Rewatchables Reference

• The opening scene – Eisenberg and Rooney Mara at the bar. 99 takes, 8 script pages, and it sets the rhythm for the entire movie.
• The crew race / Henley Royal Regatta sequence – Fincher being like 'don't forget, I'm David Fincher.' A real cinematic set piece in what is basically a chamber drama.
• The first Justin Timberlake / Dakota Johnson scene where you meet Sean Parker – advances the plot, introduces the character, and is the only time Timberlake really feels like a movie star in his career.
• Eduardo finding out he got screwed – the 'how much were your shares diluted?' moment with the Atticus Ross/Trent Reznor score kicking in is the best Garfield moment in the movie. Bill's pick for most rewatchable.

• The Winklevoss twins CGI – groundbreaking in 2010 and still completely seamless eight years later. If they'd tried it three years earlier, it probably would have taken the movie down.
• The Peter Thiel character (Wallace Langham) – what seemed like a minor investor subplot has become indicative of the future of Silicon Valley.
• The deposition scenes – work way better than they should, with great performances from all the actors and the underrated lawyers.
• The opening scene into the credits – Eisenberg walking through fake Harvard with the Trent Reznor score.
• The music – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's score is iconic. Echoes of New Wave, New Order synth-pop, ambient art music, and classical piano. 'Beauty and anxiety colliding.' One of the all-time great pivots for an artist entering midlife.

• Eisenberg's Zuckerberg impression – now that we've seen the real Zuckerberg in Senate hearings and public appearances, the snarling version feels different. Though Sean argues the private Zuckerberg may be closer to the movie version.
• Facemash – rating girls with a 'who's hotter' app in 2003 was already bad, now it's worse.
• Eduardo's girlfriend (Brenda Song) setting the hotel bed on fire – completely fictional, doesn't advance the plot, and is part of Sorkin's weakness writing female characters.
• Executive producer Kevin Spacey.

• Shia LaBeouf turned down the role of Mark Zuckerberg. Bill thinks Eisenberg gets it anyway because LaBeouf would have been fired between takes.
• Jonathan Groff almost got the Sean Parker role – Fincher later cast him in Mindhunter.
• Aziz Ansari auditioned for the Divya Narendra role but reportedly bombed the audition.

• Rooney Mara – gets one and a half scenes (18 minutes total), they're still talking about her, and it launched her entire career. The definition of the Dion Waiters award.
• Armie Hammer – was not a thing before this movie. Wasn't even originally cast; they had two separate actors, but he was so good they doubled him. This launched his career.
• Dakota Johnson, Justin Timberlake, Brenda Song, and Douglas Urbanski as Larry Summers were also nominees.

• Harvard scenes were filmed at Phillips Academy, Milton Academy, Wellesley, and Johns Hopkins.
• Mark Zuckerberg originally never planned to see the movie but eventually did and took his staff.
• The 'movie star' at Harvard referenced in the film is Natalie Portman (who actually went to Brown).
• Josh Pence, the other Winklevoss twin's body double, actually appears in the movie in the bathroom scene with facial hair.
• Justin Timberlake lost 15-17 pounds for the role because Sean Parker was on the paleo diet.
• The opening breakup scene required 99 takes over 8 script pages – the usual is about 3 pages per scene.

• Jesse Eisenberg – Bill and Sean both agree. Hard to imagine a more impactful role for him. An iconic, possibly decade-defining performance.
• David Fincher – Bill says yes (this could be movie of the decade, and nobody else takes this above a B+). Chris and Sean say no – Sean thinks 'Zodiac' is his masterpiece, Chris thinks his apex might still be coming. Benjamin Button is his least rewatchable.
• Aaron Sorkin – no, West Wing is still his apex. Though this is Bill's favorite Sorkin script and the smartest pairing of him to a director.
• Andrew Garfield – became 'Spider-Man' but this is by far his most interesting role.
• Justin Timberlake – no, his apex was the 2006-07 album/SNL run. 'JT's apex was Lonely Island.'
• Armie Hammer – Call Me by Your Name, not this.

• Justin Timberlake – 'you know what's cool? A billion dollars.' He's overacting the whole movie. Likable and well-cast, but he's always Justin Timberlake, never fully Sean Parker. Bill argues a young Leo (circa 1996-98) would have been a million times better.
• Andrew Garfield – runner-up, especially in the 'how much were your shares diluted?' scene.

• The major accuracy issues – the inciting incident (the breakup) didn't happen, and building the movie on something dishonest holds it back slightly as a historical document.
• Harvard is way whiter and way less foreign in this movie than in real life – it's actually one of the most eclectic student bodies, but the movie makes it look like Exeter's senior prom.
• Eduardo Saverin (Brazilian) is played by Andrew Garfield (English). Divya Narendra (Indian) is played by Max Minghella (part Japanese).
• The Harvard party scenes with strip poker are completely over the top – people who were at Harvard at that time say it was not fun and mostly driven people working hard.
• Zuckerberg's life was not this exciting. He told Oprah most of the drama was fiction.

Danny Trejo – 'I'm going to say no.' The first time they've ever said no. Only possible role is Peter Thiel, or maybe one of the security guards when Eduardo flips out.

• Aaron Sorkin – the filmmakers themselves said the dialogue is the hero of the movie. The staccato delivery, the way scenes cut between depositions and action, the multiple conversations within conversations – masterclass screenwriting. The Oscars he won (screenplay, editing, score) all go hand-in-hand with the script. Chris and Sean both agree.
• Strong case also made for Jesse Eisenberg – a really hard role done at an incredibly high level, compared to Dustin Hoffman in 1970.