Thursday, June 09, 2022
The Social Network
- Commentary: I obtained this film, sight unseen, because of Aaron Sorkin's involvement. I was looking forward to yet another flood of trenchant dialogue, a la The Newsroom and The West Wing, and was so sure Sorkin's involvement would guarantee this that I didn't check the movie out of the library before I purchased it. Turns out, what can you do with dialogue that comes out of the mouths of people such as Mark Zuckerberg and the Winklevoss twins? What can you do with dialogue that proceeds from a petty (although highly monied) capitalistic squabble? Not much.
That being said, I'm glad I own it. I'm such a fan of Aaron Sorkin's work that I feel obligated to own even work of his that I don't enjoy. It was, as well, a critical success. I'm not sure why. That is another reason for me to own it. Perhaps, on subsequent viewings, I'll be able to appreciate Sorkin-managed capitalist dialogue. Certainly, we live in a world overflowing with such dialogue. Might be a good idea to not only get used to it, but to try to understand something of what other people consider the beauty of it.
Interesting, too, is the fact that the reviewer of the film at RogerEbert.com, Jim Emerson, felt it necessary to write twice about the film in two days. This link is to his second review. In addition, the site added an interview with Justin Timberlake, who plays Sean Parker in the movie, conducted by Roger Ebert.
One final item: This movie is listed as a biography in it's Wikipedia write-up, linked in the title above. It's not. In case you're wondering, this movie is also decidedly not about social media. It's all about ownership. Capitalistic ownership.
Update 6/9/2022: This post was originally published on 8/14/16 but disappeared from public view. I am now reinstating it.
Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Actor Role Jesse Eisenberg Mark Zuckerberg Andrew Garfield Eduardo Saverin Justin Timberlake Sean Parker Armie Hammer Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss Max Minghella Divya Narenda Brenda Song Christie Lee Rashida Jones Marilyn Delpy John Getz Sy David Selby Gage Denise Grayson Gretchen Douglas Urbanski Larry Summers Rooney Mara Erica Albright Joseph Mazzello Dustin Moskovitz Wallace Langham Peter Thiel Patrick Mapel Chris Hughes Steve Sires Bill Gates
Here's the link to the Wikipedia write-up about this movie.
Release Date: 2010
Directed by David Fincher.
Labels: aaron-sorkin, drama2, economic, historical1, legal, political1
