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-->'''Eduardo''': It's not that guys like me are generally attracted to Asian girls. It's that Asian girls are generally attracted to guys like me.
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* OneSceneWonder: Douglas Urbanski as Larry Summers appears in only one scene where the Winklevoss brothers try to persuade him to take action against Mark, and completely steals it with [[DeadpanSnarker impeccably timed snarky retorts]].
** A less literal version: {{Rooney Mara}} as Erica Albright only appears in three scenes, one of them very brief, for a total of roughly five minutes of screen time, but is considered by some to be one of the best parts of the movie. And she impressed DavidFincher enough to land the role of Lisbeth Salander in ''[[TheMillenniumTrilogy The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo]]''.
** A less literal version: {{Rooney Mara}} as Erica Albright only appears in three scenes, one of them very brief, for a total of roughly five minutes of screen time, but is considered by some to be one of the best parts of the movie. And she impressed DavidFincher enough to land the role of Lisbeth Salander in ''[[TheMillenniumTrilogy The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo]]''.
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ironic echo - contrasting erica and mark the next time they see each other
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*** As to Mark assuring Erica that he'd introduce her to a better class of people, contrast their companies the next time they see each other: she's sipping wine and enjoying dinner and conversation with polite and intelligent-looking people, and he's just gotten a semi-anonymous blowjob in the men's room.
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** Eduardo acts snarky and condescending towards Sean from their first meeting. Perhaps justified by Sean's reputation and actions, but needlessly creating an enemy from a potential friend/partner isn't a smart move.
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** Eduardo acts snarky and condescending towards Sean from their first meeting. Perhaps justified by Sean's reputation and later actions, but needlessly creating an enemy from a potential friend/partner isn't a smart move.
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** Then again, Eduardo acted snarky and condescending towards Sean from their first meeting. Perhaps justified by Sean's reputation and actions, but creating an enemy from a potential friend/partner obviously isn't a smart move.
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** Then again, Eduardo acted acts snarky and condescending towards Sean from their first meeting. Perhaps justified by Sean's reputation and actions, but needlessly creating an enemy from a potential friend/partner obviously isn't a smart move.
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added section to grey and gray
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** Then again, Eduardo acted snarky and condescending towards Sean from their first meeting. Perhaps justified by Sean's reputation and actions, but creating an enemy from a potential friend/partner obviously isn't a smart move.
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** Some have compared it to ''Film/CitizenKane''--not on the grounds of quality (although some will argue...) but because it documents the rise of the most influential media mogul of his era.
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** Some have compared it The comparisons to ''Film/CitizenKane''--not on the grounds of quality (although ''Film/CitizenKane'' can also fit in that some will argue...) but because it documents critics noted that both films are about the tragic rise of the most influential powerful media mogul of his era.their time (Kane being a [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed thinly-veiled]] version of William Randolph Hearst).
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** Some have compared it to ''Film/CitizenKane''--not on the grounds of quality (although some will argue...) but because it documents the rise of the most influential media mogul of his era.
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Just expanding the page.
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* AdultChild: Sean. While he's not as bad as other examples, he's quite childish in the way he expresses himself.
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* AdultChild: Sean. While he's not as bad as other examples, he's quite childish in the way he expresses himself. Mark suffers from this as well.
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* BewareTheNiceOnes: Eduardo [[spoiler: when he decides to seek revenge on Mark and Sean by suing them for all their worth after they stab him in the back.]]
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Just expanding the page.
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** Eduardo's great flaw is that he can be incredibly passive-aggressive and vindictive when someone crosses him. Pointing out that he hadn't grabbed any investors yet was enough for him to basically take his ball and go home. While it comes off as a CMOA, his reactions [[spoiler: after Mark and Sean dilute his shares to nothing]] is essentially that of a child whose been told he can't play in the sandbox anymore.
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** Eduardo's great flaw is that he can be incredibly passive-aggressive and vindictive when someone crosses him. Pointing out that he hadn't grabbed any investors yet was enough for him to basically take his ball and go home. While it comes off as a CMOA, his reactions [[spoiler: after Mark and Sean dilute his shares to nothing]] is essentially that of a child whose been told he can't play in the sandbox anymore. Of course [[spoiler: that still doesn't justify the way Mark and Sean screwed him over.]]
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Set at Harvard, in the winter of 2003 Mark develops a student "hotness" rating website (using illegally obtained pictures) that becomes so popular it crashes Harvard servers. His resulting publicity catches the attention of the Winklevoss brothers (twins), who conscribe him to develop a Harvard exclusive networking website. Mark takes that idea and works out a related networking website with his close friend Eduardo, who fronts the money for the start-up costs.
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Set at Harvard, in the winter of 2003 Mark develops a student "hotness" rating website (using illegally obtained pictures) that becomes so popular it crashes Harvard servers. His resulting publicity catches the attention of the twin Winklevoss brothers (twins), brothers, who conscribe him to develop a Harvard exclusive networking website. Mark takes that idea and works out a related networking website with his close friend Eduardo, who fronts the money for the start-up costs.
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** Mark too has shades of this, albeit he is far smarter about expressing it. Many of his actions, such as slagging off his ex-girlfriend after she dumped him, are immature and other characters seem to be aware of how disturbing his personality is on a young adult.
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* {{Irony}}: Erica's statement that Mark acts "as if every thought that tumbles through [his] head was so clever it would be a crime for it not to be shared" mirrors a common complaint of Facebook (and also Twitter) detractors.
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* {{Irony}}: Erica's statement that Mark acts "as if every thought that tumbles through [his] head was so clever it would be a crime for it not to be shared" mirrors a common complaint of Facebook (and also Twitter) detractors.#
* ItsAllAboutMe: Mark, full force. He sees everyone only for Their use to him and is incapable of understanding why he should care about anyone else but himself. Shown tellingly when he angrily admonishes Eduardo for nearly destroying what he has been working on, before Eduardo corrects him with "We have been working on".
* ItsAllAboutMe: Mark, full force. He sees everyone only for Their use to him and is incapable of understanding why he should care about anyone else but himself. Shown tellingly when he angrily admonishes Eduardo for nearly destroying what he has been working on, before Eduardo corrects him with "We have been working on".
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** Mark has some of this too. He can't fathom why Harvard is angry that he hacked into Their records and believes They should give him credit for pointing out flaws in Their system. He also seems angry with Eduardo for suing him even though he brought it entirely on himself. Heck, his intro has him writing horrible things about his girlfriend after she dumped him for being a complete jerk to her and he doesn't see his own culpability.
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* TheSociopath: Mark and Sean both get turned into examples. Mark is a bit worse given his seeming disdain for everyone around him though Sean nearly edges him out with his treatment of Eduardo.
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** During the scene where Eduardo finds out he's been accused of animal cruelty, Mark tells him he's created an alias account on Facebook to help him cheat on his final. Looking at Mark's computer shows the name he has decided on: [[FightClub Tyler Durden]].
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* ShoutOut: During the scene where Eduardo finds out he's been accused of animal cruelty, Mark tells him he's created an alias account on Facebook to help him cheat on his final. Looking at Mark's computer shows the name he has decided on: [[FightClub Tyler Durden]].
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[[Film/{{Zombieland}} Jesse Eisenberg]] stars as Zuckerberg, AndrewGarfield as Eduardo Saverin, BrendaSong as Christy Lee and pop singer JustinTimberlake as Sean Parker. The script was written by AaronSorkin, adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book ''The Accidental Billionaires''. None of the Facebook staff, including founder Mark Zuckerberg, were involved with the project. One of the co-founders, Eduardo Saverin, was a consultant for Mezrich's book.
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YMMV sinkhole
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* HeroAntagonist: The Winkelvi [[YourMileageMayVary may]] be this. Eduardo counts in his opposition of Mark, to a extent.
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* HeroAntagonist: The Winkelvi [[YourMileageMayVary may]] may be this. Eduardo counts in his opposition of Mark, to a extent.
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* SpiritualSuccessor: To FightClub, [[YourMileageMayVary possibly]]. Essentially, TheSocialNetwork could be interpeted as FightClub for nerds.
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* SpiritualSuccessor: To FightClub, [[YourMileageMayVary possibly]].FightClub. Essentially, TheSocialNetwork could be interpeted as FightClub for nerds.
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It won three [[AcademyAward Oscars]]: Best Adapted Screenplay (for AaronSorkin), Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score ([[NineInchNails Trent Reznor]] and Atticus Ross), but lost Best Picture and Director to ''[=~The King's Speech~=]''.
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It won three [[AcademyAward Oscars]]: Best Adapted Screenplay (for AaronSorkin), Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score ([[NineInchNails Trent Reznor]] and Atticus Ross), but lost Best Picture and Director to ''[=~The King's Speech~=]''.
''TheKingsSpeech''.
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not applicable.
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* CrapsaccharineWorld
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** Perhaps most egregiously, Mark Zuckerberg actually had a girlfriend during most of the events depicted in the film. Her name is Priscilla Chan, and they've been together since 2003, marrying in 2012. Much of the movie hinges on depicting Mark as a lonely nerd who never got over losing his college girlfriend.
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** Perhaps most egregiously, [[{{Egregious}} egregiously]], Mark Zuckerberg actually had a girlfriend during most of the events depicted in the film. Her name is Priscilla Chan, and they've been together since 2003, marrying in 2012. Much of the movie hinges on depicting Mark as a lonely nerd who never got over losing his college girlfriend.
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** Perhaps most egregiously, Mark Zuckerberg actually had a girlfriend during most of the events depicted in the film. Her name is Priscilla Chan, and they've been together continuously since 2003. Much of the movie hinges on depicting Mark as a lonely nerd who never got over losing his college girlfriend.
