The Social Network

If you need a reason to see the new movie The Social Network, I'll give you two:

1. It is really, really good.  Like, Oscar-buzz-good.

Perhaps you don't think that I'm the most reliable movie critic, seeing as how I watched Titanic in the theaters no less than 6 times and Armageddon tops my list as BEST. MOVIE. EVER.  But you can trust the box office results, which puts The Social Network at the top of the ranks for the second weekend in a row.

 
2.  Justin Timberlake is in this movie.  Need I say more?
 

 

Well, I will say more!

 

This movie tells the story of Facebook, the popular social networking website.  More specifically, it is about the creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg.  While the mere thought of finding entertainment in computer geeks and their special projects sounds like a doozy, I can assure you that this film is exciting, and funny, and relevant- so relevant that we noticed that several people in the crowded theater were checking their Facebook accounts on their phones while waiting for the movie to begin. And it is smart- so smart that I personally lack the ability to form words into sentences to adequately express how smart it really is. And while one minute I would be cheering for one guy, the next minute I'd be on the other guy's team, and by the end of the movie, I didn't know who was the good guy and who was the bad guy! 

 

After we left the theater, Devon and I talked about the movie during our entire drive home.  What did you think about this part....?  What do you think happened to....?  Did you realize that....?  I'd like to learn more about....  And after we arrived at home, I googled Mark Zuckerberg to learn more about him, in hopes of having a better understanding of how true-to-fact the movie was or how much of it was embellished. 

 

And not that it truly matters to most people how Facebook came into existence- what does matter is that Facebook exists.  I remember that my friend Jacqui once left me a message on my MySpace account that read something along the lines of, "You need to cross over to Facebook!  Facebook is the new black."  So I did create a Facebook account, and since then I've connected with people like Lilith, a German exchange student who I knew during my senior year of high school, and Leah, a friend from Sunday school when I was a child, and the whole group of women that I've met through Stroller Strides, and friends from college, and aunts and uncles, and my bffs, and my neighbor, and friends from my previous job, and the job before that too... My point is that Facebook is a part of my life.  It has connected me with people, and for the most part, I like people!  I like looking at their pictures and reading their status updates.  I like seeing their spouses and children and where they like to go on vacation. 

 

I know that both sides of the coin can be argued- to participate or not to participate.  And while I often flip-flop between the two sides (my mom has chosen not to participate while my sister posts status updates everyday), I land somewhere on the side of participation, and after seeing this movie, there is no denying the value and the power of the social network in today's society.

 

When Zuckerberg developed Facebook, I don't think that he meant to change the world, but I really think that he did just that.  And according to the movie, his motivation never was money, yet at 26 years old he is currently the world's youngest billionaire.  Billionaire!

 

I hope that I've done an okay job at promoting The Social Network.  Go see it- you won't be disappointed!  And did I mention Justin Timberlake is in it?

 

I can't wait to see it again!