SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: THE SOCIAL NETWORK

"THE SOCIAL NETWORK"
(2010) (Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Extreme	Minor	Heavy	Minor	Minor

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Heavy	None	Minor	None	Heavy

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Heavy	Minor	None	Heavy	Mild

QUICK TAKE:: Drama: As two separate legal depositions take place against the founder of Facebook, the creation and growth of the social media site is profiled in flashback.

PLOT:

It's 2003 and Mark Zuckerberg (JESSE EISENBERG) is so obsessed with being invited to join one of Harvard's prestigious and elite clubs that he doesn't realize he's offended his girlfriend, Erica (ROONEY MARA). Then again, while a brilliant student, he isn't the most socially adroit person. Thus, when Erica dumps him, he drunkenly puts her down in his online blog and then impulsively creates a site where anyone can rate Harvard women based on their looks.

That spreads like viral wildfire and gets him in trouble for hacking into the school's computer system. It also draws the attention of twins Cameron Winklevoss (ARMIE HAMMER) and Tyler Winklevoss (ARMIE HAMMER) who, along with elite Harvard club member Divya Narendra (MAX MINGHELLA), want to hire Mark to program a Harvard dating website they've thought up.

Seeing the potential in that, Mark creates his own version that goes above and beyond just dating, and thus "The Facebook" social media site is formed, with financial backing from his friend and fellow student, Eduardo Saverin (ANDREW GARFIELD). That quickly becomes popular and then spreads to other Ivy League schools and beyond, not only drawing the interest of groupies such as Christy Ling (BRENDA SONG), but also Sean Parker (JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE), the creator of the file sharing network service Napster. He sees even greater potential in the site that he says should just be called Facebook, but Eduardo isn't happy to see his role in the quickly growing company being pushed aside.