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** Perhaps most egregiously, Mark Zuckerberg actually had a girlfriend during most of the events depicted in the film. Her name is Priscilla Chan, and they've been together continuously since 2003.2003, marrying in 2012. Much of the movie hinges on depicting Mark as a lonely nerd who never got over losing his college girlfriend.
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* MythologyGag: During the scene where Eduardo finds out he's been accused of animal cruelty, Mark tells him he's created an alias account on Facebook to help him cheat on his final. Looking at Mark's computer shows the name he has decided on: [[FightClub Tyler Durden]].
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* ShoutOut: During the scene where Eduardo finds out he's been accused of animal cruelty, Mark tells him he's created an alias account on Facebook to help him cheat on his final. Looking at Mark's computer shows the name he has decided on: [[FightClub Tyler Durden]].
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** Particularly with Amy, whose on three-minute scene consists almost entirely of lingering shots of her butt in a pair of Stanford panties (to the point that she's just known as "Stanford" to many viewers). And, of course, one of these lingering shots was [[SexSells prominently featured in the trailer]].
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** Particularly with Amy, whose on one three-minute scene consists almost entirely of lingering shots of her butt in a pair of Stanford panties (to the point that she's just known as "Stanford" to many viewers). And, of course, one of these lingering shots was [[SexSells prominently featured in the trailer]].
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** Particularly with Amy, whose on three-minute scene consists almost entirely of lingering shots of her butt in a pair of Stanford panties (to the point that she's just known as "Stanford" to many viewers). And, of course, one of these lingering shots was [[SexSells prominently featured in the trailer]].
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* HonorBeforeReason: Tyler and Divya want to sue Mark after they find out he started his own social network site. Cameron refuses to at first because "We're gentlemen of Harvard."
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* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Inverted with Divya Narendra. Aside from the RaceLift, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MaxMinghella2006.jpg actor who played him]] doesn't have anything near his chiseled features in [[http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ztbIUFEZFJQ/0.jpg real]] [[http://im.rediff.com/movies/2010/nov/15divya.jpg life]]. They couldn't have found one decent-looking desi guy who could act?
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* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Inverted with Divya Narendra. Aside from the RaceLift, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MaxMinghella2006.jpg actor who played him]] doesn't have anything near his chiseled features in [[http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ztbIUFEZFJQ/0.jpg real]] [[http://im.rediff.com/movies/2010/nov/15divya.jpg life]]. They couldn't have found one decent-looking desi guy who could act?
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*** Though admittedly I would mistake Divya Narendra for white if I saw him... agree with how his character should have been better looking though.
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*** [[http://kara.allthingsd.com/files/2009/03/n_1207595630_mark_zuckerberg_0043.jpg That's up do debate with Mark.]]
** And what about Justin freaking Timberlake?
** And what about Justin freaking Timberlake?
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** And what about Justin freaking Timberlake?
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Superfluou\'s apostrophe
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** Erica Albright is a stand in for Jessica Alona. Whether they were dating or or just friend's has never been revealed.
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** Erica Albright is a stand in for Jessica Alona. Whether they were dating or or just friend's friends has never been revealed.
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->"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."
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->"You are probably going to be a very successful computer person. But you're going to go through life [[NeverMyFault thinking that girls don't like you because you're a nerd. 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."
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* {{Ho Yay}}: Mark and Eduardo.
** Mark and Sean, too.
** Mark and Sean, too.
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* LetsJustBeFriends: Erica to Mark. When he replies that he doesn't want friends, she says she was just being polite and has no intention of actually staying friends with someone like him.
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* GrayAndGrayMorality: None of the main characters are presented as either totally sympathetic or despicable. Mark is an arrogant JerkAss, but a smart one with shades of a tragic hero; the Winklevosses are just as arrogant and jerk-y rich boys who seem to think the world owes them one, but they don't want to drag Mark through the court system and are legitimately convinced that he stole the idea for Facebook; Divya is right up there with them; Sean is selfish and obnoxious, but more of a weakling than a straight-up asshole and he does know what he's talking about business-wise; Christy is just bat-shit crazy rather than truly malicious; Eduardo comes the closest to being a straight up good guy, but shows some of the most hesitance and timidity over the importance of Facebook.
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* GrayAndGrayMorality: None of the main characters are presented as either totally sympathetic or despicable. Mark is an arrogant JerkAss, but a smart one with shades of a tragic hero; the Winklevosses are just as arrogant and jerk-y rich boys who seem to think the world owes them one, but they don't want to drag Mark through the court system and are legitimately honestly convinced that he stole the idea for Facebook; Divya is right up there with them; Sean is selfish and obnoxious, but more of a weakling than a straight-up asshole and he does know what he's talking about business-wise; Christy is just bat-shit crazy rather than truly malicious; Eduardo comes the closest to being a straight up good guy, but shows some of the most hesitance and timidity over the importance of Facebook.
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[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/The-Social-Network-Movie-Poster1_3071.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250: The face that started it all...]]
->"I don't want friends."
-->--'''[[InsufferableGenius Mark Zuckerberg]]'''
->"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."
-->--'''Erica Albright'''
''The Social Network'' is a 2010 film by DavidFincher. Largely in flashback, it tells the story of the founding of the phenomenally successful {{friending network}} {{Facebook}} and the rise of its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, to the status of youngest billionaire in history (with [[{{VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory}} some artistic liberties]]).
Set at Harvard, in the winter of 2003 Mark develops a student "hotness" rating website (using illegally obtained pictures) that becomes so popular it crashes Harvard servers. His resulting publicity catches the attention of the Winklevoss brothers (twins), who conscribe him to develop a Harvard exclusive networking website. Mark takes that idea and works out a related networking website with his close friend Eduardo, who fronts the money for the start-up costs.
''The'' Facebook becomes an instant hit, with neither Mark nor Eduardo knowing exactly where to go from there. Along comes Napster legend Sean Parker who wiggles himself into the business and outlines how big this project is going to end up. Mark is enraptured by Parker's vision but Eduardo is constantly worried that it's growing too big too fast. On another front the Winklevoss twins are enraged that Mark effectively "stole" their idea, which raises the question of how closely The Facebook matches their original idea and the validity of Intellectual Property.
[[Film/{{Zombieland}} Jesse Eisenberg]] stars as Zuckerberg, AndrewGarfield as Eduardo Saverin, BrendaSong as Christy Lee and pop singer JustinTimberlake as Sean Parker. The script was written by AaronSorkin, adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book ''The Accidental Billionaires''. None of the Facebook staff, including founder Mark Zuckerberg, were involved with the project. One of the co-founders, Eduardo Saverin, was a consultant for Mezrich's book.
Film critics praised it to high heaven; among its accolades is declaration that this film is "the ''Film/CitizenKane'' of the 21st century". Among the frequently-mentioned strengths include the well-written script, beautiful visuals, and its tackling of the question of what it really means to be "connected" (or rather disconnected) in modern society. The general consensus seems to be that the film is one of those rare milestones that captures the spirit of the time it was made.
It won three [[AcademyAward Oscars]]: Best Adapted Screenplay (for AaronSorkin), Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score ([[NineInchNails Trent Reznor]] and Atticus Ross), but lost Best Picture and Director to ''[=~The King's Speech~=]''.
----
!!This film includes examples of:
* ActingForTwo: Armie Hammer plays both of the Winklevoss twins -- well, sort of. See DoubleVision below.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Despite their best efforts to maintain their professional composure, Sy and Marilyn have this reaction to several of Mark's snarky comments.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Inverted with Divya Narendra. Aside from the RaceLift, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MaxMinghella2006.jpg actor who played him]] doesn't have anything near his chiseled features in [[http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ztbIUFEZFJQ/0.jpg real]] [[http://im.rediff.com/movies/2010/nov/15divya.jpg life]]. They couldn't have found one decent-looking desi guy who could act?
** In the audio commentary, Fincher states that he had conducted auditions and had read hundreds of Indian actors in several countries for the role, but settled on Max because of the "ambiguity" of his look - he cast a non-Indian actor to play an real-life Indian American character...[[UnfortunateImplications because he wasn't too "Indian"]].
*** Though admittedly I would mistake Divya Narendra for white if I saw him... agree with how his character should have been better looking though.
** Played straight with several of the other characters though, notably Eduardo and Mark.
*** [[http://kara.allthingsd.com/files/2009/03/n_1207595630_mark_zuckerberg_0043.jpg That's up do debate with Mark.]]
** And what about Justin freaking Timberlake?
* AdultChild: Sean. While he's not as bad as other examples, he's quite childish in the way he expresses himself.
* AdultsAreUseless: Granted the main characters aren't small children, but all the adults they go to for help simply blow them off - Prince Albert, the lawyers (one can almost forgive Mark for his JerkAss behavious towards them) and most of all the Harvard president Larry Summers.
* AffablyEvil: Sean. For a {{Jerkass}} like him, he's very charming.
* AllMenArePerverts: The principle Facemash operates on in the film. In real life, however, Facemash featured comparison of male faces as well as female ones.
* AntiHero / AntiVillain: Mark Zuckerberg. One could make a strong argument for both of them.
* [[{{AvoidTheDreadedGRating}} Avoid The Dreaded R Rating]]: The DVDCommentary mentions that the note that says "u dick" was originally supposed to say something else. Also, strong language (as evidenced by the behind-the-scenes footage) and shots of drug use were cut for the PG-13 rating, and apparently scenes with more nudity were filmed - movie news websites said that the filmmakers were deliberating whether to keep or cut them.
* AsianGalWithWhiteGuy: Eduardo and Christy. There's also a running theme of having pretty Asian girls in the film. [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100929/REVIEWS/100929984 Hell, Roger Ebert noticed it in his own review.]]
