Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake in the David Fincher movie ‘The Social Network’

The 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich was a large influence on attracting the screenwriting services of Aaron Sorkin to the table for the movie we’re reviewing. The David Fincher directed movie The Social Network (2010) earns our attention today.

(From left, Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin and Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg in the David Fincher movie The Social Network).

The movie The Social Network begins in the fall of 2003 with the fictionalized Erica Albright, a student at Boston University as portrayed by Rooney Mara, dumping Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg, portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg in the movie and feeling scorned, insults Albright on his LiveJournal blog. Fueled by that scorn and alcohol into doing something noteworthy, Zuckerberg creates a precursor to Facebook called Facemash wherein he hacks individual online databases at Harvard University for pictures of female students, later posting the photos online while asking fellow students to rate the girls on physical attractiveness.

(Armie Hammer and Josh Pence as Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss in the David Fincher movie The Social Network).

Many, many people took notice of the cynical tackiness of the approach in addition to the wild popularity of scheme led to a segment of Harvard‘s computer servers crashing not due to the initial breaches but due to the volume of people engaging in the ranking. Also taking notice were Cameron Winklevoss, Tyler Winklevoss and Divya Narendra, who had a vision for a social media network.

(From left, Max Minghella as Divya Narendra and Rooney Mara as Erica Albright in the David Fincher movie The Social Network).

The trio invited Zuckerberg to develop a social media network for them, with Zuckerberg seemingly agreeing to the proposition while immediately turning to his friend Eduardo Saverin for seed money to develop a social media platform that would grow into the modern day Facebook. Narendra was portrayed by Max Minghella. Saverin was portrayed by Andrew Garfield. A physical and digital combination of Armie Hammer and Josh Pence portrayed Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss.

(From left, Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker and Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg in the David Fincher movie The Social Network).

The introduction of Sean Parker as portrayed by Justin Timberlake was introduced to filmgoers through litigation brought in separate concurrent claims against Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook by Winklevoss, Winklevoss and Narendra on the one hand and Saverin on the other. Sy as portrayed by John Getz and Marilyn Delpy as portrayed by Rashida Jones were serving the Zuckerberg point of view. The drama for how the different interests of what became Facebook, in both scale and profitability, were at stake in the litigation. That very real human drama was dramatized in the movie was the cinematic point.

(From left, Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, John Getz as Sy and Rashida Jones as Marilyn Delpy in the David Fincher movie The Social Network).

That the movie The Social Network did a solid job of communicating the drama of growth, ambition, substance use, sex and greed were all strongly in evidence in making a moving story for this movie. The acting met the task of conveying the story for me, with kudos from me on that level as well. I give the David Fincher movie The Social Network 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Saturday, January 6, 2024

Amy Poehler, Bill Hader and Lewis Black in the Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen movie ‘Inside Out’

Imagine yourself as an 11-year-old girl from Minnesota asked to move to San Francisco, California as your belongings get misdirected to Texas. Imagine missing your friends, having your father disappear emotionally because the family moved to pursue his job, and learning that the pizza place down the street serves all pizza with broccoli, a vegetable you detest. The Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen directed movie Inside Out (2015) begins in this fashion. Blog namesake Lynn enjoys this animated action and adventure movie.

(From left, Diane Lane as Mom (Jill Andersen), Kaitlyn Dias as Riley Andersen and Kyle MacLachlan as Dad (Bill Andersen) in the Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen movie Inside Out).

The Andersen family reflect our family, with the internal life of 11-year-old Riley at the center of our tale. Kaitlyn Dias voiced Riley Andersen, with voice credits for mother Jill Andersen and father Bill Andersen going to Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan. The interaction amongst the three drives the internal lives for each, with the majority of the adventure resting with the life of the pre-teen Riley getting turned inside out.

(From left, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Lewis Black as Anger, Bill Hader as Fear, Mindy Kaling as Disgust and Amy Poehler as Joy in the Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen movie Inside Out).

Central to the internal life of Riley, especially in the face of the stress that has been introduced to an already trying age for many, is the transition among five central emotions. With the feelings embodied as characters named Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger and Disgust, we are introduced to those characters as voice respectively by Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black and Mindy Kaling. The move begins with Joy aiming to keep an upbeat perspective to the series of early setbacks experienced by Riley as the other feelings, quite naturally, present themselves.

(From left, Phyllis Smith as Sadness, Amy Poehler as Joy and Richard Kind as Bing Bong in the Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen movie Inside Out).

When Sadness and Joy get separated from the rest of the group in the central nerve center of Riley’s experience, the true adventure of the story takes a fascinating turn that brings in long term memories for the girl. School proves difficult while the chance to play her beloved hockey begins calling into question other core memories. The meaning of beloved Bing Bong, as portrayed by Richard Kind, helps bring a tenderness to internal emotional extremes that lead to external actions that bring the larger story to actions that are both relatable for adults and pre-teens alike.

(From left, writer and director Ronnie Del Carmen, writer and director Pete Docter and writer Meg LaFauve in the Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen movie Inside Out).

The female protagonist with male and female antagonists proves a nice touch for Inside Out, with writing credits resting with Meg LeFauve and the directors, Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen. I grant the film definite props for entertainment value and a compelling jaunt back into the period before some of the more serious questions of senior high school really begin. I grant the Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen movie Inside Out 3.75-stars on a scale of one-to-five stars.

Matt – Wednesday, April 12, 2023