The film The Social Network is based on the creation of Facebook, one of the world’s most popular social websites, by Mark Zuckerberg, the world’s youngest billionaire. The plot follows Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg, beginning in his college years at Harvard University, before the idea of Facebook comes about, to years later when he is being prosecuted.

We see how Facebook expanded from an exclusive site at Harvard, to other Ivy League schools, to the nation and eventually becoming international.

The movie is ironic because Zuckerberg is portrayed in the movie as a young man that is almost completely inept when it comes to social skills, who has created one of the largest online social communities for bringing people and businesses together to communicate and share information.

The movie was very interesting because it actually teaches you quite a bit about business. I walked away knowing a lot more about stock shares and how ideas can be stolen. I also learned of the effects and consequences of choosing business over friendship. This lesson came from Zuckerberg being sued for the alleged theft of the Facebook concept by his former best friend and business partner.

The Social Network had excellent casting, especially Justin Timberlake, who played Sean Parker. It was an almost perfect fit for him, and the role was hilarious at times.

I also enjoyed the characters of the Winklevoss twins as well. Jesse Eisenberg did a very good job of playing the witty Mark Zuckerberg, although I think the movie might have depicted Zuckerberg a bit unfairly, as I have seen interviews of his that do not show him to be as cold-hearted as he was portrayed in the film.

It was somewhat strange but enjoyable to see Brenda Song, who I have known only from Disney productions, in a far different role here, which she carried nicely.

The movie was fast paced and easy to follow. The humor was very clever and the dialogue was extremely witty and entertaining. It was engaging and exciting to watch, with laugh out loud moments even in some of the darkest parts of it.

I enjoyed seeing the plot through the different characters’ perspectives, as it made it more interesting and a much fuller story.

The beginning did confuse me a bit, with the noisy background overshadowing the lightning fast dialogue, although it quickly improved. The ending was good, but it seemed that the writers weren’t exactly sure how to conclude the film. This is possibly because 26-year-old Zuckerberg’s story isn’t finished yet, and Facebook is still being developed and improved upon. One thing to be wary of, however, is there are several rather inappropriate scenes, depicting activities at college parties.

Overall, The Social Network was an enjoyable movie that I walked away from wanting more, but still feeling satisfied.

Aran Kirschenmann, 15, is a contributing writer for the Bellevue Reporter and a freshman at The International School in Bellevue.