Why the Social Network has no story, an unlikely hero, and will be a phenomenon!

It’s going to be a runaway success, a social phenomenon, a $100 million dollar box office hit and an Academy Award contender.

But the most surprising thing is: there is no story.

Let me start by saying this. I like it. I do.

It’s some of the best filmmaking we’ll see this year.

In a movie with just talking heads, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin proves he’s king of the spoken word and gives a seminar in crisp, smart dialogue, especially in the opening exchange between Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) and his girlfriend (Rooney Mara). Filmmaker David Fincher directs with hypnotic style and seething, stunning cinematography.

The cast delivers riveting performances, from newcomer Andrew Garfield’s sensitive portrayal of Facebook co-creator Eduardo Saverin, musician-turned-actor Justin Timberlake’s swarmy performance of Napster’s Sean Parker, and the surprising tour de force of Jesse Eisenberg’s Mark Zuckerberg. And with a mesmerizing musical score, this movie exudes the mood of cool.

Yet, I walked out of the theatre feeling unfulfilled.

And that’s because of the movie’s unlikely protagonist.

Here’s a hint. It’s not Mark Zuckerberg.

{SPOILER ALERT}

If you’ve seen the movie, let me ask you. Who are you rooting for?

Are you rooting for the Winklevoss twins to prove Zuckerberg stole their idea? Are you rooting for Eduardo to prove Zuckerberg stabbed him in the back? Or are you hoping Zuckerberg will show some form of redemption for his crimes as a dickhead, by either recovering the one friend he had or proving that at least it was all worth it?

Well, if you are, none of that really gets a resolution. We don't learn the truth. We don't learn outcome of these lawsuits. We don't learn the fate of Eduardo and Zuckerberg. At the conclusion of the movie, as we wait for answers, Zuckerberg's lawyer (Rashida Jones) tells him, during a deposition break, you’ll pay these guys off, buy their silence, and this will all be a speed bump on the road of your success. And that's all we get. Drama over.

It could have been a story about Zuckerberg’s emergence as a ruthless CEO, but he ends the movie the same asshole he was from the beginning. It could have been about his seduction into business, but his ideals never really change. It could have been a story about his desperate need for attention, but once he's made Facebook, we never see him seek attention.

Sure, he starts Facemash to take his mind off a girl and he ends his nightly deposition looking to friend request that same girl. So the theme could have been that the nerds of the world can’t get chicks, so they go form billion dollar companies. It could have been that, but it’s not.

Zuckerberg’s movie goal is to protect Facebook. Not for attention or connection. He does it because he must. He follows his omniscient view of the future, pushing Facebook on its natural, almost predetermined course towards greatdom. But Zuckerberg shows no empathy, makes no decisions on screen, faces no dilemmas or dramas. It’s not his movie.

So who are we rooting for?

You see, every movie needs a hero (or villain) to root for. And at the end, that hero has to either succeed or fail. There must be resolution. But we get no resolution from Zuckerberg, Eduardo, or even the Winklevoss twins! With no resolution, we have no story!

So how can this successful and entertaining movie have no story?

How can it have no protagonist?

Well, actually, it does have a protagonist.

The protagonist is Facebook.

Aaron Sorkin admits this was a story about two lawsuits. Rather than pick a singular direction, they decided to tell all three points of view. That’s because they didn’t care about these other characters, you know, Zuckerberg and Eduardo. They’re just supporting actors to the real lead of the movie.

So how does the movie succeeds despite a human hero?

Because you know what’s cool. Facebook is cool...

It's a story about the rise of Facebook. We want Zuckerberg to defend Facebook from challengers who would impose advertising on it too soon. We want Zuckerberg to overcome these lawsuits that threaten to derail the creative power behind Facebook. We want Facebook to reach two continents, 100 schools, and 1 million members. Not for Zuckerberg’s sake, but for Facebook’s sake. We want Facebook to overcome all obstacles. We're rooting for Facebook.

The movie is a trip back to college. A snapshot into the geeky world of website programming, with creators who lord their intelligence over others, who get groupies, who party on the way to billionaire status. Who wouldn't want to come along for that ride? We're connecting with Facebook.

In reality, we all want to see where Facebook is going. We all want to participate in the evolution of this connecting phenomenon. And the movie is just another way to participate. This is why it succeeds.

This is the absent-minded genius of the Social Network filmmakers. In foolishly failing to give Zuckerberg a resolution at the end, the movie becomes about Facebook.

It becomes about us. It feels like our story.

What One Hour Dramas Will Last 2010 TV Pilot Season?

This past week, September 20^th-24^th, a deluge of new TV shows hit the flat screens. Nearly a dozen dramas alone launched their pilot episodes. The battle for seasonal longevity begins. But what should you be watching? What shows have what it takes to hang on?

It seems with so many great ideas, most of these shows should last the storm. But in just the past two TV seasons, the victims of one-season syndrome have been daunting. You may not remember the glitzy shows sporting clever ideas, glossy delivery, eye-catching visuals, personable, quirky casts of movie stars and TV favorites, and even thought-provoking pilot episodes. They all get chopped.

