The Social Network

"You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies."

2010 2h 1m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 13,607

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programmer Mark Zuckerberg begins work on a new concept that eventually turns into the global social network known as Facebook. Six years later, Mark is one of the youngest billionaires ever, but his unprecedented success leads to both personal and legal complications when he ends up on the receiving end of two lawsuits, one involving his former friend.

“You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.”

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Cast

Jesse Eisenberg
Mark Zuckerberg
Andrew Garfield
Eduardo Saverin
Armie Hammer
Cameron Winklevoss / Tyler Winklevoss
Justin Timberlake
Sean Parker
Rooney Mara
Erica Albright
Max Minghella
Divya Narendra
Brenda Song
Christy Ling
Josh Pence
Tyler Winklevoss (Body Double)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Fincher
Writers: Aaron Sorkin
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.6× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Social Network Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CAST

Did you know

247+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Fincher, shot by Jeff Cronenweth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Trent Reznor. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kirk Baxter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Fincher directs. Jeff Cronenweth behind the camera. Trent Reznor scores. Kirk Baxter cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 5.6× over at the box office.
2Released 16 years ago.
3Part of the "The Social Network Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4247+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
5Directed by David Fincher, shot by Jeff Cronenweth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Trent Reznor. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Kirk Baxter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.".
10IMDB entry: tt1285016 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
1113,607 TMDB user ratings logged — serious cultural footprint.
12Classified under 14 themes, including "hacker", "based on novel or book", "boston, massachusetts", "ex-girlfriend".

The technical file

Cinematography: Jeff Cronenweth
Original score: Trent Reznor
Editing: Kirk Baxter
Production design: Donald Graham Burt
Costume design: Jacqueline West
Makeup / hair: Kelly Muldoon
VFX supervisor: Fred Pienkos
Sound: Michael Semanick
Stunt coordinator: Mickey Giacomazzi
Runtime: 121 min · 2h 1m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $40,000,000
Box office: $224,920,315
Return: 562% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Social Network (2010)

Awards

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film
National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
National Board of Review Award for Best Film
César Award for Best Foreign Film
Academy Award for Best Original Score
BBC's 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century
Academy Award for Best Film Editing
Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

The Social Network Collection

The story of Facebook and its creators.

Also by

David Fincher

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Andres Gomez2014-04-24
★ 7/10
Eisenberg was probably born for this role. The story is well threaded and you don't get bored until the end. A decent movie.
Manuel São Bento2020-11-24
★ 9/10
If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog @ https://www.msbreviews.com Here we go with the fourth review of a David Fincher's film this week, in preparation for the upcoming Mank, directed by the same person who delivered phenomenal movies like Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac, and more. Now, it's time for The Social Network, which premise can be summed up in "the story behind the creation of Facebook". Ten years have passed since its release, and the real Mark Zuckerberg already stated that most of the film is based on fictional events and conversations. Truth is, this movie was never marketed as a true story, but yes as an adaptation of Ben Mezrich's 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires. It's a film like any other, not a detailed account of whatever happened in real life. With that said, this is easily one of the best adapted screenplays of all-time. Aaron Sorkin, the man behind one of the best movies of 2020 (The Trial of the Chicago 7), demonstrates his incredibly talented writing skills in The Social Network, proving that he's one of the most meticulous writers working today. If you've been reading my previous reviews, there's a couple of compliments I keep giving to Fincher, which are his extreme attention to detail and his impressive dedication to the narrative he wants to tell. So, what happens when you put together two of the most perfectionist filmmakers ever? An award-worthy, "best of the year" contender arises from their gifted minds. There's not even much to discuss besides the narrative itself since this is, by far, the aspect that elevates the whole film. Jeff Cronenweth, who previously worked in Fight Club, brings out Fincher's trademark realistic look and feel through his simple yet powerful cinematography. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' original score is packed with little effects that resemble computer sounds, making it quite addictive while also increasing the movie's energy in the most exciting sequences. Finally, just like in Zodiac, the editing work (Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter) is absolutely seamless, and it's definitely the technical component that better helps Sorkin's screenplay shine due to the latter's structure. Throughout the entire runtime, the story is told through a nonlinear timeline, mixing up Facebook's actual creation (ideas, planning, programming) with the future legal issues that Mark Zuckerberg faces. This structure allows for an exceptionally captivating and tremendously entertaining couple of hours by never letting the pacing slow down or to have an uneventful sequence. The protagonist is accused of stealing the concept from the Winklevoss twins (both interpreted by Armie Hammer), gets in trouble with his best friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), over the website's monetization, and Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) is partially the trigger for a lot of the chaos that ends up overwhelming Zuckerberg's life. Sorkin and Fincher's greatest accomplishment is their success in making the viewer feel invested in a main character who's an utter "asshole", an adjective with a lot of weight in the film. Jesse Eisenberg is remarkable as one of those characters people "love to hate" (no wonder the real Zuckerberg didn't enjoy the movie since he's depicted as a contemptible friend). Eisenberg has a unique manner of speaking and distinctive mannerisms that are perfect for this character. Garfield and Timberlake are also formidable, incorporating their characters effortlessly. Once again, comparing with Zodiac, The Social Network is also a dialogue-driven narrative, but the latter resonated with me a bit more due to my area of work. The only issue I have involves the Winklevoss family. Armie Hammer is excellent as both twins, as is Max Minghella as Divya Narendra, but their subplot occasionally drifts from the main story, losing my interest for those short moments. There's even a rowboat race that feels out-of-place and unnecessary, but I admit that it's gorgeously shot and accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack. Despite this little misstep, Fincher continues to impress me with his outstanding directing techniques, forcing the actors to prove their worth by making them go through their dialogues faster and implementing long takes every time that's possible. All in all, The Social Network is yet another masterful piece of cinema, this time delivered by not one but two magnificent filmmakers. David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin employ their mutual perfectionism and meticulousness to create an extraordinarily engaging narrative. Boasting a nonlinear but tremendously effective structure, the two pillars of any film - story and characters - are wonderfully built, even reaching the point of making the viewer feel invested in a despicable yet fascinating protagonist. Jesse Eisenberg shines in a career-defining performance, but Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake also rise to the necessary level of dedication, dealing with the rapid-fire dialogues and outstanding long takes seamlessly. Technically, great camera work offers a realistic feel, an addictive score increases the excitement levels, and flawless editing makes the different timelines shift seamlessly. Despite an occasionally unnecessary, irrelevant detour concerning a minor subplot, this is another brilliant addition to Fincher's filmography. Rating: A
beyondthecineramadome2022-06-20
★ 10/10
Full review: <a>https://www.tinakakadelis.com/beyond-the-cinerama-dome/2021/12/28/no-new-friends-the-social-network-review<a> Perhaps no other website has altered the course of the 21st century like Facebook. Its launch in 2004 forever changed the way society talks about social media and connects with friends and strangers, and became the lightning rod of a multitude of controversies. Conspiracy theories, political propaganda, and mass surveillance became the norm. All of it a far cry from the basic “hot or not” site Facebook sprang from. The Social Network takes the audience back to that fateful night at Harvard when a primitive version of Facebook was born in the dorm room of Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). Director David Fincher and writer Aaron Sorkin are a dream team in this film. Sorkin’s signature quick dialogue is a perfect match for the pace of this movie. It gives Zuckerberg a smarminess that is easy for the audience to rally against, as though creating a website that objectifies women simply because his girlfriend dumped him isn’t enough to cause immediate dislike.