The Social Network: A movie review!

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 As an early Christmas present to myself, I started subscribing to Netflix after my fall semester finals last year (December 2010).  Since then I've watched a lot more movies than I would've alone.  As much as I like movies, I've seen an unusually small number of them.  I've just never had the impetus to watch movies alone.  It's the rare case that I want to watch a movie so badly I'll illegally download it, much less watch it by myself. 

Anyway, my point is, since signing up for Netflix I've watched a lot more movies than I usually would have.  Both streaming and via their DVD service.  A few months ago I watched The Social Network.  Unlike the majority (it seems) of people who've told me they didn't really like it or Zuckerberg's character, I disagree.

I guess a lot of people don't really like Zuckerberg because he comes across so binary, so black and white.  Something is either a fact or it's not.  Something either matters or it doesn't.  (And I know this is a probable dramatization of his character, but a college friend who went to high school with Zuckerberg says it's pretty true to life).  Anyway, I didn't dislike Zuckerberg.  I rather got him.  


I'm not afraid to say that in some ways I'm kindof like Zuckerberg.  I can be annoyingly practical.  When you tell me something, I ask, "So?"  This drives my parents (and at least one ex-boyfriend) up the wall.  But my inquiry was Why are you telling me this?  Why should this information matter to me?  There's a lot of information in the world and I don't want anything unnecessary.  I don't think I'm nearly as extreme as how they portray Zuckerberg, however.  I like to think I have some more social sense and acumen and thus, maintain better relationships with the people I care about in my life.  (I mean, since I'm clearly not a genius in the way he is, I've gotta compensate somehow, no?).

There are other traits I could discuss, and clearly this wasn't just a movie about Zuckerberg's somewhat autistic/Asberger's-ish/sociopathish-ness, but for me, this is what struck me the most about the movie.  The fact that he was so misunderstood for just being himself.  He's not a bad guy - at least the way the movie showed it, he never intended to screw over Eduardo Saverin and the way I see it, too, he really never intended it.  Given the pitfalls of seeing everything as merely black and white it's a good thing I'm loyal to a fault!