With legal depositions getting underway regarding the Winklevoss twins and Eduardo separately suing Mark respectively for allegedly stealing their idea and wrongfully shortchanging his involvement, we watch in flashback as the social media site is created and then grows into the behemoth it's become today.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Teens might if they're curious about the founding of Facebook or are fans of anyone in the cast, director David Fincher, or screenwriter Aaron Sorkin.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For sexual content, drug and alcohol use and language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: JESSE EISENBERG plays the founder of Facebook, a brilliant but socially maladroit student who may or may not have stolen his idea from the Winklevoss twins and Divya. He drinks, uses profanity, and has casual sexual relations with a groupie, but doesn't use his success to his advantage, at least socially, as he remains a blunt and basically unlikable young man with limit social skills and no social filter from start to finish.
ANDREW GARFIELD plays his friend and fellow classmate who becomes Facebook's CFO after loaning Mark the money he needs to get the site off the ground. He's good at what he does, but doesn't move fast enough for Sean's tastes, thus creating tension when Mark starts following Sean's financial advice rather than his. He has casual sexual relations with a groupie, uses profanity, and ends up suing his former friend.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE plays the former founder of the online file sharing site Napster who takes an interest in Mark's site upon learning of it. A go-getter, he aggressively assumes Eduardo's role in getting big money in front of the company. A bit paranoid about how big business deals with young startups, he uses profanity, drinks, has sex with young women, and is known for being in the presence of drugs (but we don't see him use any).
ARMIE HAMMER plays both Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, twins and golden boys of Harvard who are on the crew team and hire Mark to be their programmer for a Harvard only online dating site. They're both upset when they realize Mark has launched a modified version of their idea, with one wanting to sue Mark, but the other is reluctant, at least initially.
MAX MINGHELLA plays a friend of theirs who's the first to want to sue Mark for allegedly stealing their idea. He uses profanity.
ROONEY MARA plays Mark's girlfriend who breaks up with him, not only for being demeaning to her, but also due to not realizing or caring he's done so.
BRENDA SONG plays a social media groupie of sorts who starts hanging out with Mark, Eduardo and then Sean.; ANDREW GARFIELD plays his friend and fellow classmate who becomes Facebook's CFO after loaning Mark the money he needs to get the site off the ground. He's good at what he does, but doesn't move fast enough for Sean's tastes, thus creating tension when Mark starts following Sean's financial advice rather than his. He has casual sexual relations with a groupie, uses profanity, and ends up suing his former friend.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE plays the former founder of the online file sharing site Napster who takes an interest in Mark's site upon learning of it. A go-getter, he aggressively assumes Eduardo's role in getting big money in front of the company. A bit paranoid about how big business deals with young startups, he uses profanity, drinks, has sex with young women, and is known for being in the presence of drugs (but we don't see him use any).
ARMIE HAMMER plays both Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, twins and golden boys of Harvard who are on the crew team and hire Mark to be their programmer for a Harvard only online dating site. They're both upset when they realize Mark has launched a modified version of their idea, with one wanting to sue Mark, but the other is reluctant, at least initially.
MAX MINGHELLA plays a friend of theirs who's the first to want to sue Mark for allegedly stealing their idea. He uses profanity.
ROONEY MARA plays Mark's girlfriend who breaks up with him, not only for being demeaning to her, but also due to not realizing or caring he's done so.
BRENDA SONG plays a social media groupie of sorts who starts hanging out with Mark, Eduardo and then Sean.; JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE plays the former founder of the online file sharing site Napster who takes an interest in Mark's site upon learning of it. A go-getter, he aggressively assumes Eduardo's role in getting big money in front of the company. A bit paranoid about how big business deals with young startups, he uses profanity, drinks, has sex with young women, and is known for being in the presence of drugs (but we don't see him use any).
ARMIE HAMMER plays both Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, twins and golden boys of Harvard who are on the crew team and hire Mark to be their programmer for a Harvard only online dating site. They're both upset when they realize Mark has launched a modified version of their idea, with one wanting to sue Mark, but the other is reluctant, at least initially.
MAX MINGHELLA plays a friend of theirs who's the first to want to sue Mark for allegedly stealing their idea. He uses profanity.
ROONEY MARA plays Mark's girlfriend who breaks up with him, not only for being demeaning to her, but also due to not realizing or caring he's done so.
BRENDA SONG plays a social media groupie of sorts who starts hanging out with Mark, Eduardo and then Sean.; ARMIE HAMMER plays both Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, twins and golden boys of Harvard who are on the crew team and hire Mark to be their programmer for a Harvard only online dating site. They're both upset when they realize Mark has launched a modified version of their idea, with one wanting to sue Mark, but the other is reluctant, at least initially.
MAX MINGHELLA plays a friend of theirs who's the first to want to sue Mark for allegedly stealing their idea. He uses profanity.
ROONEY MARA plays Mark's girlfriend who breaks up with him, not only for being demeaning to her, but also due to not realizing or caring he's done so.
BRENDA SONG plays a social media groupie of sorts who starts hanging out with Mark, Eduardo and then Sean.; MAX MINGHELLA plays a friend of theirs who's the first to want to sue Mark for allegedly stealing their idea. He uses profanity.
ROONEY MARA plays Mark's girlfriend who breaks up with him, not only for being demeaning to her, but also due to not realizing or caring he's done so.
BRENDA SONG plays a social media groupie of sorts who starts hanging out with Mark, Eduardo and then Sean.; ROONEY MARA plays Mark's girlfriend who breaks up with him, not only for being demeaning to her, but also due to not realizing or caring he's done so.
BRENDA SONG plays a social media groupie of sorts who starts hanging out with Mark, Eduardo and then Sean.; BRENDA SONG plays a social media groupie of sorts who starts hanging out with Mark, Eduardo and then Sean.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this drama that's rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 2 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Sexually related dialogue is present, while some young women apparently perform sexual acts (or have sex with) some young men, while another sexual encounter is suggested (and the woman is seen the next morning in very small panties) and some women are seen kissing at a party while others are seen scantily clad.

Violence consists of a person smashing another's laptop, a woman burning a tie and nearly setting a room on fire, and some accidental property damage.

People drink in various scenes (including some intoxication) while drug use (pot, cocaine) also occurs. Bad attitudes are present, as are various moments of potentially imitative behavior.

Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's a partial strobe effect in a club, while there's also some of that from camera flashes later.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Mark and Erica drink in a bar, as do others.
Mark grabs a beer from the fridge and then has some, and later states he's intoxicated, while his roommates show up and drink as well (including liquor), and one smokes a joint.
A miscellaneous girl smokes a joint in an auditorium of students.
Many students drink at a college party, while one girl takes some pills.
We see pledges at a fraternity chugging liquor.
When the site goes live, Eduardo tells Mark they should go get a drink and celebrate.
About Mark getting 650 people to sign up in one day, one of the twins states if he were a drug dealer he couldn't give away free drugs to that many people in one day.
A college girl tells Eduardo that they can all go and get drinks.
Eduardo and Mark have beer.
We see miscellaneous drinking.
Eduardo, Christy and Alice have beer back in Mark's room.
To prove he listened to a girl the night before, Sean mentions her mom being sober for ten years. That girl mentions Sean having been passed out the night before.
Eduardo mentions having heard of Sean having a reputation for being involved with drugs.
Sean asks Christy what she drinks and she replies Apple-tinis. Sean then orders that for them, Mark and Eduardo, and we then see a montage of them being served many.
Eduardo mentions something about Sean and drugs again.
Mark holds an intern application contest where programmers must crack code and drink shots of liquor along the way (with others cheering them on).
Liquor bottles on a table are smashed (along with the table) when part of a chimney falls on that.
Mark throws a beer to Sean who catches it. Mark then tries throwing a beer to the young woman with Sean, but she isn't ready and it smashes against a wall. He then tries again, but has the same result.
Sean, Mark and two young women drink in a club. When the girls leave and then return, they say they need shots, so Sean orders a line of them for their table (but the scene ends before we see them consumed).
After a crew race, people have champagne and drinks at the reception. In another room and about suing Mark, Cameron states he needs a real drink.
We see liquor in Mark's house and two young women there are very intoxicated (one talks of being "wasted"), with one drinking from a long beer tube, while Sean calls out "Bong hit!"
We see champagne being sprayed as a celebration in Mark's house.
Eduardo has a beer.
People drink and smoke pot at a party where others snort coke off a woman's bare (beyond a bra) torso. When the police arrive, Sean hurriedly wipes that off her body, but the cops find the white residue on his hand.
About a past incident, Mark states he was drunk, angry and blogging.

BLOOD/GORE: A fraternity pledge vomits outside.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Mark tells Erica that by getting into an elite Harvard club, he can take her to events where she'd meet people she'd otherwise never have a chance to (not realizing he's demeaning her).
When Erica says she has to study, Mark says she doesn't since she goes to BU (again not realizing he's demeaning her).
While intoxicated and following her breaking up with him, Mark writes in his blog that Erica is a "bitch" and wonders if that's due to her last name or if everyone at BU is a "bitch." He then states her bra size of 34C is a lie, stating she's getting help from Victoria's Secret as there's not really much there otherwise.
Mark creates a web-based program that allows others to vote on and thus rank college girls by their looks, and then sends that out to others who then forward that to even more people, etc.
A guy is at Erica's door and holds a bra, mockingly asking if it's hers (based on the above) and states he stole it from a "tranny."
Despite Cameron, Tyler and Divya hiring Mark to work on their Harvard social network site, Mark creates one of his own (but later claims he didn't use any of their code and thus is just as innocent as a person who makes chairs when other chairs exist).
About Mark, Divya states, "I want to hire the Sopranos to beat the sh*t out of him with a hammer."
A miscellaneous guy half-jokingly tells another who's embarrassed him that "I'm gonna get a glock and kill you."
During his trial deposition, Mark isn't respectful of others.
The twins are disrespectful toward the President of Harvard for not agreeing with his opinion about their complaint regarding Mark allegedly stealing their idea and thus breaking Harvard code.
We hear that Eduardo was charged with animal cruelty in the past (for feeding a chicken -- which he had to keep with him for one week as a fraternity initiation -- other chicken as food).
Eduardo learns that his shares in the company have been drastically reduced, while all others have stayed the same (due to papers he earlier signed but didn't realize what they entailed).

