, pulled all of the female students pictures, and created a Harvard style “Hot or Not” site to compare and rank women of Harvard. Women across campus were horrified and angry in ways the film didn’t bother to even portray. In watching Zuckerberg’s repulsive actions, I couldn’t help but to think about the tragic story of the kid at Rutgers who killed himself after roommates showcased his sex acts across a chat room. Open platform social networks such as chat rooms, Facebook, and Twitter are tools that have changed the dialogue not only with teenagers, college students, or computer nerds – but for an entire planet. But these tools can also be used for irreparable damage.  As Zuckerberg’s ex-girlfriend explained to him, “The internet is not written in pencil. It’s written in pen.” The recent news makes Zuckerberg look that much more of an a-hole.

The hype for The Social Network has been deafening over the past week. As I really enjoyed the film, I can never go as far to compare it to some of the greatest films on celluloid. It’s not even the best film I’ve seen this year (so far) – Inception still holds that position.  Maybe I knew too much going into the film. Maybe I’m not really into the witty courtroom “gotcha” moments. Or maybe the bar was set too high, at a level unachievable.  It’s strange to say that it was one of my favorite films of the year, but left me feeling somewhat empty. Not empty in an emotional sense. Empty, as in, that’s it? I was expecting to have my jaw drop to the floor as I watched the story unfold. It was a great film – it’s just not going to change your life as some might claim. Quickly, I’d like to point out a few of the performances:

Jesse Eisenberg – The best performance of his career. He walks the delicate line of being a complete asshole and a slightly sympathetic character. He’s a jerk. He’s an a-hole. There seemingly is nothing positive about him. But Eisenberg’s performance almost makes you feel bad for him, as if he has serious social issues beyond his control.

Andrew Garfield – He almost  makes you feel bad the guy. Almost. In a role that could have been simply a whiny “Why me?” performance, Garfield gives the guy heart. He is your next Spiderman, fyi. I hope he hits the gym.

Justin Timberlake – The man who brought sexy back completely owned the complex insecurities, confidence, and showmanship of Sean Parker.  You can see how Zuckerberg could be hypnotized by his ambitious ideas.

Armie Hammer – David Fincher opted to use the same actor to play the Winklevoss twins. The twist is that they aren’t working with a split screen. Fincher superimposed Hammer’s 2nd performance (as the twin brother) over a stand-ins face. You will never even notice it. Hammer portrays the white, privileged, Harvard student to the tee. Every stereotype of the Harvard guy is encompassed in these performances.

Maybe this film will grow on me and move into the elite group of films as many critics are raving. But it’s doubtful. At the end of the day, you have to truly care about the characters. Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in the world. Eduardo Saverin settled for over $600 million. The Winklevoss Twins settled for $65 million and are working towards a $400 million dollar settlement. It’s pretty tough to feel bad for anyone here. Which is the only (and major) flaw I’ve found in this film. It’s a perfectly crafted story. The visuals and music score were pitch perfect. But the source material — the real life characters – it’s tough to gain an emotional access to their plight.

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