Entertainment : From the Front Row of the Balcony: 'Social Network' is a smartly-told true story

My main criticisms about most movies is that they are – in two words – intellectually dull.

Most are predictable and have about as much dialog as a hockey game.

“The Social Network,” playing on the Palace screen through Thursday night, is an exception.

The movie has lots of fast-paced conversation between the main character, Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg), and his circle of acquaintances.

Mark Zuckerberg is the brains behind Facebook.

“The Social Network” tells the story of how Zuckerberg designed Facebook while still a student at Harvard. It also tells the story of dispositions in two lawsuits – one filed by brothers who claim that Zuckerberg stole their idea, and another filed by Facebook co-founder Eduardo Savarin.

The Story

Zuckerberg is a computer genius.

And he is also a jerk.

“If I don’t tell you this, you will go on thinking that girls don’t like you because you are a nerd,” says Zuckerberg’s girlfriend when she dumps him in the opening scene. She goes on to say that it is his personality, not his brains, that turns women off.

Zuckerberg begins to experiment with computer programs featuring photos of Harvard students. He creates a web site that finds immediate success. The Winklevoss brothers come to him with the idea of making a page for Harvard students to share information about each other. He likes the idea, but decides he can do it better on his own. He and his only friend Eduardo, who helps finance the fledgling venture, begin The Facebook.

Along the way, we learn how The Facebook lost the “The,” and how Zuckerberg lost his best friend. The transition of Facebook from social site at one college to a money-making worldwide venture is also a theme of the movie. Justin Timberlake fans (this does not include me) will probably appreciate the singer’s performance as Sean Parker, the founder of Napster who provided Zuckerberg advice about how to turn Facebook into a money making venture – and turns him against Eduardo.

Mostly, however, the movie focuses on the brilliant but at times selfish mind of Zuckerberg.

“You’re not a jerk,” says one of the lawyers involved in his dispositions. “But you are trying so hard to be one.”

Why you should go

The movie tells the story of the youngest billionaire in the world, and the challenges he faced in creating Facebook. And I liked the dialog, the quick and clever writing that tells the story of an intelligent man in a smart way.

My favorite part

Perhaps the use of the plural noun, “Winklevi” in places of “Winklevosses.” Or maybe: “I do NOT torture chickens.”

What you should know before you go

This movie shows lots of scenes that are frequently associated with college life, including drugs and sexual. Marcy Horst told me that for a PG-13 rating, it comes close to deserving an “R.” I agree. Also, several people – including one who told me Monday afternoon that she had come to the movie hoping to connect with distant relatives on Facebook to learn more about her family genealogy – go to this movie hoping to learn more about how to use Facebook. There is very little technical support offered in this movie, although it does a good job of introducing Facebook to those who have not seen it before.