* AudienceSurrogate: Marilyn, the junior lawyer.
* BilingualBonus: Amy's line, "Tu fait l'amour a la jolie fille" ("You've just made love to a pretty girl").
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Mark succeeds in creating Facebook and turning it into a company, but he's lost his best friend, his hero, and just about everyone else important to him. At least he's realized the consquences of his actions... maybe.]]
* BlackComedy: Has some tones of it.
* BollywoodNerd: Divya Narendra.
* BookEnds: Beginning and ending scenes feature Zuckerberg being assessed by a more grounded female character; specifically whether he is an "asshole."
** Also, an IronicEcho version -- the movie begins with Mark working with Eduardo on Facemash after being dumped by Erica. The movie ends with Mark trying to friend Erica on Facebook after seeing just how much of a chasm is now between him and Eduardo.
* BreakTheCutie: Eduardo.
* BreakTheHaughty: Mark.
* BrickJoke: Mark's business card. "I'm the CEO, [[JustAddBitch bitch]]." Of course, given the context of the second scene, it's not as funny as it should be.
* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:Mark is quite admirative of Sean's power & ideas, but his faith in him wavers when he finds out about Sean's arrest.]]
* CaliforniaDoubling: The filmmakers couldn't shoot at Harvard and had to shoot at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. Some scenes were filmed at UCLA Film Schools in California. There are a few shots in the film that were sneak shoots of the greater campus area.
** A few places in the film were also sets.
** They did actually film in Massashusetts at the prep schools Phillip's Academy and Milton Academy. Admittedly CaliforniaDoubling is the easiest when it comes to universities since most higher education universities and prep schools look the same.
* {{Cameo}}: An unaltered Josh Pence (who played the body of one of the Winklevoss Twins) as the guy asking if the bathroom's busy after Mark and Eduardo hook up with Alice and Christy inside.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Mark, to a varying extent and with varying degrees of justification, ends up screwing over just about everyone else involved in the creation process of Facebook.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Christy. Made evident when she questions Eduardo having his [[OhCrap Facebook relationship status as "single"]] and then [[{{Yandere}} sets his gift for her -- a silk scarf -- on fire in a trash bin and drops it on his bed]].
** And then she has the audacity to ask him if he's going back already -- with a pouty face and great big puppy-dog eyes. ''Yikes,'' Eduardo wasn't kidding when he told Mark she was nuts.
* CloserToEarth: Seemingly the junior lawyer Marilyn.
* CompositeCharacter: The film's Sean Parker is a composite of the real Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning (the latter actually founded Napster).
** Erica Albright is a stand in for Jessica Alona. Whether they were dating or or just friend's has never been revealed.
* CrapsaccharineWorld
* CreatorCameo: Writer Aaron Sorkin as a potential business investor.
** In the DVD Commentary, he describes it as [[SelfDeprecation the one scene he encouraged Fincher to cut]].
* DawsonCasting: Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield were both 26 at the time of filming, playing 19-year-old Zuckberg and 21-year-old Saverin respectively; though they also play the characters a couple years down the line (2007?) in the FramingDevice.
* DeadpanSnarker: Mark. Also, Harvard President Larry Summers in his verbal beatdown of the Winklevoss brothers.
** Almost everyone at one point or another. It was after all written by Aaron Sorkin.
* DemotedToExtra: Chris Hughes. To a lesser extent Dustin Moskovitz.
* {{Determinator}}: Eduardo, spending 14 hours a day riding subways in New York so that he can go around trying to attract advertisers for the site. [[spoiler:And getting almost ''no'' name-brand takers.]]
* DigitalHeadSwap: To portray the Winklevoss twins, using two different actors with the first actor's head placed on the other's body.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: In the final scene where Marilyn, the junior lawyer on Mark's team explains to him how easy it would be for her to win the cases against him, she mentions how she doesn't have to prove anything, just ask the right questions that people will form the answers to in their own minds regardless of what he says. This is very much the trick the film uses too when it's making more serious implications about the actions of the characters. Did Mark steal Facebook? Did Mark [[spoiler: try to cheat Eduardo out of Facebook? Did Mark leak the story about the chicken, did he call the cops on Sean's party?]] Is he an asshole? The film never outright says any of it, just gets you wondering...
* DoubleVision: Did you know that the Winklevoss twins were played on set by two actors (Armie Hammer as Cameron and Josh Pence as Tyler), but Hammer's face was digitally superimposed in post-production onto Pence's body, so that the twins would look exactly alike? No, you didn't. Because ''it is seamless''.
* {{Dramedy}}: At least up [[FirstLawOfTragicomedies until the 2nd half]].
* DyeingForYourArt: Justin Timberlake lost 20 pounds in order to look younger, Max Minghella tanned his skin [[FakeNationality to play an Indian-American]], and Josh Pence and Armie Hammer (the Winkelvi) were sent off to a sort of boot camp in order to train as rowers and learn each other's physical mannerisms.
* EmpathicEnvironment: The lights begin to go out in the Facebook offices as Mark learns about [[spoiler:Sean's arrest]].
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Mark's "Do I Have Your Full Attention" speech is probably the moment that defines what kind of character Mark ([[spoiler:was, a InsufferableGenius, he made a HeelRealization near the end.]]) is in the story.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Mark felt that Sean's treatment of Eduardo [[spoiler: in the scene where Eduardo gets fired from the company was going too far.]] He was also disgusted when he heard [[spoiler: Sean was partying and doing drugs with a group of underage interns, and his reasons for exposing him were more than just as an executive decision.]]
* EurekaMoment: When Dustin asks if a girl in his class is in a relationship, Mark gets this which leads him into creating the relationship status.
* EverythingIsOnline: Played with: in the beginning of the movie, Mark specifically mentions that because a certain college house's database isn't online, he can't access any of the photos for Facemash. But this is a movie about Facebook, so one of the major themes is, of course, everything (from angry drunken break-up rants to the dreaded relationship status) becoming available online.
** One of Sean's big lines is how society has moved to bigger and bigger comunities, farms to cities. Now, everyone will live "on the internet."
* FakeNationality: American-born and UK citizen Andrew Garfield playing Brazilian-born Eduardo Saverin.
** Indian American Divya Narendra was played by English actor Max Minghella, who is of Italian, Scottish, and Chinese descent, not without [[{{RaceLift}} minor controversy]]. The DVDCommentary with the cast stated that Minghella was artificially tanned for the role, which lead to a hilarous moment when Armie Hammer and Josh Pence met the real Divya Narendra. They decided to introduce him to Max Minghella and convinced him (as a joke) to speak in a thick SimSimSalabim accent. Upon hearing him, Minghella [[OhCrap turned white]] and spent the next 30 minutes apologizing profusely for his performance.
* FirstLawOfTragicomedies: The film's last act is more serious in tone.
* {{Flashback}}
* FramingDevice: Dual depositions, one of Zuckerberg v. Saverin, and the other Zuckerberg v. the Winklevoss twins.
* FreezeFrameBonus: During the millionth member party, the screen is refreshed to show 1,000,046 people have joined Facebook. This is at exactly 1 hour, 46 minutes, and 46 seconds into the movie.
* FrivolousLawsuit: Mark considers the Winklevoss's and Divya's lawsuit to be one of these, and Marilyn freely admits that they could probably win the case against them if Mark himself was not so socially awkward and unfriendly. Fincher and Sorkin have in fact been criticized by writers such as [[http://www.tnr.com/print/article/books-and-arts/78081/sorkin-zuckerberg-the-social-network this one]] for presenting their case in an overly sympathetic light.
* GentlemanAndAScholar: Cameron Winklevoss is very reluctant to sue initially because "gentlemen of Harvard" do not drag other students through the courts.
* {{GIFT}}: Mark, absolutely. While obnoxious enough in person he becomes even worse behind a computer screen.
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Two women are shown kissing in the [=FaceMash=] montage. Partially justified; it's open for interpretation whether it's actually happening in the elite clubs or simply a figment of the characters' imagination.
* GrayAndGrayMorality: None of the main characters are presented as either totally sympathetic or despicable. Mark is an arrogant JerkAss, but a smart one with shades of a tragic hero; the Winklevosses are just as arrogant and jerk-y rich boys who seem to think the world owes them one, but they don't want to drag Mark through the court system and are legitimately convinced that he stole the idea for Facebook; Divya is right up there with them; Sean is selfish and obnoxious, but more of a weakling than a straight-up asshole and he does know what he's talking about business-wise; Christy is just bat-shit crazy rather than truly malicious; Eduardo comes the closest to being a straight up good guy, but shows some of the most hesitance and timidity over the importance of Facebook.
** Eduardo's great flaw is that he can be incredibly passive-aggressive and vindictive when someone crosses him. Pointing out that he hadn't grabbed any investors yet was enough for him to basically take his ball and go home. While it comes off as a CMOA, his reactions [[spoiler: after Mark and Sean dilute his shares to nothing]] is essentially that of a child whose been told he can't play in the sandbox anymore.
* GreenEyedMonster: Mark is jealous of Eduardo for securing a place in the Phoenix club, and Eduardo's lawyer suggests this might have been part of the reason he cut Eduardo out of the company. It's also suggested that Eduardo is jealous of Sean and his success.
* HateSink: Sean Parker
* HeelRealization: Mark experiences this, [[spoiler: after Eduardo berates him & Sean in the office, along with Marilyn's speech towards him.]]
* HeroAntagonist: The Winkelvi [[YourMileageMayVary may]] be this. Eduardo counts in his opposition of Mark, to a extent.
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: Eduardo's scene in the Facebook office.]]
