The Rewatchables: 'The Social Network' With Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan

Published 2018-05-24; 1:17:47 by the feed.

Awards and segments (51)

Most rewatchable scene

  1. pick Eduardo finding out he got screwed (the Facebook office confrontation), which Bill settles on after deferring to the group
    “All right, I'll defer to the group and do Eduardo finding out he got screwed.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:30:51
  2. runner-up The opening breakup scene between Mark and Erica
    “I think the answer is the 1st scene personally.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:28:45
  3. floated The Winklevoss rowing / Henley Royal Regatta sequence
    “I think the crew scene is incredible.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:23:56
  4. floated The first Justin Timberlake and Dakota Johnson scene where Sean Parker introduces himself as the Napster founder
    “So the 3rd one I have is the 1st Justin Timberlake Dakota Johnson scene, which is taking out a new knife.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:24:52
  5. floated The Larry Summers scene
    “Um, I actually am a huge fan of the Larry Summer scene.”
    unknown · 0:27:53
  6. floated Cutting between the final club party and Mark creating Facebook
    “I think the my candidate would probably be the cutting between the final club party mixed with him essentially creating Facebook too”
    unknown · 0:27:53
  7. floated Eduardo coming into the room and drawing the algorithm on the window
    “I love when Eduardo comes into the room and starts drawing the algorithm on the window.”
    unknown · 0:28:33

What's aged the best · The parts of the movie that have held up or gotten better.

  1. pick All four rewatchable-scene contenders plus the opening scene into the credits and Mark walking through fake Harvard
    “I would throw in all 4 of the things we just mentioned into this, as well as, um, the opening scene into the credits.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:32:08
  2. pick The deposition scenes: He has no idea why they work so well.
    “The deposition scenes work way better than they should.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:33:07
  3. pick The Armie Hammer CGI as the Winklevoss twins
    “This was really the most successful CGI to date, I feel like.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:34:07
  4. pick The Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score: Speaker not certain; the music is praised by all three.
    “I think we throw the word iconic around too much. This is by far.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:35:06
  5. winner The Winklevoss twins effects: Most movies' effects age badly, but here the seamlessness is crucial and still holds almost ten years on.
    “I'm gonna go Winkle Voss's just because ordinarily what we would say is what a great movie, but with the special effects of age so poorly.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:38:40
  6. nominee Peter Thiel as Peter Thiel: His write-in: how much to trust Thiel as an investor, which has proved prescient for Silicon Valley.
    “How much we should have been trusting the Peter Teal character in the movie in the 1st place when he comes on as an investor?”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:39:20

What's aged the worst · The parts of the movie that look worst now.

  1. winner Eisenberg's Zuckerberg impression: Now that we have seen the real Zuck in public, the portrayal looks off; another host defends it as a performance of the private killer.
    “Eisenberg, Zuckerberg impersonation, impressions slash character, now that we have this whole kind of thing with Zuck, we've seen him in all these situations and he's so fucking weird and alien-like and awkward.”
    unknown · 0:40:28
  2. nominee The Zuck message board / Facemash site
    “Zuck ranking girls with a hotter net type app in 2003.”
    unknown · 0:41:43
  3. nominee Eduardo's girlfriend setting his hotel bed on fire: Seen as fictional and not serving the story.
    “Eduardo's girlfriend setting his hotel bed on fire, still haven't totally gotten explanation.”
    unknown · 0:41:59
  4. nominee Executive producer Kevin Spacey
    “Executive producer Kevin Spacey.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:43:09
  5. winner The Christy character and the Christy release: He also says the Spacey credit goes into a category by itself.
    “I think the, I think the Christie character and the Christie release...”
    Chris Ryan · 0:43:14

Casting What Ifs · Who else was nearly cast.

  1. pick Shia LaBeouf as Mark Zuckerberg: He turned it down; the hosts agree Eisenberg is an A plus and LaBeouf would have been too manic or fired.
    “Shy LeBeuff, turn down the world of Zuck?”
    Bill Simmons · 0:43:33
  2. pick Jonathan Groff as Sean Parker: Almost got the Parker role; Fincher later used him in Mindhunter.
    “The other one is, um, Jonathan Graff almost got the Sean Parker role.”
    unknown · 0:44:27
  3. pick Aziz Ansari as Divya Narendra's role (Maxwell): Added later, he tried out and apparently bombed.
    “Aziz Zansari tried out for that Maxwell.”
    unknown · 0:59:32

Dion Waiters Award · The biggest heat check: a small part that makes an outsized impact.

  1. winner Rooney Mara as Erica Albright: Bill agrees: a few minutes of screen time, maybe the line of the movie, and it launched her career.
    “It's got to be Rooney.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:46:40
  2. winner Rooney Mara as Erica Albright
    “I vote with Chris, Rooney Mayor.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:47:11
  3. nominee Armie Hammer as the Winklevoss twins
    “I think it's, I think it's Army.”
    unknown · 0:46:48
  4. nominee Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker: Part of Bill's list of nominees with Mera, Hammer, Dakota Johnson and Brenda Song.
    “Nominees Jessa Timberlake, Rooney Mera, Army Hammer, Dakota Johnson, and Eduardo's girlfriend, played by Brenda Song.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:46:21

Apex Mountain · Whether this movie was the peak of someone's career.

