Movie Review: Press the Like Button for Social Network

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“You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.”  This tagline accurately sums up the premise of the newly released movie Social Network.   A  night out with my 14 year old daughter and friends brought me to the local theatre for a showing of this highly anticipated  motion picture. Sharp- witted with clever dialogue and an intriguing storyline, I highly recommend this film.

The movie is the story of the litigation brought against Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of Facebook.  The story begins in 2003 when Harvard undergrad and computer programming whiz Zuckerberg  launches a website called The Facebook . Despite Zuckerberg’s success, his personal life begins to suffer as he becomes marred in legal disputes and discovers that many of the 500 million people he befriended during his rise to the top are eager to see him fall. Chief among the growing list of detractors is Zuckerberg’s former college friend Eduardo Saverin , whose generous financial contributions to Facebook served as the seed that helped the company to grow. Some might also argue that Zuckerberg’s bold venture wouldn’t have evolved into the cultural phenomenon that it ultimately became had Napster founder Sean Parker not spread the word about Facebook to the venture capitalists from Silicon Valley.  In the meantime, two Harvard undergrads accuse Zuckerberg of stealing their idea and engage in a brutal courtroom battle for ownership of Facebook.

Early in the movie it becomes clear, Zuckerberg’s life is somewhat of an anomaly. The Harvard undergrad founds the world’s most renowned and addictive social tool while epitomizing arrogance and boorish behavior in his personal relationships.  He easily becomes the most despised student on campus with the launch of a website to rank Harvard coeds before transforming into campus hero with the release of Harvard’s exclusive The Facebook. 

It takes a long time to find a likable character in the Social Network. The individual I admired most was Saverin, Facebook’s co-founder and former CFO. He is a sympathetic  character and actor Andrew Garfield was masterful in his portrayal. Saverin is  a smart, good kid who truly just wants to help out his friend in what he thinks may be  a great business venture. Ultimately, Saverin gets completely cheated out of his share of the profits by the evolving equity partnerships initiated by Zuckerberg.   It is difficult not to want Saverin to win his lawsuit against Zuckerberg.

The ending of the movie may not be the end of the story for twenty-six year old Mark Zuckerberg and seven year old Facebook.   A good question to post to Zuckerberg after a less than flattering cinematic portrayal, “what’s on your mind, Mark”?

Kasey McCarthy, A G Gordon, Inc.

Though we don’t have 500 million friends, we can help you save money on insurance, as well as provide topical and relevant information, so visit us on the A. G. Gordon, Inc. Homepage.

Related Articles

• Movie Review: The Social Network (businesspundit.com)
• Mark Zuckerberg On “The Social Network”: It (Basically) Doesn’t Matter (businessinsider.com)
• The Social Network Movie (kirapermunian.co.cc)