Directed by: David Fincher
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer
Rating: PG-13

Jesse Eisenberg stars as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. (Courtesy photo)

If the goal of The Social Network is to make the audience feel sympathy for Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg in his fight against the former colleagues who are suing him for millions of dollars, it fails. By the same token, the movie also fails to make the audience side against Zuckerberg. No matter which way you feel about him, though, the movie is as entertaining as they come.

In The Social Network, David Fincher brings us an inside look at the creation of Facebook through the eyes of—well, everyone. At center stage is Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), who goes from a completely unknown Harvard sophomore to the introverted leader of a multimillion dollar enterprise in the space of a year or two. His best friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), starts out as his right-hand man, but eventually gets phased out in favor of Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake), the mildly paranoid but fun-loving entrepreneur who founded Napster. Upon discovering that his shares in Facebook have been diluted to practically nothing, Saverin files a $600 million lawsuit against Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg's meeting with Saverin and their lawyers provides part of the movie's frame, along with the meeting between Zuckerberg and the Winklevoss twins, Cameron and Tyler (Armie Hammer and body double Josh Pence). The Winklevosses, wealthy Harvard gentlemen, are suing for intellectual property theft, claiming they created the idea of the social networking website. So which is it—is Zuckerberg as crafty and untrustworthy as his enemies say, or are they just trying to cash in on his success?

Aaron Sorkin's screenplay is clever and fast-paced (at times blindingly), which lets the movie cover an enormous amount of information in its two hours. It's a fascinating and humorous script, but there's too much history to present, so the characters occasionally have to recite long, encyclopedic passages about themselves or about Facebook. However, the audience is never lost or overwhelmed, thanks to Fincher's flawless construction. His direction gives the film a distinctive feel of sophistication but not excess or grandeur.

Similarly, the actors carry out their complex roles with little individual fanfare. Garfield (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) is the best of the lot, probably because Saverin underwent the biggest change in the real-life Facebook saga, from best friend to $600 million-dollar foe. Timberlake (Alpha Dog, Black Snake Moan) continues to make a name for himself as an actor, shining among the cast as charming but almost frightening in his eagerness. Eisenberg (Zombieland, Adventureland), meanwhile, wears a constant scowl, playing Zuckerberg with almost psychopathic disregard for others. He isn't two-dimensional, but he hardly ever raises his voice or looks excited. (No wonder, then, that Zuckerberg has complained about his portrayal.) Hammer (Blackout, 2081), taking on two identical roles at once, is sufficiently snobby in the stereotypical Ivy League way. We can't tell if the Winklevosses are trying to exploit the silver spoons they've had since birth or if they have a legitimate case against Zuckerberg.

That's how much of the movie goes—is there a case against Zuckerberg, or are the plaintiffs looking for a quick buck? Fincher doesn't carefully tread the line between the two, but he doesn't take sides either. Instead, he gives us hefty arguments from each side, so at times we feel nothing but contempt for Zuckerberg, and at other times we can't believe that others are trying so hard to rain on his parade. But both sides are right, in this case—at least, each side honestly believes in its own evidence. Legally, the cases are resolved, but the question Fincher asks is whether Mark Zuckerberg is a bad person. Does his arrogance make him a public enemy? Or does the invention of a revolutionary way to connect with people all over the world make him a saint? It doesn't matter how you feel—the point of The Social Network is just to make you think about the man behind the colossus that is Facebook. And to that end, it succeeds tremendously.

Danny Eisenberg is a 2010 graduate of the Bromfield School and is currently a student at the University of Pennsylvania.