The Social Network (2010)

Nobody should be able to make two hours of coding, depositions and dorm rooms this tense, and David Fincher does it anyway. Honest complaint first: almost every woman in this movie is a prop, a punchline or a girlfriend who gets yelled at. For a film about a guy who doesn’t see people, it doesn’t see them much either. Rooney Mara’s opening scene is the exception, and she wins that argument so hard the whole movie happens because of it. Jesse Eisenberg plays Zuckerberg like a laptop that learned to hold a grudge. Andrew Garfield is the heart, and you can watch the betrayal coming in his face a full act early. Justin Timberlake’s Sean Parker turns every room into a pitch meeting. Sorkin’s dialogue moves like an auctioneer on espresso, and Fincher keeps it all cold and blue. 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, a 95 on Metacritic, $224.9 million worldwide. A 9.0 because it’s a movie about the internet that already feels like history. $258 says you check how many friend requests you’ve ignored before the credits finish.

What works: Sorkin’s rapid-fire dialogue, Fincher’s cold, precise direction, and Andrew Garfield’s wounded performance as Eduardo.

What doesn’t: Almost every woman in the movie is a prop, a punchline or a girlfriend, and it gets more noticeable every time you watch it.

Who it’s for: Anyone who loves people arguing in conference rooms, and people who have watched a friendship end over a business deal.