The first time that I heard a movie about Facebook was being produced, I balked. While the development team behind the project looked stellar, the idea of an entire movie being based upon a website seemed ridiculous.
However, after seeing the film, I realized that the movie was not ABOUT Facebook. It merely used the website as a center-point to launch the actual plot. To say that TSN was about Facebook is equivalent of saying that “Rear Window” is about broken legs. Instead of focusing solely on the creation of Facebook, Aaron Sorkin focuses on the CHARCTERS involved in the creation of the social network behemoth.
In a nutshell (*SPOILERS*), TSN is a Greek tragedy based in the 21st century. Jesse Eisenburg as Mark Zuckerberg plays the part of the tragic hero perfectly. Filled with hubris and pride, he conquers the digital world as if he has always been on the top-and that others must respect that and his odd eccentricities. James Garfield (aka the new Spiderman), steals scenes as the hero’s only true friend Eduardo Saverin; sacrificing his time and money in order to help Mark achieve his dreams, even when Mark turns him away. Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker plays a surprising role as the ubiquitous Devil archetype. He manages to steer Mark away from his only friend in the apparent pursuit of money; while Mark’s true goal as the hero is to distinguish himself in a world“full of people who scored a 1600 on their SATs”. Mark also suffers from the hero’s fall, as his only true friend eventually exacts a deserved revenge, while the Devil character fails Mark when he needs him the most.
I never expected such a brilliant portrayal of characters and archetypes to be found within a concept that I first found ridiculous. It’s a huge relief to think that great storylines can still be created during this modern age of cinema that are focused upon 21st century, instead of returning to tired settings and times.
