Sunday, October 3, 2010

Social Network

The story of the youngest billionaire, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (whom I'll refer to as "Z" from here on to save a few keystrokes), was an inspirational tale for anyone in the mood to dream about that one great idea buried within us that could bring our fortune.

Otherwise, it was a fast-moving portrait of controversy, told through flashbacks in the context of a pair of lawsuits filed against Z shortly after his creation became the global phenomena that it is today.

If the tale is true, then the socially abrasive Z took an idea from two wealthy future Olympian crew members of a Harvard club, and stalled them long enough to launch Facebook. In addition to aggravating them, he also disillusions his co-founder while teaming up with the drug-using former founder of Napster (a pleasant surprise - didn't know Justin Timberlake was in this cast from the previews).

There's a hint that Z isn't the a-hole that he appears to be. A lonely genius cocooned in defense mechanisms against his low self-esteem? You be the judge.

This was a dramatic plot, not a comedic one per se, and it continuously moves forward entertainingly.

The movie leaves no doubt that the American dream is both alive and well, and has some dirt on its underside. If you like reality TV in all its angst, then this is a worthy experiment for a Saturday afternoon. But you won't be kicking yourself if it escapes the theater before you get a chance to see it.

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