The Social Network
Structure:
Entertainment:
Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin eschews the popular tenants of “likable” Main Characters and “Saving the Cat” mentality for something a bit more truthful: an honest and sincere look at the dangers of going into business with your friends. On his quest to connect the world together, Steadfast Main Character Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) separates from his Harvard roommate and Impact Character Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), dragging his supposed friend down with him in this very satisfying Personal Tragedy. Zuckerberg achieves success, but at what cost? Beholden as the film is to real life events, there are some structural mishaps. Zuckerberg may have set Saverin up for his eventual removal from the company, but his motivation for doing so, beyond simply being an “asshole,” is less clear.
Structural concerns aside, the dialogue flows as effortlessly as the progressive complications of the act changes. In fact, one would be hard pressed to find the actual turning points, the piece working as one seamless whole. The result is plain and simple: an engaging story that could have easily continued for another hour or two.