  1. winner Jesse Eisenberg: Chris agrees; hard to imagine a more impactful role.
    “That is my vote.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:49:54
  2. winner David Fincher: Bill says yes, a peak of his powers; Sean says Zodiac is the masterpiece, and others say he may still have an apex ahead.
    “I think this was his apex for this reason.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:50:46
  3. nominee Aaron Sorkin: Says no: The West Wing is his apex, and A Few Good Men is a more entertaining script.
    “Sorkin, I'm going to say no unless you guys disagree.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:52:58
  4. nominee Andrew Garfield: Most interesting Garfield role, but they doubt he has had his apex yet.
    “This is by far the most interesting Andrew Garfield role.”
    unknown · 0:53:47
  5. nominee Justin Timberlake: Argued to be 2006-07, the album and the Lonely Island sketches, not this movie.
    “JT's Apex was when that album came out, like, 06”
    unknown · 0:54:39
  6. nominee Mark Zuckerberg: Probably 2015, not this movie's moment.
    “I think 15 was probably his apex.”
    unknown · 0:55:42
  7. nominee Armie Hammer: No: Call Me by Your Name is his apex.
    “No, I think call me by your name is Army's Apex.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:55:58

Picking Nits · Nitpicks of a movie they love.

  1. pick The movie's invented wound: Mark starting Facebook because of a girl: Matters because the movie is now treated as a record of Facebook.
    “But they're trying to, this movie is trying to say that there was like a native wound, that there was something wrong with this guy because of a relationship and that caused all of this.”
    unknown · 0:57:37
  2. pick Harvard shown as too white and too much like prep school
    “Harvard is way wider and way less foreign than it is in real life in this movie.”
    unknown · 0:58:28
  3. pick Eduardo and Divya cast with part-white actors
    “You've got Eduardo Saverin is a Brazilian guy played by an Englishman.”
    unknown · 0:59:12
  4. pick Harvard is not as fun as the movie makes it look
    “Harvard is not as fun as it seemed like it was in this movie.”
    unknown · 0:59:49

Best Quote · The best line of the movie.

  1. pick Dating you is like dating a Stairmaster / the 6'5", 220 line: Part of Bill's list of lines.
    “Dating you is like dating a stairmaster.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:01:59
  2. pick Eduardo's "I'm coming back for everything" speech
    “because you better lawyer up, asshole, because I'm coming back not for 30%.”
    unknown · 1:02:21
  3. pick Sean Parker's Napster monologue
    “Napster wasn't a failure.”
    unknown · 1:02:43
  4. winner "If you were the inventors of Facebook, you would have invented Facebook.": Bill says he is down with it.
    “I think if you were the founder of Facebook, you would have found it Facebook.”
    Chris Ryan · 1:03:32

Unanswered Questions · The open questions the movie leaves.

  1. pick Did Zuck actually steal the Harvard Connection idea?: Bill says no; others say it does not matter because he won.
    “Did Zuck actually steal the Harvard connection?”
    Bill Simmons · 1:03:44
  2. pick Was the movie too harsh on Zuck?: Hosts agree it should have been harder, not on him as a human being but on what he was doing.
    “Was this movie too harsh about Zuck?”
    Bill Simmons · 1:04:20

Best movie of the decade · Whether The Social Network is the best movie of the 2010s.

  1. nominee Get Out: After Bill reads a list of rejected nominees, Get Out is the first real contender.
    “Here's the 1st real genuine contender.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:05:29
  2. nominee The Social Network: The two finalists: Get Out or The Social Network.
    “We feel like it's basically get out or social network right now.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:08:09
  3. nominee Gravity: A different case: not very rewatchable but the first watch was incredible.
    “And that's gravity.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:09:56

Mark Ruffalo Overacting Award · The most over-the-top performance in the movie.

  1. winner Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker: Says he overacts the whole movie, though he is likable and Bill never believes he is Parker. Another host argues it fits the real Parker's slickness.
    “I think Timberlake wins this.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:06:37
  2. nominee Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin
    “I think Garfield?”
    unknown · 1:06:20

Who Won the Movie · Who is most responsible for the movie being great.

  1. winner Aaron Sorkin: The hero of the movie is the dialogue, which also structures the film.
    “I think it has to be Sorkin.”
    Chris Ryan · 1:12:06
  2. winner Aaron Sorkin: The editing, score and script all sync, but it does not work without the script.
    “So, I'm going Sorkin.”
    Sean Fennessey · 1:13:10
  3. winner Aaron Sorkin: Shouts out Eisenberg too.
    “I also go Sorkin, but I don't want to sleep on how good Jesse Eisenberg was in the movie.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:13:13
  4. nominee David Fincher: Part of the candidate list: Fincher, Sorkin, Eisenberg, Garfield, Timberlake.
    “Fincher.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:08:22

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