Movie review: The Social Network

Submitted by acohill on Fri, 10/15/2010 - 10:29

I was talked into going to see the movie "The Social Network" last night. Ostensibly about the rise of Facebook, it's hard to know how much of it was based on facts and how much was fantasy. I know that I thought the movie would never end. I can't recall another film in recent memory where every single character was so consistently unlikable. Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, probably is hard to get along with, but by the end of the movie, I was starting to feel sorry for him. If you check the Wikipedia entry on Mark Zuckerberg", Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter, admits that the movie may not have much to do with the real story behind Facebook. Fair enough--few movies based on a real life story do stick closely to the facts.

What I found depressing was the relentless anti-business, anti-geek, anti-software message the film seemed to have. After watching the film, if you have not worked in the software business, it would be easy to leave the theatre thinking that software is developed by misogynist, greedy, self-centered nerds with personality disorders who have only two activities: writing software or drinking heavily and using illegal drugs. There were only six other people in the theatre, so I suspect this movie has already passed its prime.