FRIGHTENING SCENES: There's a little bit of suspenseful music as Eduardo hears someone at his door and sees the knob moving, but it turns out to be his girlfriend. Eduardo then gives her a silk tie as a gift, but she's mad at him so she burns it in a trash can and then overturns that on his bed, prompting him to grab a fire extinguisher to put that out.

GUNS/WEAPONS: A miscellaneous guy half-jokingly tells another who's embarrassed him that "I'm gonna get a glock and kill you."
Two women play a video game where we hear gunfire, but don't see any of the onscreen action (that occurs off camera).

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "F*ck you," "My 'f*ck you' flip-flops," an incomplete "What the f..?" "Oh sh*t," "Holy sh*t," "No sh*t," "I want to hire the Sopranos to beat the sh*t out of him with a hammer," "Bullsh*t," "Really scared the sh*t out of him," "They'll make sh*t up," "This is bullsh*t," "You dick" (written), "So you could screw those Silicone Valley sluts," "Are you delusional?" "Dating you is like dating a Stairmaster," "You're an asshole," "Bitch," "Let the hacking begin," "Tranny," "Get the hell out of here," "Those guys are freaking fast," "Just row the damn boat," "Screw" (nonsexual), "You stole our whole G*ddamn...," "You asshole" (written), "Are you a moron?" "I'm gonna get a glock and kill you," "Don't screw around with me," "I should just kick your ass," "Screw it," "It pissed off a lot of people," "I'm CEO bitch" (also seen written on a business card), "So where the hell's Eduardo?" "Let's gut the freaking nerd," "Bong hit!" "Dude," "Go to hell," "You pretentious douche-bag," "You better lawyer-up, asshole" and "You're not an asshole. You're just trying so hard to be one."
Mark creates a web-based program that allows others to vote on and thus rank college girls by their looks, and then sends that out to others who then forward that to even more people, etc.
A guy is at Erica's door and holds a bra, mockingly asking if it's hers (based on the above) and states he stole it from a "tranny."
Two young women go into the public restroom with Eduardo and Mark. One takes Mark into a stall, passionately kisses him and removes or at least opens her top. She then undoes his pants and kisses down his chest and out of the camera shot. At the same time, her friend is in a nearby stall with Mark and we see his pants fall to the floor (that's our only view, and all four are standing during this). Some sort of sexual encounter is suggested, but we don't know if it's intercourse or not.
Mark holds an intern application contest where programmers must crack code and drink shots of liquor along the way (with others cheering them on).
We see a person ride a zip line down to a pool. When another tries the same, the chimney to which one side is attached breaks, with pieces of that smashing a table below it.
Mark throws a beer to Sean who catches it. Mark then tries throwing a beer to the young woman with Sean, but she isn't ready and it smashes against a wall. He then tries again, but has the same result.
Eduardo gives his girlfriend a silk tie as a gift, but she's mad at him so she burns it in a trash can and then overturns that on his bed, prompting him to grab a fire extinguisher to put that out.
As a gesture to someone who isn't present, Sean kisses both of his hands and then gives a double middle finger salute.
At a party, an under 21 woman removes her shirt down to her bra, lies down, and some people snort coke off her otherwise bare torso.

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): There's a little bit of suspenseful music as Eduardo hears someone at his door and sees the knob moving, but it turns out to be his girlfriend.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None, although a song had lyrics that we couldn't fully hear and/or understand, thus presenting the possibility of it potentially containing something objectionable.

PROFANITY: At least 2 "f" words (and another incomplete one), 19 "s" words, 2 slang terms for sex ("laid" and "screw"), 1 slang term using male genitals ("d*ck" -- seen written), 6 asses (4 used with "hole" -- 1 written), 4 hells, 1 ass, 1 damn, 3 uses of "Jesus Christ," 2 uses each of "God," "G-damn," "Jesus" and "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "For God's sakes," "Oh God" and "Oh Jesus Christ."

