The Social Network - ***+ out of ****

Facebook annoys me. I really have no interest in learning about its creation because any more, having a Facebook account feels like a laborious chore, checking your 'Friends,' seeing if you were tagged in any embarrassing pictures, possibly having applications to deal with (I've met people that actually plan out their days around FarmVille), and updating your bio, interests, and all that. I rarely even use my Facebook account nowadays, so understandably, I was skeptical about David Fincher's movie. I was wrong to think that. "The Social Network" is absorbing, fascinating, and flows like hot chocolate. The aftertaste propelled me into deep thought-mode as I just can't get the movie out of my head.

Jesse Eisenberg is Mark Zuckerberg, the credited founder of Facebook, but as the movie shows us, he didn't exactly come up with the idea all by himself. After a disastrous date with Erica Albright (Rooney Mara), she informs him that they're no longer dating and that he's an asshole after Mark makes some paranoid cracks at her and some digs about her attending BU while he's a Harvard man. As revenge, Mark gets drunk and writes some very bad things about her in his blog (although it's unclear how many people actually read it) which sparks him to create 'facemash,' a site dedicated to showing the pictures of two girls so you can pick the prettier one. The site generates 22,000 hits, crashing the Harvard server. Men are cheering Zuckerberg on while women hate him.

From this, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (Armie Hammer and 3/4 of Josh Pence) decide that they would like to make a social network called 'The Harvard Connection.' Zuckerberg agrees to help them so he can gain respect from his 'facemash' fiasco. Forty-two days later, Zuckerberg tells them that he's not too keen on the original idea that they set up and splits ways so he can continue to work on Facebook. Undoubtedly, Zuckerberg wouldn't have come up with Facebook had it not been for their offer.

In the meantime, Zuckerberg is aided by several other guys but most notably Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield with enough intensity to fuel his own movie). Eduardo invests enough money to get Facebook started but would eventually be muscled out of the company by Zuckerberg and his new friend, Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake, excellent), the creator of Napster. Zuckerberg is basically seduced by Parker who makes few contributions to the company. He told Mark and Eduardo to drop the word 'the' from 'The Facebook' and just stick with 'Facebook.' Other than that, Parker seems to spend much of his time in the company putting Zuckerberg in contact with rich people who can help it expand.

Facebook becomes a hit. However, Eduardo and the Winklevoss twins get seriously pissed off and decide to sue Zuckerberg for their portion of the company. The story is told mostly as flashbacks during the deposition for those lawsuits.

David Fincher directs this material from Aaron Sorkin (the genius behind "The West Wing") as if they were made for each other. The dialogue draws you in, and the direction brings you closer. The performances are deeply layered, and it has the pacing and feel of a thriller like "Inception." The sets are so well-designed that I'm not sure how many people actually noticed them. We always accepted that they were where they said they were. It's really masterful stuff all around.

I won't reveal the final image, but I can say to you that it is one of the most poetic moments I've witnessed this year. It has something of a dull ache to its poignancy as you realize how isolated Zuckerberg really is from human contact. He always seems to be like a visitor to a foreign country, not bothering to ever interact effectively with people. I find the irony of the fact that the creator of the biggest social network of our time can't communicate with human beings to be a very bittersweet thought. Of course, this isn't something that the script created; it's based on actual accounts.

I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see how an un-tellable story can be made into a captivating movie that stays with you long after it's over. In case you're wondering, the half-star deduction was because I left wanting more of a dagger in society's shoulder. Perhaps that will change after the next viewing, but for now, I think I need to consider deleting my Facebook.

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug and alcohol use and language.
Check your local theater for showtimes.