The Social Network

Right now you can watch The Social Network in Australia on Amazon Prime Video and Stan — and it holds up to as much attention as you give it. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. With 13,270 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Jesse Eisenberg leads a cast that never overplays its hand. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Amazon Prime Video.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, The Social Network is worth clearing space for. Character-driven storytelling at its most effective — The Social Network earns every emotional beat it goes for. In 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programmer Mark Zuckerberg begins work on a new concept that eventually turns into the global social network known as Facebook. Six years later, Mark is one of the youngest billionaires ever, but his unprecedented success leads to both personal and legal complications when he ends up on the receiving end of two lawsuits, one involving his former friend. Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield lead a cast that treats the material with real seriousness. It was released in 2010. What elevates The Social Network is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Drama fans who appreciate slow-burn storytelling will feel right at home with The Social Network. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Jesse Eisenberg's work here is the kind that gets referenced in career retrospectives. It makes everything else feel thin by comparison.