SEX/NUDITY: Mark tells Erica that the reason they're at a certain bar is that she used to sleep with the door guy, but she says that's not true.
While intoxicated and following her breaking up with him, Mark writes in his blog that Erica is a "bitch" and wonders if that's due to her last name or if everyone at BU is a "bitch." He then states her bra size of 34C is a lie, stating she's getting help from Victoria's Secret as there's not really much there otherwise.
We see two young women kissing at a college party, while two others dance in their bras and panties, and those two are joined by a fully dressed guy who dances between them.
A guy is at Erica's door and holds a bra, mockingly asking if it's hers (based on the above) and states he stole it from a "tranny."
We see a girl in a bikini top at a frat party, while Eduardo says that Asian girls are "hot" and smart.
We see a shirtless male pledge.
About his social network creation, Mark says there will be no ads for "live nude girls" and that what people are interested in with the site is the same regarding if you're having sex or not at college. He then starts to say something about if "they're gonna get..." with Eduardo adding in "Laid" (meaning college students in general).
A college student shows cleavage.
Two young women go into the public restroom with Eduardo and Mark. One takes Mark into a stall, passionately kisses him and removes or at least opens her top. She then undoes his pants and kisses down his chest and out of the camera shot. At the same time, her friend is in a nearby stall with Mark and we see his pants fall to the floor (that's our only view, and all four are standing during this). Some sort of sexual encounter is suggested, but we don't know if it's intercourse or not.
We see a young woman walk away from Sean (who's in bed with his shirt open) while wearing a top and small panties (showing part of her butt cheeks while "Stanford" is written across the back of them). When she realizes who he is, she asks, "I just slept with Sean Parker?" and he replies, "You just slept on Sean Parker." She then goes into the bathroom to shower, but he calls for her to come out, so she does in just a towel. After a brief talk, she returns and drops the towel to reenter the shower (and we see an out of focus shot of her full bare back).
Christy shows cleavage.
About older people taking younger people's ideas, Sean says they want you to say "thank you" as you wipe your chin (presumably a reference to male oral sex) and walk away.
About having been charged with animal cruelty in the past, Eduardo says it would be better to be charged with necrophilia, and Mark agrees.
We see some shirtless guys around a pool.
Dancers on display in a club do their thing in bra and panty type attire.
Eduardo's girlfriend is upset that his Facebook status shows that he's single (he claims he doesn't know how to change it), and then accuses him it's that way "So you could screw those Silicone Valley sluts," but Eduardo (who was roused from bed in his briefs and a t-shirt) says that isn't true, as such "sluts" don't care about Facebook status.
The camera focuses in a full shot on the clothed body of a young intern at the company as she walks away.
At a party, an under 21 woman removes her shirt down to her bra, lies down, and some people snort coke off her otherwise bare torso.

SMOKING: A few miscellaneous characters are seen smoking.
We see some miscellaneous smoke wafting up at a reception.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: None.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Social media sites like Facebook.
Young entrepreneurs.
Computer programmers.
Brilliant people who don't have good social skills.
The historical accuracy and/or artistic license taken with the real story.
Mark saying there's a difference between obsessed and motivated.
Despite Cameron, Tyler and Divya hiring Mark to work on their Harvard social network site, Mark creates one of his own (but later claims he didn't use any of their code and thus is just as innocent as a person who makes chairs when other chairs exist).
Mark's assessment that Facebook will never be finished, much like fashion.
We hear that Sean invented the file sharing site Napster.

VIOLENCE: We see a person ride a zip line down to a pool. When another tries the same, the chimney to which one side is attached breaks, with pieces of that smashing a table below it.
Eduardo gives his girlfriend a silk tie as a gift, but she's mad at him so she burns it in a trash can and then overturns that on his bed, prompting him to grab a fire extinguisher to put that out.
Mad at Mark, Eduardo grabs his laptop and smashes it down. Upon leaving, he acts as if he's going to punch Sean, but then holds back on that.

Reviewed September 23, 2010 / Posted October 1, 2010

Other new and recent reviews include:

Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.