Review: The Social Network

Review: The Social Network

Rating: ****

Nonna's Rating: $$$$

Rotten Tomatoes Critics: 97%

Rotten Tomatoes Public: 81%

Finally, a terrific movie for adults. It's Animal House for the second decade of the third millennium --Harvard-style with a boatload of entrepreneurship. All wrapped up in Aaron Sorkin's rapid-fire, deliriously delightful dialog. Who knew that transcripts of depositions could be the source of such material!

The Social Network tells the origin story of Facebook. It may or

may not be true, but that's not important because it approaches

the status of 21st century myth. It's truer than truth. Jesse

Eisenberg plays Mark Zuckerberg, a wily young anti-Ulysses

bent on getting the girl and getting in the right final club. He

betrays everyone around him, tricking the tricksters, outsmarting

the Winklevi (twin brothers played by Armie Hammer, Jr.). He

falls prey to a modern Mephistopheles (Justin Timberlake as

Napster founder Sean Parker) and abandons his one friend

Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) who provided his moral

compass.

Lest I make this all sound too serious and too pretentious,

prepare to laugh. The scene in the office of Harvard's

president with the Winklevi, the President, and his

Assistant is nearly perfect. I felt as if I were listening to

the brilliant repartee of Howard Hawk's His Girl Friday.

Well, for once I don't end a review with "Go see this

classic movie instead: [fill in the blank with a great

movie]." No, go see this classic movie.

Nonna's Ratings:

$$$$ = Worth paying the Friday evening price
$$$= Worth paying the Matinee price

$$= Worth a rental
$ = Wait for cable
# = Skip it