We finally saw The Social Network this weekend. It was absorbing, well-acted, and more interesting than I thought it would be. Jeff Zuckerberg always seemed like a jerk whenever I saw him in a news conference or elsewhere. Yup, he's a jerk. But a couple of things bothered me about the movie: I have occasion to know some defining characteristics of a person with Asperger's Syndrome or other diagnoses on the autism spectrum. He portrayed some classic aspects, as Jesse Eisenberg played him. So, I am left with the question: Is he a jerk? or is he autistic? In that case, some of his actions had different motivations that most people would recognize. And more importantly, what does it mean that he was played this way? I have no answers to these questions, just found myself bugged by them.
So the film could win Best Picture tonight, and it just isn't the best picture. I am guessing it did not come from a great book either, just a timely one. The big story I was hoping to see was not told: Facebook itself is new, really original; we will never relate to each other the same way again because of it. There is a new level of community in our culture that has been created by Facebook and all the social media sites and games that have come after it. And the movie was more about the quest to find social acceptance ( was anyone surprised he could not keep a girlfriend? He's just not interested) and the battle between the partners and friends (and enemies) in the early years of the company than it was about THIS NEW WORLD. I know it was scripted from the book which used Eduardo Saverin as its major source, but I thought I was going to get more. And anyway, how is there a book about this before there is a movie? That just seems so 20th century.
