This is a movie that wiggled its way into my Top 10 gradually, over time. I think that’s because the dialogue is such that you are still processing the previous line’s nuances when Eisenberg or Garfield move on to the next, so it’s easy to under-appreciate all of it’s genius on the first or second viewing. I did, anyway.

This was one of the first movies I went to see as a newlywed, and the name Aaron Sorkin didn’t mean anything to me. But man, after that first scene, I was, and remain, a fan. Zuckerberg (Eisenberg) and then-girlfriend, Erica (Rooney Mara) are having a beer at a bar and Erica, who has finally had enough of his crap, delivers my favorite line from the movie:

You are probably going to be a very successful computer person. But you’re going to go through life thinking that girls don’t like you because you’re a nerd. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that that won’t be true. It’ll be because you’re an asshole.

I’ll pretend I needed to go to IMDb to get that line right, but I knew it. Sorkin’s ability to teach you volumes about his character without cringy, obvious exposition is one of my favorite things about him. You really have to understand people to be able to do this, and Sorkin does it all the time. Erica’s not a major character in the movie (see: “enough of his crap”) but in this line we learn that Mark is driven, uniquely-gifted when it comes to tech, ruthless and, more specifically, unafraid to hurt people he loves – all without using any of those words.

Then Sorkin begins giving us a tutorial on creative narrative, which is no small task when you’re telling a true story about real people and adapting your story from a book. He anchors the story around two lawsuits, both of which propel us toward the answers to the questions he poses for us: Who is Zuckerberg? What does he want? Can he get it?

The average full-length feature film screenplay is 100-125 pages. Sorkin’s are more like 300+. Why? I have heard someone describe Sorkin’s films as action movies of words, which feels right to me. They are thrilling roller coaster rides of past-paced, insightful dialogue. The Social Network is a perfect example of his artistry.

Who is Sorkin’s version of Zuckerberg? Well Erica already spoiled that for us in the first scene, but the lawsuits hang all the ornaments on the tree. He’s so smart, has great foresight about what a user will want and how Facebook can adapt, wants so desperately to be accepted, and doesn’t possess the emotional prowess to be able to navigate all these things at once. Did we not all die a little when he dilutes Eduardo’s shares?

What does he want? According to Sorkin, he wants acceptance as he is. But he also wants Facebook to succeed. What does he really want? He wants them both to co-exist. Through obligatory what happened after this true story movie text on the screen, we see Facebook is in real good shape, and we all know that was 6 years ago, so yeah, he can check that box. But in the background of this text we see Zuckerberg continuously refreshing the screen on Erica’s Facebook page, whom he has not invited to be his “friend” yet. So the ultimate answer to “can he get what he wants” is no, not right now. I have every reason to believe MZ is supremely happy with Priscilla at this point, but for the purposes of this story, being an “asshole” in his limiting factor to self-actualization.

10/10 for this movie for me. Great writing, great acting, and I didn’t even talk about Fincher’s direction (10/10). If you haven’t seen it, please watch it ASAP, but leave your phone in another room. You do yourself a disservice by missing any one of Sorkin’s lines of dialogue, and The Academy would agree with me.