* HideYourGays: Perhaps an inadvertent consequence of the film's focus on the characters' misogynistic world. Or deliberate because of the chosen narrative. Of the four Facebook founders (and Sean Parker), the openly gay Chris Hughes is the only one whose romantic life or sexuality isn't depicted in any way (on the other hand, he simply didn't have many lines at all). However, nameless women are shown [[{{GirlOnGirlIsHot}} kissing each other]] during the [=FaceMash=] montage.
** In all fairness the shot of two girls kissing at the party is a counter point to four nerds staring at a computer screen. It's used to show that they are not the cool kids on campus.
* HollywoodHacking: Largely averted, with some lapses. The hacking shown in-film is, as in real life, a process of reading code and trying out strategies based off of the security settings of the target. The character's progress through the Harvard databases is even shown through on-screen time markers to match up with [[http://techcrunch.com/2008/05/13/facemash-returns-as-what-else-a-facebook-app-uliken/ what really happened in 2003]]. This sequence is lifted verbatim from Zuckerberg's diary and is thus very accurate. However, later in the film Zuckerberg tests potential interns with a hacking challenge, described with a burst of incoherent jargon, and to be performed while drinking shots in front of a cheering audience.
** Zuckerberg's real diary was not on LiveJournal, but is depicted there in the film. [[http://twitter.com/bradfitz/status/26518065945 Brad was amused.]] LiveJournal is depicted with a derivative of the Xcolibur site scheme, which [[http://news.livejournal.com/65335.html did exist in 2003]], although the default was still Dystopia. The page closely resembles the actual light version of update.bml though the movie version lacked LJ's actual automatic timestamping.
** As noted under TheRashomon, the second example may be justified considering Eduardo (who knows little about computers) is recounting the story.
* {{Ho Yay}}: Mark and Eduardo.
** Mark and Sean, too.
* {{Identical Twin ID Tag}}s: The Winklevoss twin's hairstyle.
* InsufferableGenius: Mark fits this to a capital T.
-->'''Mark:''' [''after the opposing lawyer asks if he has Mark's full attention''] I think if your clients want to sit on my shoulders and call themselves tall, they have a right to give it a try, but there's no requirement I enjoy sitting here listening to people lie. You have part of my attention. You have the minimum amount. The rest of my attention is back at the offices of Facebook, where my colleagues and I are doing something no one in this room, including and especially your clients, are intellectually or creatively capable of doing. Did I adequately answer your condescending question?
* InternetToughGuy: Erica accuses Mark of this.
--> '''Erica:''' You write your snide bullshit in a dark room because that's what the ''angry'' do nowadays.
* InventorOfTheMundane
* IronicEcho: Many subtle instances.
** The first scene ends with a woman accusing Mark of being an asshole. The movie ends with a woman reassuring Mark he isn't an asshole, but he's trying hard to be one.
** Mark claims he would bring Erica to final club events to help her meet a higher caliber of people. She seems to respond sincerely "You would do that for me?", but immediately breaks up with him, having considered his offer an insult. When the Winklevosses and Divya pitch the Harvard Connection project to Mark, they offer it as a chance to rehabilitate his image after Facemash.com. He responds "You would do that for me?", and proceeds to create a similar website without them. Eduardo notes he does so because he found the idea that would ''need'' to rehabilitate his image since Facemash gave him the notoriety he wanted.
** Mark and later Sean complain that the larger organizations they've upset don't "have a sense of humor." The latter says this when the two first meet, which seems to earn Mark's admiration and loyalty.
* {{Irony}}: Erica's statement that Mark acts "as if every thought that tumbles through [his] head was so clever it would be a crime for it not to be shared" mirrors a common complaint of Facebook (and also Twitter) detractors.
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: Subverted, and that's kind of the point. ("You go to BU!") Originally, Mark only intended the website to be for Harvard students, and then after that only to top-tier schools like Stanford.
* {{Jerkass}}: Even compared to the assholish things Mark did, Sean definitely qualifies.
* JerkassFacade: Hypothesised by Marilyn regarding Mark. The audience, meanwhile, is left to [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation reach their own conclusions]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: They leave this up in the air with Mark
* KickTheDog: [[spoiler:Sean handing Eduardo his paltry check to rub salt in his wounds after the company ditched him. It almost got him punched, and even ''[[LackOfEmpathy Mark]]'' called him out on it.]]
* LackOfEmpathy: Mark, Mark, and did we perhaps mention ''Mark''? Interestingly, he's seldom overtly malicious. It's just that he doesn't generally know or care about the damage he's causing. [[spoiler:Even after his HeelRealisation, it's still implied that he doesn't quite get it.]]
* TheLancer: Eduardo.
* LonelyAtTheTop: Mark is clearly ''not'' a happy man by the end.
* LoveHurts: Erica breaking up with Mark, which led to the creation of Facebook.
* MaleGaze: There are quite a few shots simply of attractive women walking away from the camera.
* ManipulativeBastard : [[spoiler: Sean is good at emotionally manipulating Mark into doing some things.]]
* [[WomanScorned Man Scorned]]: Mark's behaviour after Erica dumps him is an inversion of the trope usually applying to females.
-->'''Eduardo''': It's not that guys like me are generally attracted to Asian girls. It's that Asian girls are generally attracted to guys like me.
* MetaCasting: The co-founder of Napster, a site specializing in illegal downloading of music, is played by pop star JustinTimberlake; also, Parker is FamedInStory, and Timberlake is the biggest name in the cast.
** Also, several members of the cast, including Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, and (ironically) {{Rooney Mara}}, come from the type of wealthy families the film's Mark Zuckerberg resents.
* MixedMetaphor:
--> '''Sean:''' Ah ha. The shoe's on the other...
--> '''Amy:''' Foot?
--> '''Sean:''' ... table, which has turned.
* MoralityPet: [[spoiler: Eduardo & Erica are this to Mark.]]
* MotorMouth: Both Mark and to a greater degree, Sean. Eduardo even remarks that the latter must have set some sort of record. Of course, any Aaron Sorkin character at least comes close to this at some point; Fincher directed the actors to talk faster, as the script was a little too long.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: Mark, after seeing Eduardo's breakdown in the office.]]
* MythologyGag: During the scene where Eduardo finds out he's been accused of animal cruelty, Mark tells him he's created an alias account on Facebook to help him cheat on his final. Looking at Mark's computer shows the name he has decided on: [[FightClub Tyler Durden]].
* NerdsAreSexy
* NeverMyFault: Sean in particular has this problem, blaming the Winklevii and/or Manningham for planting the coke and calling the cops eventhough it's pretty clear Sean could have stopped the coke use and flushed it all if he really wanted to. He also doesn't seem to understand how record companies would be pissed to see you take money away from them, chalking it up to them not having a sense of humor. Most of the rest of the crew does this as well, blaming others when it's either partially or completely their own fault.
* NewMediaAreEvil: [[http://reason.com/archives/2010/10/06/aaron-sorkins-anxiety-closet Some reviewers]] have argued that this is one of the underlying messages of the film.
* NiceGuy: Eduardo.
** BewareTheNiceOnes: When he calls out Mark.
* NiceHat: Averted. The hat that [[http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/4854/vlcsnap2011022612h45m48.jpg Eduardo wears]] during the "Caribbean Night" party was specifically chosen to be the dumbest hat the costume designers could find.
* NoSocialSkills: Mark.
* NotMeThisTime: Mark did lots of bad things, but planting the story about the chicken was not one of them... Maybe.
* OhCrap: Sean, when [[spoiler: the cops break up the party at the end and catch him with cocaine, which leads to his being fired from the company.]]
* OneSceneWonder: Douglas Urbanski as Larry Summers appears in only one scene where the Winklevoss brothers try to persuade him to take action against Mark, and completely steals it with [[DeadpanSnarker impeccably timed snarky retorts]].
** A less literal version: {{Rooney Mara}} as Erica Albright only appears in three scenes, one of them very brief, for a total of roughly five minutes of screen time, but is considered by some to be one of the best parts of the movie. And she impressed DavidFincher enough to land the role of Lisbeth Salander in ''[[TheMillenniumTrilogy The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo]]''.
* OneOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: Narendra is getting riled up.
-->Every minute this site is up [=HarvardConnection=] becomes less valuable. I want an injunction, I want damages, I want punitive relief ''and I want him dead.''
* PetTheDog: No matter what happened, Mark seemed to genuinely appreciate Eduardo for his contributions ("I ''need'' you!") and even after their schism would apparently defended him on reputation destroying evidence his lawyers dug up. The biggest moment was Mark telling Sean that he went too far [[spoiler:whilst kicking out Eduardo from the company]]. It's pretty much the only time in the film that he shows any sign of regret.
* PlayingAgainstType: Jesse Eisenberg, previously known for playing {{Adorkable}} characters plays an antisocial jerk.
** [[TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody Brenda Song]], previously known for playing Disney Channel {{Asian Airhead}}s, plays a chilling {{Yandere}}.
* PragmaticAdaptation: The film deviates from what actually happened in RealLife (see VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory), but the overall film is more of a interpative look at the events & people behind Facebook.
* PrecisionFStrike: Swear words are frequently put in a sentence by some characters.
* PowerTrio: Tyler Winklevoss (Id), Cameron Winklevoss (Superego), and Divya Narendra (Ego)
* RashomonStyle: Sorkin [[InvokedTrope specifically mentions this movie]] as the way he wrote the screenplay, though we never see the same events twice. Instead, it's subtly implied that segments of the film may be from the viewpoint of whichever party (Mark, Eduardo, or the Winklevoss twins) is currently testifying in the deposition FramingDevice. To wit, this exchange after the Eduardo deposition:
-->'''Mark:''' I'm not a bad guy.
-->'''Marilyn:''' I know. Any time there's emotional testimony, I assume 85% of it is exaggerated.
-->'''Mark''': And the other 15%?
