The Social Network

There should probably be no question that David Fincher ("Fight Club", "Seven") is one of the best directors Hollywood currently has to offer. For his latest stroke of genius, Fincher has teamed up with one of TV's finest writers, "West Wing" inventor Aaron Sorkin. The two brilliant minds devote their joint work to a subject that, at first glance, doesn't really sound like it would make for exciting material for a feature film. But far from it: the story about the creation of "Facebook", which is the focus of "The Social Network", has what it takes to be one of the best and most entertaining films of the year.

When Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) is dumped by his girlfriend in the fall of 2003, he turns his frustration into programming a program that allows users to rate female students on campus based on their attractiveness. This invasion of his fellow students' privacy, as well as the campus's private network, gets Mark into a lot of trouble. But he also attracts the attention of a group of students who ask for his help in programming a social network for the campus. Mark agrees, but is inspired by the assignment to come up with a different idea. What Mark doesn't yet suspect is that not only will this idea one day grow into the billion-dollar company that is Facebook. He will also have to fight the other students and even his best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) to defend his intellectual property...

"The Social Network" is intelligent entertainment cinema of the highest order. Fincher, after his imaginative romance film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", has once again taken a completely different tack. With the clever, at times surprisingly funny dialogue Aaron Sorkin has conjured up on paper, Fincher has created a dialogue thriller that is particularly delightful with terrific actors. It's not just future Spider-Man Andrew Garfield and pop star Justin Timberlake, who proves beyond a shadow of a doubt here that he can very much act, who make a very good impression. It's Jesse Eisenberg in particular who shines with a terrific performance.

At first, viewers may feel that Eisenberg is merely playing another variation of the character he's already played in films like "Zombieland" or "The Squid and the Whale": the lovable, somewhat dorky nerd. But Eisenberg quickly reveals a very different side to the character: arrogant, ruthless, snarky, and yet somehow likable. Or as a character best sums it up in the end: "You're not an asshole, you just try damn hard to be one". There's no question that while "The Social Network" is an ensemble film in itself, and really every single actor is convincing, it's Eisenberg who carries this film. And he does that quite brilliantly.

Although the real people behind "Facebook" won't really love the film, Sorkin and Fincher go to great lengths to allow each viewer to make their own judgments. Of course, it becomes obvious that Zuckerberg, blinded by success, is practically over dead bodies. But the screenplay repeatedly avoids clear accusations, but rather tells in an engaging, entertaining and intelligent way the rather simple story of a friendship that breaks down because of success - a success behind which is a very simple motive: to impress a persecuted person. Whether this succeeds, the film leaves open. But one thing the makers have definitely succeeded in doing: the audience will definitely be impressed. Therefore: you should definitely accept this friend request. For lovers of clever Hollywood cinema absolutely recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp