Those of you who know me know that I am the anti-Facebook. I realize that it allows people to more easily keep up with one another, but I suspect that it is more often responsible for the proliferation of useless information and faux relationships rather than a tool for genuine human connectedness (see Neil Postman's books Amusing Ourselves to Death and Technopoly for further thought on that).In any case, my aversion to Facebook doesn't really have much to do with my excitement about the upcoming movie, The Social Network. Rather, I am interested in it because the film was written by Aaron Sorkin, one of the most talented and creative people out there today. I've talked here before about my love of all things Sorkin, but I won't rehash a sonnet of wonder for Sports Night or a lament of loss for Studio 60 here, I'll just say that if anyone can write a great movie about a website (or anything), it is Aaron Sorkin. Additionally, the director is David Fincher, the director of such critically acclaimed films as Se7en and Fight Club. Needless to say, I am intrigued.
Facebook has a sordid history, with allegations that the founder, Mark Zuckerberg, stole the whole idea from some fellow college co-eds (the reality is that the claimed founders received a huge out of court settlement after suing Zuckerberg). Sundry co-ed malfeasance, ruthless conniving and general meanness are all rumors that surround the founder and his compatriots during the early days of Facebook. Some of it is true, some of it isn't and most of it is both...but it's all apparently in this film. Whatever this movie is about, it will be quite the interesting piece to watch.
The first trailer was released yesterday. Check it out below, and watch for The Social Network, hitting theaters on October 1, 2010.
Sources:
http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/techtonic-shifts/2010/05/13/as-facebook-takes-a-beating-a-brutal-movie-is-set-to-make-things-much-worse.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Social_Network
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