-->'''Marilyn''': Perjury.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: A devastating one from Erica to Mark
-->'''Erica:''' Listen, Mark. You're probably going to be a very successful person in computers, 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."
* RedOniBlueOni: Tyler Winklevoss wants to sue Mark immediately. Cameron Winklevoss consistently has cold feet regarding the idea, being too concerned about their image as Harvard gentlemen.
* RuleOfDrama: Yes, the filmmakers have freely admitted to making scenes up and playing around with the date of events, but their purpose was to make a Film/CitizenKane-esque story of success-with-tragedy. The screenwriter's [[CharlieWilsonsWar done this before]].
** Not to mention the final exchange between Mark and Marilyn casts doubt on the authenticity of the testimonies concerning Mark's alleged wrongdoings. Basically, the film is not trying to be a just-the-facts story of the minds behind Facebook, because some of those minds may not be telling the truth.
* SceneryPorn: The amazing views of Harvard in winter can make a viewer wish he or she had studied a ludicrous amount and was born much, much richer. Ironically, a majority of the film was actually shot at Johns Hopkins University, as Harvard has refused most filming permits for decades. The crew was allowed to shoot at Harvard only for select, uncomplicated shots.
* SexSells: Obviously, the "Stanford" butt shot just ''had'' to be in the trailer. Even if Amy is only in the movie for about three minutes.
* ShiksaGoddess:
-->'''Dustin:''' I'm developing an algorithm to define the connection between Jewish guys and Asian girls.
-->'''Eduardo:''' I don't think it's that complicated. They're hot, they're smart, they're not Jewish and they can't dance.
* ShoutOut:
-->'''Cameron Winklevoss:''' Like my brother and I are in skeleton costumes chasing {{the karate kid}} around a high school gym.
** The unidentified movie star at Harvard in 2003 was Natalie Portman, who was a consultant on the film.
* SidetrackedByTheAnalogy: Sean Parker uses the metaphor of a fisherman having his photo taken with one big Marlin instead of 15 trout. Eduardo goes into all the technical details, like how much a Marlin could weigh in real life and how strong the fisherman would have to be, while an irate Mark tells him that he's missing the point.
* ShownTheirWork: Yes, this film does run on RuleOfDrama, but the filmmakers do get a good amount of real-life details in there.
** Once David Fincher discovered in his own research that Mark was actually drinking a specific brand of beer when he created Facemash, Fincher insisted on changing the drink for the movie (over Sorkin's protests). Of course, given Fincher's reputation as a perfectionist, this is to be expected.
** Also, for a completely different campus dressed up using set decoration (a majority of filming for the Harvard scenes took place at Johns Hopkins University, due to Harvard's refusal to allow much filming on campus), they spent much care in trying to replicate the look and feel of Harvard.
** The real Mark Zuckerberg, although he's been understandably quiet about his portrayal or the film's plot in general, has seen the film and has publicly expressed only a single comment about the movie's content: it was extremely accurate in its depiction of his wardrobe -- Every pullover or t-shirt Zuckerberg is seen wearing is something that the real Mark Zuckerberg actually wore in college.
* SmugSnake: Eduardo very clearly considers Sean to be this. Sean seems to be a subversion of the trope though, as despite being a jerkass who does himself in eventually, his ideas about what direction to take Facebook are all correct from a business sense. To this end, Dustin Moskovitz said the following about the real-life Parker: "He deserves less credit for making Facebook what it is than he thinks he does, but more than anyone else thinks he does."
* SorkinRelationshipMoment: This time in a non-romantic friendship. Eduardo cutting off funds was framed in the film as him trying to get Mark to cut the crap and pay attention. (A little bit of a stretch, but possibly worth mentioning since the screenwriter is the TropeNamer.)
* SpellMyNameWithAThe: The Facebook, which was what it was actually called back in the day.
* SpiritualSuccessor: To FightClub, [[YourMileageMayVary possibly]]. Essentially, TheSocialNetwork could be interpeted as FightClub for nerds.
* TagTeamTwins: The Winklevosses.
-->'''Tyler Winklevoss:''' I'm 6'5'', 220 [pounds], and there's TWO of me.
* TechnicianVersusPerformer: Mark is a technician in all things CS-related. Eduardo is a technician in business and finance. Sean is a performer in both, which is what makes him incredibly effective in boosting Facebook and influencing Mark.
* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: "I'm CEO, bitch!" Serves also as a stealth IronicEcho.
* TokenEvilTeammate: [[spoiler: Sean.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: The somewhat passive Marylin [[spoiler: effectively tells Mark what she thinks of him at the end.]]
* TragicHero: Mark.
* TrailersAlwaysLie: The soundbite in the trailer of Mark being read his charges ("You are being accused of intentionally breaching security, violating copyrights, violating individual privacy...") gives the impression that he's being accused of doing all of this by making Facebook. It's actually the Harvard Ad Board referring to Facemash, an unrelated website that he created in college.
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: True, it's based on real events, but multiple events from the final act ([[spoiler:the party; Eduardo's last scene; reaching 1,000,000 members on the website]]) are featured prominently as money shots in the trailer. It can leave a "that's it?" effect when the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue begins.
* TwoferTokenMinority: In-universe - Eduardo, trying not to be overly optimistic, suggests that he only got punched by the Phoenix for diversity purposes (Eduardo is both Jewish and half-Brazilian), and Mark [[GreenEyedMonster snidely]] agrees with him.
* UnreliableNarrator: see Rashomon Style above.
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: Many of those depicted have spoken about how inaccurate they felt the film was. Zuckerberg, for instance, did break up with his girlfriend and create Facemash, but she was not really a motivating factor for the creation of Facebook, as in the movie. Sorkin openly acknowledged that the film is not accurate, saying: "I don’t want my fidelity to be to the truth; I want it to be to storytelling."
** Facemash.com included guys of Harvard, not just women.
** [[http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/2010/1005/The-Social-Network-Four-things-the-movie-got-wrong/The-CEO Examined more seriously here.]]
** [[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/09/30/the-facebook-and-zuckerberg-in-the-social-network-arent-real.html And another serious article.]]
** Perhaps most egregiously, Mark Zuckerberg actually had a girlfriend during most of the events depicted in the film. Her name is Priscilla Chan, and they've been together continuously since 2003. Much of the movie hinges on depicting Mark as a lonely nerd who never got over losing his college girlfriend.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Eduardo is looking for acceptance by his father, subtly mentioned in a few scenes.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Erica compares Mark's online insults to this.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: Presented in text-only over the final shot.
* WomanScorned: Christy.
* WorldOfSnark
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: Mark does when on the phone with Eduardo, and Sean gives a somewhat calm but clearly shaky one speaking on the phone with Mark during his arrest.]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Mark may or may not have pulled this on [[spoiler: Sean]], by [[spoiler: possibly calling the cops on Sean's party, thus creating a situation where Sean would have to be fired to avoid embarassing the company.]] He also essentially did this to [[spoiler: Eduardo]] when he [[spoiler: diluted Eduardo's stake in Facebook down to a pittance]].
* WeUsedToBeFriends: Mark and Eduardo were good friends as they worked together to make Facebook. When [[spoiler: Mark kicks Eduardo out of the company]], things go downhill.
----
[[caption-width-right:250: The face that started it all...]]
->"I don't want friends."
-->--'''[[InsufferableGenius Mark Zuckerberg]]'''
->"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."
-->--'''Erica Albright'''
''The Social Network'' is a 2010 film by DavidFincher. Largely in flashback, it tells the story of the founding of the phenomenally successful {{friending network}} {{Facebook}} and the rise of its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, to the status of youngest billionaire in history (with [[{{VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory}} some artistic liberties]]).
Set at Harvard, in the winter of 2003 Mark develops a student "hotness" rating website (using illegally obtained pictures) that becomes so popular it crashes Harvard servers. His resulting publicity catches the attention of the Winklevoss brothers (twins), who conscribe him to develop a Harvard exclusive networking website. Mark takes that idea and works out a related networking website with his close friend Eduardo, who fronts the money for the start-up costs.
''The'' Facebook becomes an instant hit, with neither Mark nor Eduardo knowing exactly where to go from there. Along comes Napster legend Sean Parker who wiggles himself into the business and outlines how big this project is going to end up. Mark is enraptured by Parker's vision but Eduardo is constantly worried that it's growing too big too fast. On another front the Winklevoss twins are enraged that Mark effectively "stole" their idea, which raises the question of how closely The Facebook matches their original idea and the validity of Intellectual Property.
[[Film/{{Zombieland}} Jesse Eisenberg]] stars as Zuckerberg, AndrewGarfield as Eduardo Saverin, BrendaSong as Christy Lee and pop singer JustinTimberlake as Sean Parker. The script was written by AaronSorkin, adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book ''The Accidental Billionaires''. None of the Facebook staff, including founder Mark Zuckerberg, were involved with the project. One of the co-founders, Eduardo Saverin, was a consultant for Mezrich's book.
Film critics praised it to high heaven; among its accolades is declaration that this film is "the ''Film/CitizenKane'' of the 21st century". Among the frequently-mentioned strengths include the well-written script, beautiful visuals, and its tackling of the question of what it really means to be "connected" (or rather disconnected) in modern society. The general consensus seems to be that the film is one of those rare milestones that captures the spirit of the time it was made.
It won three [[AcademyAward Oscars]]: Best Adapted Screenplay (for AaronSorkin), Best Film Editing, and Best Original Score ([[NineInchNails Trent Reznor]] and Atticus Ross), but lost Best Picture and Director to ''[=~The King's Speech~=]''.
----
!!This film includes examples of:
* ActingForTwo: Armie Hammer plays both of the Winklevoss twins -- well, sort of. See DoubleVision below.
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Despite their best efforts to maintain their professional composure, Sy and Marilyn have this reaction to several of Mark's snarky comments.
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Inverted with Divya Narendra. Aside from the RaceLift, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MaxMinghella2006.jpg actor who played him]] doesn't have anything near his chiseled features in [[http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ztbIUFEZFJQ/0.jpg real]] [[http://im.rediff.com/movies/2010/nov/15divya.jpg life]]. They couldn't have found one decent-looking desi guy who could act?
** In the audio commentary, Fincher states that he had conducted auditions and had read hundreds of Indian actors in several countries for the role, but settled on Max because of the "ambiguity" of his look - he cast a non-Indian actor to play an real-life Indian American character...[[UnfortunateImplications because he wasn't too "Indian"]].
*** Though admittedly I would mistake Divya Narendra for white if I saw him... agree with how his character should have been better looking though.
** Played straight with several of the other characters though, notably Eduardo and Mark.
*** [[http://kara.allthingsd.com/files/2009/03/n_1207595630_mark_zuckerberg_0043.jpg That's up do debate with Mark.]]
** And what about Justin freaking Timberlake?
* AdultChild: Sean. While he's not as bad as other examples, he's quite childish in the way he expresses himself.
* AdultsAreUseless: Granted the main characters aren't small children, but all the adults they go to for help simply blow them off - Prince Albert, the lawyers (one can almost forgive Mark for his JerkAss behavious towards them) and most of all the Harvard president Larry Summers.
* AffablyEvil: Sean. For a {{Jerkass}} like him, he's very charming.
* AllMenArePerverts: The principle Facemash operates on in the film. In real life, however, Facemash featured comparison of male faces as well as female ones.
* AntiHero / AntiVillain: Mark Zuckerberg. One could make a strong argument for both of them.
* [[{{AvoidTheDreadedGRating}} Avoid The Dreaded R Rating]]: The DVDCommentary mentions that the note that says "u dick" was originally supposed to say something else. Also, strong language (as evidenced by the behind-the-scenes footage) and shots of drug use were cut for the PG-13 rating, and apparently scenes with more nudity were filmed - movie news websites said that the filmmakers were deliberating whether to keep or cut them.
* AsianGalWithWhiteGuy: Eduardo and Christy. There's also a running theme of having pretty Asian girls in the film. [[http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100929/REVIEWS/100929984 Hell, Roger Ebert noticed it in his own review.]]
* AudienceSurrogate: Marilyn, the junior lawyer.
* BilingualBonus: Amy's line, "Tu fait l'amour a la jolie fille" ("You've just made love to a pretty girl").
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Mark succeeds in creating Facebook and turning it into a company, but he's lost his best friend, his hero, and just about everyone else important to him. At least he's realized the consquences of his actions... maybe.]]
* BlackComedy: Has some tones of it.
* BollywoodNerd: Divya Narendra.
* BookEnds: Beginning and ending scenes feature Zuckerberg being assessed by a more grounded female character; specifically whether he is an "asshole."
** Also, an IronicEcho version -- the movie begins with Mark working with Eduardo on Facemash after being dumped by Erica. The movie ends with Mark trying to friend Erica on Facebook after seeing just how much of a chasm is now between him and Eduardo.
* BreakTheCutie: Eduardo.
* BreakTheHaughty: Mark.
* BrickJoke: Mark's business card. "I'm the CEO, [[JustAddBitch bitch]]." Of course, given the context of the second scene, it's not as funny as it should be.
* BrokenPedestal: [[spoiler:Mark is quite admirative of Sean's power & ideas, but his faith in him wavers when he finds out about Sean's arrest.]]
* CaliforniaDoubling: The filmmakers couldn't shoot at Harvard and had to shoot at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. Some scenes were filmed at UCLA Film Schools in California. There are a few shots in the film that were sneak shoots of the greater campus area.
** A few places in the film were also sets.
** They did actually film in Massashusetts at the prep schools Phillip's Academy and Milton Academy. Admittedly CaliforniaDoubling is the easiest when it comes to universities since most higher education universities and prep schools look the same.
* {{Cameo}}: An unaltered Josh Pence (who played the body of one of the Winklevoss Twins) as the guy asking if the bathroom's busy after Mark and Eduardo hook up with Alice and Christy inside.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Mark, to a varying extent and with varying degrees of justification, ends up screwing over just about everyone else involved in the creation process of Facebook.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Christy. Made evident when she questions Eduardo having his [[OhCrap Facebook relationship status as "single"]] and then [[{{Yandere}} sets his gift for her -- a silk scarf -- on fire in a trash bin and drops it on his bed]].
** And then she has the audacity to ask him if he's going back already -- with a pouty face and great big puppy-dog eyes. ''Yikes,'' Eduardo wasn't kidding when he told Mark she was nuts.
* CloserToEarth: Seemingly the junior lawyer Marilyn.
* CompositeCharacter: The film's Sean Parker is a composite of the real Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning (the latter actually founded Napster).
** Erica Albright is a stand in for Jessica Alona. Whether they were dating or or just friend's has never been revealed.
* CrapsaccharineWorld
* CreatorCameo: Writer Aaron Sorkin as a potential business investor.
** In the DVD Commentary, he describes it as [[SelfDeprecation the one scene he encouraged Fincher to cut]].
* DawsonCasting: Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield were both 26 at the time of filming, playing 19-year-old Zuckberg and 21-year-old Saverin respectively; though they also play the characters a couple years down the line (2007?) in the FramingDevice.
* DeadpanSnarker: Mark. Also, Harvard President Larry Summers in his verbal beatdown of the Winklevoss brothers.
** Almost everyone at one point or another. It was after all written by Aaron Sorkin.
* DemotedToExtra: Chris Hughes. To a lesser extent Dustin Moskovitz.
* {{Determinator}}: Eduardo, spending 14 hours a day riding subways in New York so that he can go around trying to attract advertisers for the site. [[spoiler:And getting almost ''no'' name-brand takers.]]
* DigitalHeadSwap: To portray the Winklevoss twins, using two different actors with the first actor's head placed on the other's body.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: In the final scene where Marilyn, the junior lawyer on Mark's team explains to him how easy it would be for her to win the cases against him, she mentions how she doesn't have to prove anything, just ask the right questions that people will form the answers to in their own minds regardless of what he says. This is very much the trick the film uses too when it's making more serious implications about the actions of the characters. Did Mark steal Facebook? Did Mark [[spoiler: try to cheat Eduardo out of Facebook? Did Mark leak the story about the chicken, did he call the cops on Sean's party?]] Is he an asshole? The film never outright says any of it, just gets you wondering...
* DoubleVision: Did you know that the Winklevoss twins were played on set by two actors (Armie Hammer as Cameron and Josh Pence as Tyler), but Hammer's face was digitally superimposed in post-production onto Pence's body, so that the twins would look exactly alike? No, you didn't. Because ''it is seamless''.
* {{Dramedy}}: At least up [[FirstLawOfTragicomedies until the 2nd half]].
* DyeingForYourArt: Justin Timberlake lost 20 pounds in order to look younger, Max Minghella tanned his skin [[FakeNationality to play an Indian-American]], and Josh Pence and Armie Hammer (the Winkelvi) were sent off to a sort of boot camp in order to train as rowers and learn each other's physical mannerisms.
* EmpathicEnvironment: The lights begin to go out in the Facebook offices as Mark learns about [[spoiler:Sean's arrest]].
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Mark's "Do I Have Your Full Attention" speech is probably the moment that defines what kind of character Mark ([[spoiler:was, a InsufferableGenius, he made a HeelRealization near the end.]]) is in the story.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Mark felt that Sean's treatment of Eduardo [[spoiler: in the scene where Eduardo gets fired from the company was going too far.]] He was also disgusted when he heard [[spoiler: Sean was partying and doing drugs with a group of underage interns, and his reasons for exposing him were more than just as an executive decision.]]
* EurekaMoment: When Dustin asks if a girl in his class is in a relationship, Mark gets this which leads him into creating the relationship status.
* EverythingIsOnline: Played with: in the beginning of the movie, Mark specifically mentions that because a certain college house's database isn't online, he can't access any of the photos for Facemash. But this is a movie about Facebook, so one of the major themes is, of course, everything (from angry drunken break-up rants to the dreaded relationship status) becoming available online.
** One of Sean's big lines is how society has moved to bigger and bigger comunities, farms to cities. Now, everyone will live "on the internet."
* FakeNationality: American-born and UK citizen Andrew Garfield playing Brazilian-born Eduardo Saverin.
** Indian American Divya Narendra was played by English actor Max Minghella, who is of Italian, Scottish, and Chinese descent, not without [[{{RaceLift}} minor controversy]]. The DVDCommentary with the cast stated that Minghella was artificially tanned for the role, which lead to a hilarous moment when Armie Hammer and Josh Pence met the real Divya Narendra. They decided to introduce him to Max Minghella and convinced him (as a joke) to speak in a thick SimSimSalabim accent. Upon hearing him, Minghella [[OhCrap turned white]] and spent the next 30 minutes apologizing profusely for his performance.
* FirstLawOfTragicomedies: The film's last act is more serious in tone.
* {{Flashback}}
* FramingDevice: Dual depositions, one of Zuckerberg v. Saverin, and the other Zuckerberg v. the Winklevoss twins.
* FreezeFrameBonus: During the millionth member party, the screen is refreshed to show 1,000,046 people have joined Facebook. This is at exactly 1 hour, 46 minutes, and 46 seconds into the movie.
* FrivolousLawsuit: Mark considers the Winklevoss's and Divya's lawsuit to be one of these, and Marilyn freely admits that they could probably win the case against them if Mark himself was not so socially awkward and unfriendly. Fincher and Sorkin have in fact been criticized by writers such as [[http://www.tnr.com/print/article/books-and-arts/78081/sorkin-zuckerberg-the-social-network this one]] for presenting their case in an overly sympathetic light.
* GentlemanAndAScholar: Cameron Winklevoss is very reluctant to sue initially because "gentlemen of Harvard" do not drag other students through the courts.
* {{GIFT}}: Mark, absolutely. While obnoxious enough in person he becomes even worse behind a computer screen.
* GirlOnGirlIsHot: Two women are shown kissing in the [=FaceMash=] montage. Partially justified; it's open for interpretation whether it's actually happening in the elite clubs or simply a figment of the characters' imagination.
* GrayAndGrayMorality: None of the main characters are presented as either totally sympathetic or despicable. Mark is an arrogant JerkAss, but a smart one with shades of a tragic hero; the Winklevosses are just as arrogant and jerk-y rich boys who seem to think the world owes them one, but they don't want to drag Mark through the court system and are legitimately convinced that he stole the idea for Facebook; Divya is right up there with them; Sean is selfish and obnoxious, but more of a weakling than a straight-up asshole and he does know what he's talking about business-wise; Christy is just bat-shit crazy rather than truly malicious; Eduardo comes the closest to being a straight up good guy, but shows some of the most hesitance and timidity over the importance of Facebook.
** Eduardo's great flaw is that he can be incredibly passive-aggressive and vindictive when someone crosses him. Pointing out that he hadn't grabbed any investors yet was enough for him to basically take his ball and go home. While it comes off as a CMOA, his reactions [[spoiler: after Mark and Sean dilute his shares to nothing]] is essentially that of a child whose been told he can't play in the sandbox anymore.
* GreenEyedMonster: Mark is jealous of Eduardo for securing a place in the Phoenix club, and Eduardo's lawyer suggests this might have been part of the reason he cut Eduardo out of the company. It's also suggested that Eduardo is jealous of Sean and his success.
* HateSink: Sean Parker
* HeelRealization: Mark experiences this, [[spoiler: after Eduardo berates him & Sean in the office, along with Marilyn's speech towards him.]]
* HeroAntagonist: The Winkelvi [[YourMileageMayVary may]] be this. Eduardo counts in his opposition of Mark, to a extent.
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler: Eduardo's scene in the Facebook office.]]
* HideYourGays: Perhaps an inadvertent consequence of the film's focus on the characters' misogynistic world. Or deliberate because of the chosen narrative. Of the four Facebook founders (and Sean Parker), the openly gay Chris Hughes is the only one whose romantic life or sexuality isn't depicted in any way (on the other hand, he simply didn't have many lines at all). However, nameless women are shown [[{{GirlOnGirlIsHot}} kissing each other]] during the [=FaceMash=] montage.
** In all fairness the shot of two girls kissing at the party is a counter point to four nerds staring at a computer screen. It's used to show that they are not the cool kids on campus.
* HollywoodHacking: Largely averted, with some lapses. The hacking shown in-film is, as in real life, a process of reading code and trying out strategies based off of the security settings of the target. The character's progress through the Harvard databases is even shown through on-screen time markers to match up with [[http://techcrunch.com/2008/05/13/facemash-returns-as-what-else-a-facebook-app-uliken/ what really happened in 2003]]. This sequence is lifted verbatim from Zuckerberg's diary and is thus very accurate. However, later in the film Zuckerberg tests potential interns with a hacking challenge, described with a burst of incoherent jargon, and to be performed while drinking shots in front of a cheering audience.
** Zuckerberg's real diary was not on LiveJournal, but is depicted there in the film. [[http://twitter.com/bradfitz/status/26518065945 Brad was amused.]] LiveJournal is depicted with a derivative of the Xcolibur site scheme, which [[http://news.livejournal.com/65335.html did exist in 2003]], although the default was still Dystopia. The page closely resembles the actual light version of update.bml though the movie version lacked LJ's actual automatic timestamping.
** As noted under TheRashomon, the second example may be justified considering Eduardo (who knows little about computers) is recounting the story.
* {{Ho Yay}}: Mark and Eduardo.
** Mark and Sean, too.
* {{Identical Twin ID Tag}}s: The Winklevoss twin's hairstyle.
* InsufferableGenius: Mark fits this to a capital T.
-->'''Mark:''' [''after the opposing lawyer asks if he has Mark's full attention''] I think if your clients want to sit on my shoulders and call themselves tall, they have a right to give it a try, but there's no requirement I enjoy sitting here listening to people lie. You have part of my attention. You have the minimum amount. The rest of my attention is back at the offices of Facebook, where my colleagues and I are doing something no one in this room, including and especially your clients, are intellectually or creatively capable of doing. Did I adequately answer your condescending question?
* InternetToughGuy: Erica accuses Mark of this.
--> '''Erica:''' You write your snide bullshit in a dark room because that's what the ''angry'' do nowadays.
* InventorOfTheMundane
* IronicEcho: Many subtle instances.
** The first scene ends with a woman accusing Mark of being an asshole. The movie ends with a woman reassuring Mark he isn't an asshole, but he's trying hard to be one.
** Mark claims he would bring Erica to final club events to help her meet a higher caliber of people. She seems to respond sincerely "You would do that for me?", but immediately breaks up with him, having considered his offer an insult. When the Winklevosses and Divya pitch the Harvard Connection project to Mark, they offer it as a chance to rehabilitate his image after Facemash.com. He responds "You would do that for me?", and proceeds to create a similar website without them. Eduardo notes he does so because he found the idea that would ''need'' to rehabilitate his image since Facemash gave him the notoriety he wanted.
** Mark and later Sean complain that the larger organizations they've upset don't "have a sense of humor." The latter says this when the two first meet, which seems to earn Mark's admiration and loyalty.
* {{Irony}}: Erica's statement that Mark acts "as if every thought that tumbles through [his] head was so clever it would be a crime for it not to be shared" mirrors a common complaint of Facebook (and also Twitter) detractors.
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: Subverted, and that's kind of the point. ("You go to BU!") Originally, Mark only intended the website to be for Harvard students, and then after that only to top-tier schools like Stanford.
* {{Jerkass}}: Even compared to the assholish things Mark did, Sean definitely qualifies.
* JerkassFacade: Hypothesised by Marilyn regarding Mark. The audience, meanwhile, is left to [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation reach their own conclusions]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: They leave this up in the air with Mark
* KickTheDog: [[spoiler:Sean handing Eduardo his paltry check to rub salt in his wounds after the company ditched him. It almost got him punched, and even ''[[LackOfEmpathy Mark]]'' called him out on it.]]
* LackOfEmpathy: Mark, Mark, and did we perhaps mention ''Mark''? Interestingly, he's seldom overtly malicious. It's just that he doesn't generally know or care about the damage he's causing. [[spoiler:Even after his HeelRealisation, it's still implied that he doesn't quite get it.]]
* TheLancer: Eduardo.
* LonelyAtTheTop: Mark is clearly ''not'' a happy man by the end.
* LoveHurts: Erica breaking up with Mark, which led to the creation of Facebook.
* MaleGaze: There are quite a few shots simply of attractive women walking away from the camera.
* ManipulativeBastard : [[spoiler: Sean is good at emotionally manipulating Mark into doing some things.]]
* [[WomanScorned Man Scorned]]: Mark's behaviour after Erica dumps him is an inversion of the trope usually applying to females.
-->'''Eduardo''': It's not that guys like me are generally attracted to Asian girls. It's that Asian girls are generally attracted to guys like me.
* MetaCasting: The co-founder of Napster, a site specializing in illegal downloading of music, is played by pop star JustinTimberlake; also, Parker is FamedInStory, and Timberlake is the biggest name in the cast.
** Also, several members of the cast, including Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, and (ironically) {{Rooney Mara}}, come from the type of wealthy families the film's Mark Zuckerberg resents.
* MixedMetaphor:
--> '''Sean:''' Ah ha. The shoe's on the other...
--> '''Amy:''' Foot?
--> '''Sean:''' ... table, which has turned.
* MoralityPet: [[spoiler: Eduardo & Erica are this to Mark.]]
* MotorMouth: Both Mark and to a greater degree, Sean. Eduardo even remarks that the latter must have set some sort of record. Of course, any Aaron Sorkin character at least comes close to this at some point; Fincher directed the actors to talk faster, as the script was a little too long.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: Mark, after seeing Eduardo's breakdown in the office.]]
* MythologyGag: During the scene where Eduardo finds out he's been accused of animal cruelty, Mark tells him he's created an alias account on Facebook to help him cheat on his final. Looking at Mark's computer shows the name he has decided on: [[FightClub Tyler Durden]].
* NerdsAreSexy
* NeverMyFault: Sean in particular has this problem, blaming the Winklevii and/or Manningham for planting the coke and calling the cops eventhough it's pretty clear Sean could have stopped the coke use and flushed it all if he really wanted to. He also doesn't seem to understand how record companies would be pissed to see you take money away from them, chalking it up to them not having a sense of humor. Most of the rest of the crew does this as well, blaming others when it's either partially or completely their own fault.
* NewMediaAreEvil: [[http://reason.com/archives/2010/10/06/aaron-sorkins-anxiety-closet Some reviewers]] have argued that this is one of the underlying messages of the film.
* NiceGuy: Eduardo.
** BewareTheNiceOnes: When he calls out Mark.
* NiceHat: Averted. The hat that [[http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/4854/vlcsnap2011022612h45m48.jpg Eduardo wears]] during the "Caribbean Night" party was specifically chosen to be the dumbest hat the costume designers could find.
* NoSocialSkills: Mark.
* NotMeThisTime: Mark did lots of bad things, but planting the story about the chicken was not one of them... Maybe.
* OhCrap: Sean, when [[spoiler: the cops break up the party at the end and catch him with cocaine, which leads to his being fired from the company.]]
* OneSceneWonder: Douglas Urbanski as Larry Summers appears in only one scene where the Winklevoss brothers try to persuade him to take action against Mark, and completely steals it with [[DeadpanSnarker impeccably timed snarky retorts]].
** A less literal version: {{Rooney Mara}} as Erica Albright only appears in three scenes, one of them very brief, for a total of roughly five minutes of screen time, but is considered by some to be one of the best parts of the movie. And she impressed DavidFincher enough to land the role of Lisbeth Salander in ''[[TheMillenniumTrilogy The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo]]''.
* OneOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: Narendra is getting riled up.
-->Every minute this site is up [=HarvardConnection=] becomes less valuable. I want an injunction, I want damages, I want punitive relief ''and I want him dead.''
* PetTheDog: No matter what happened, Mark seemed to genuinely appreciate Eduardo for his contributions ("I ''need'' you!") and even after their schism would apparently defended him on reputation destroying evidence his lawyers dug up. The biggest moment was Mark telling Sean that he went too far [[spoiler:whilst kicking out Eduardo from the company]]. It's pretty much the only time in the film that he shows any sign of regret.
* PlayingAgainstType: Jesse Eisenberg, previously known for playing {{Adorkable}} characters plays an antisocial jerk.
** [[TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody Brenda Song]], previously known for playing Disney Channel {{Asian Airhead}}s, plays a chilling {{Yandere}}.
* PragmaticAdaptation: The film deviates from what actually happened in RealLife (see VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory), but the overall film is more of a interpative look at the events & people behind Facebook.
* PrecisionFStrike: Swear words are frequently put in a sentence by some characters.
* PowerTrio: Tyler Winklevoss (Id), Cameron Winklevoss (Superego), and Divya Narendra (Ego)
* RashomonStyle: Sorkin [[InvokedTrope specifically mentions this movie]] as the way he wrote the screenplay, though we never see the same events twice. Instead, it's subtly implied that segments of the film may be from the viewpoint of whichever party (Mark, Eduardo, or the Winklevoss twins) is currently testifying in the deposition FramingDevice. To wit, this exchange after the Eduardo deposition:
-->'''Mark:''' I'm not a bad guy.
-->'''Marilyn:''' I know. Any time there's emotional testimony, I assume 85% of it is exaggerated.
-->'''Mark''': And the other 15%?
-->'''Marilyn''': Perjury.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: A devastating one from Erica to Mark
-->'''Erica:''' Listen, Mark. You're probably going to be a very successful person in computers, 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."
* RedOniBlueOni: Tyler Winklevoss wants to sue Mark immediately. Cameron Winklevoss consistently has cold feet regarding the idea, being too concerned about their image as Harvard gentlemen.
* RuleOfDrama: Yes, the filmmakers have freely admitted to making scenes up and playing around with the date of events, but their purpose was to make a Film/CitizenKane-esque story of success-with-tragedy. The screenwriter's [[CharlieWilsonsWar done this before]].
** Not to mention the final exchange between Mark and Marilyn casts doubt on the authenticity of the testimonies concerning Mark's alleged wrongdoings. Basically, the film is not trying to be a just-the-facts story of the minds behind Facebook, because some of those minds may not be telling the truth.
* SceneryPorn: The amazing views of Harvard in winter can make a viewer wish he or she had studied a ludicrous amount and was born much, much richer. Ironically, a majority of the film was actually shot at Johns Hopkins University, as Harvard has refused most filming permits for decades. The crew was allowed to shoot at Harvard only for select, uncomplicated shots.
* SexSells: Obviously, the "Stanford" butt shot just ''had'' to be in the trailer. Even if Amy is only in the movie for about three minutes.
* ShiksaGoddess:
-->'''Dustin:''' I'm developing an algorithm to define the connection between Jewish guys and Asian girls.
-->'''Eduardo:''' I don't think it's that complicated. They're hot, they're smart, they're not Jewish and they can't dance.
* ShoutOut:
-->'''Cameron Winklevoss:''' Like my brother and I are in skeleton costumes chasing {{the karate kid}} around a high school gym.
** The unidentified movie star at Harvard in 2003 was Natalie Portman, who was a consultant on the film.
* SidetrackedByTheAnalogy: Sean Parker uses the metaphor of a fisherman having his photo taken with one big Marlin instead of 15 trout. Eduardo goes into all the technical details, like how much a Marlin could weigh in real life and how strong the fisherman would have to be, while an irate Mark tells him that he's missing the point.
* ShownTheirWork: Yes, this film does run on RuleOfDrama, but the filmmakers do get a good amount of real-life details in there.
** Once David Fincher discovered in his own research that Mark was actually drinking a specific brand of beer when he created Facemash, Fincher insisted on changing the drink for the movie (over Sorkin's protests). Of course, given Fincher's reputation as a perfectionist, this is to be expected.
** Also, for a completely different campus dressed up using set decoration (a majority of filming for the Harvard scenes took place at Johns Hopkins University, due to Harvard's refusal to allow much filming on campus), they spent much care in trying to replicate the look and feel of Harvard.
** The real Mark Zuckerberg, although he's been understandably quiet about his portrayal or the film's plot in general, has seen the film and has publicly expressed only a single comment about the movie's content: it was extremely accurate in its depiction of his wardrobe -- Every pullover or t-shirt Zuckerberg is seen wearing is something that the real Mark Zuckerberg actually wore in college.
* SmugSnake: Eduardo very clearly considers Sean to be this. Sean seems to be a subversion of the trope though, as despite being a jerkass who does himself in eventually, his ideas about what direction to take Facebook are all correct from a business sense. To this end, Dustin Moskovitz said the following about the real-life Parker: "He deserves less credit for making Facebook what it is than he thinks he does, but more than anyone else thinks he does."
* SorkinRelationshipMoment: This time in a non-romantic friendship. Eduardo cutting off funds was framed in the film as him trying to get Mark to cut the crap and pay attention. (A little bit of a stretch, but possibly worth mentioning since the screenwriter is the TropeNamer.)
* SpellMyNameWithAThe: The Facebook, which was what it was actually called back in the day.
* SpiritualSuccessor: To FightClub, [[YourMileageMayVary possibly]]. Essentially, TheSocialNetwork could be interpeted as FightClub for nerds.
* TagTeamTwins: The Winklevosses.
-->'''Tyler Winklevoss:''' I'm 6'5'', 220 [pounds], and there's TWO of me.
* TechnicianVersusPerformer: Mark is a technician in all things CS-related. Eduardo is a technician in business and finance. Sean is a performer in both, which is what makes him incredibly effective in boosting Facebook and influencing Mark.
* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: "I'm CEO, bitch!" Serves also as a stealth IronicEcho.
* TokenEvilTeammate: [[spoiler: Sean.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: The somewhat passive Marylin [[spoiler: effectively tells Mark what she thinks of him at the end.]]
* TragicHero: Mark.
* TrailersAlwaysLie: The soundbite in the trailer of Mark being read his charges ("You are being accused of intentionally breaching security, violating copyrights, violating individual privacy...") gives the impression that he's being accused of doing all of this by making Facebook. It's actually the Harvard Ad Board referring to Facemash, an unrelated website that he created in college.
* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: True, it's based on real events, but multiple events from the final act ([[spoiler:the party; Eduardo's last scene; reaching 1,000,000 members on the website]]) are featured prominently as money shots in the trailer. It can leave a "that's it?" effect when the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue begins.
* TwoferTokenMinority: In-universe - Eduardo, trying not to be overly optimistic, suggests that he only got punched by the Phoenix for diversity purposes (Eduardo is both Jewish and half-Brazilian), and Mark [[GreenEyedMonster snidely]] agrees with him.
* UnreliableNarrator: see Rashomon Style above.
* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: Many of those depicted have spoken about how inaccurate they felt the film was. Zuckerberg, for instance, did break up with his girlfriend and create Facemash, but she was not really a motivating factor for the creation of Facebook, as in the movie. Sorkin openly acknowledged that the film is not accurate, saying: "I don’t want my fidelity to be to the truth; I want it to be to storytelling."
** Facemash.com included guys of Harvard, not just women.
** [[http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/2010/1005/The-Social-Network-Four-things-the-movie-got-wrong/The-CEO Examined more seriously here.]]
** [[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/09/30/the-facebook-and-zuckerberg-in-the-social-network-arent-real.html And another serious article.]]
** Perhaps most egregiously, Mark Zuckerberg actually had a girlfriend during most of the events depicted in the film. Her name is Priscilla Chan, and they've been together continuously since 2003. Much of the movie hinges on depicting Mark as a lonely nerd who never got over losing his college girlfriend.
* WellDoneSonGuy: Eduardo is looking for acceptance by his father, subtly mentioned in a few scenes.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Erica compares Mark's online insults to this.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: Presented in text-only over the final shot.
* WomanScorned: Christy.
* WorldOfSnark
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: Mark does when on the phone with Eduardo, and Sean gives a somewhat calm but clearly shaky one speaking on the phone with Mark during his arrest.]]
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Mark may or may not have pulled this on [[spoiler: Sean]], by [[spoiler: possibly calling the cops on Sean's party, thus creating a situation where Sean would have to be fired to avoid embarassing the company.]] He also essentially did this to [[spoiler: Eduardo]] when he [[spoiler: diluted Eduardo's stake in Facebook down to a pittance]].
* WeUsedToBeFriends: Mark and Eduardo were good friends as they worked together to make Facebook. When [[spoiler: Mark kicks Eduardo out of the company]], things go downhill.
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