Remember Defying Gravity, Flash Forward, The Forgotten (Christian Slater), Dollhouse, Eastwick, Happy Life, Head Case, Kings, Mercy, Mental, Miami Medical, Raising the Bar, the Listener, the Philanthropist, Three Rivers, The Beautiful Life, and Trauma? All those dramas died just last year. Well maybe 2009-2010 was a particularly brutal year. How about 2008-2009's season of Crusoe, Cupid, Dirty Sexy Money, Easy Money, Eleventh Hour, Eli Stone, The Ex List, Fear Itself, Harper’s Island, Knight Rider, Life on Mars, My Own Worst Enemy, Privileged, Reaper, Starter Wife, Swingtown, the Unit, the Unusuals, and Valentine. And that’s just dramas!

So here's the big question this week: What makes a lasting drama show?

Is it a smart concept like The Event? Is it a good piece of writing like Lone Star? Is it exciting action like in Undercovers? Is it the cast like Blue Bloods? I’m convinced it’s none of these things. And while time slot and scheduling are pivotally important, I’m convinced this isn’t the most important thing either. The answer: It’s the characters. Not the cast, mind you. The characters.

The shows that last have charming and likeable characters that we want to invite into our home week after week, whether they are the fun-loving gleeks on Glee, or the engaging detectives on Fringe or Law and Order: SVU. So as we explore this season’s roster of pilots, ask yourself, do you want to spend time with these characters?

WEATHERS THE STORM

Hawaii Five-O

Slick and taut, this Kurtzman and Orci (Fringe, Transformers) show demonstrates some exciting, suspenseful scenes. While some of the cop conventions are familiar, the characters are charming, specifically Alex O’Loughlin’s McGarrett and Scott Caan’s Dano. The show wraps up its revenge story for McGarrett’s father in the pilot, leaving it little place to go other than a slick cop show, but that may just be enough. It dominates its time slot with a squad of cops you want to take you around the sexy world of Hawaii justice.

The Defenders

This surprise gem, Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell are charming and entertaining Vegas lawyers, who provide a different vibe through the myriad of legal dramas by battling in the seedy and colorful courtrooms of Vegas. And not only are they flashy, but they invariable show heart for their clients and clever tactics over their competition. Plus with some interesting personal lives, these are two lawyers you'd want to hire. They shouldn't have trouble defending their right to practice.

Nikita

What else could you need besides Maggie Q? This TV Show picks up where the movie franchise left off, and while the tone and packaging reeks of a glossy and over-the-top CW production, it does what any good spy TV show must do. Gives us a spy we want to spend time with. The Division has been turned into spy school with some quirky secondary characters, but the real winner is the entertaining Maggie Q who sizzles every time she’s on screen. This show should kill in its niche market on CW.

MAY PULL THROUGH

Detroit 187

Somewhere between the moment Michael Imperioli's Detective Fitch has a staring contest with his latest perp, and the moment rookie Detective Washington answers his cell phone in the middle of an arrest, missing the bad guy dragging the playground slide away, you know this show is trying something new. It's clever. And while some of the cop conventions are familiar, the world is salty and fresh and the characters are engaging and quirky. Let's hope the show continues to deliver and bring audiences back for another beat in Detroit.

Lone Star

With some really smart writing and a charming fantastic performance by James Wolk, this show tries some new territory with a very morally ambiguous con artist in love with two women. But in one of the toughest time slots on TV, this show leans entirely on our young hustler’s charm and it may just be too smart for network and may have done better on cable. If you want a good show, check this out before the Star wanes.

Blue Bloods

While slightly implausible to follow an entire family through the various aspects of the judicial system, with two brother cops, one lawyer sister, and the chief of police father played by Tom Selleck, the family is entertaining. Walhberg and Moynahan give great performances, and the weekly case forces the family to explore their different views on how justice is won. If this family can engage enough viewers to move to a different time slot, it may survive the tough New York beat.

GOING TO BE BLOWN AWAY

The Event

What’s it about? We don’t know. Maybe we’ll keep watching to find out. Maybe. The Event delivers glossy execution, with the central storyline featuring a ragged hero who must go to great lengths to find his missing wife. And while it pulls on the heat strings, it doesn’t establish likeable characters, spending the rest of it’s time creating the mystery. Remember Lost wasn’t just a mystery show, it also had the survivor angle and some likeable characters we wanted to hang out with. I think this Event will be over soon.

Chase

Holy paint by the numbers. A reckless tough chick US marshal who plays by her rules. Quirky partners and the fresh ambitious newbie. The giant seal in their office screams desperate. It felt like our villain got more screen time then our hero. Yes, everything about this show follows the formula, but the various weekly chase doesn’t really engage the characters with much complexity. These heroes are too cold and phony, and without much more going for it, I doubt this one will make it to the finish line.

Undercovers

It’s Mr. And Mrs. Smith, only campy, cheesy, and a tad annoying. This husband and wife duo comes out of retirement to work together and get a chance to reinvigorate their stale marriage. Unfortunately, we never know why things got stale (not all marriages do) and the rediscovery of the romance falls flat. Their banter feels phony and unrealistic to the moments at hand. This cute JJ Abrams idea will most likely go under.

The Whole Truth

Sometimes we follow the prosecution and sometimes we follow the defense. Unfortunately this show never really makes anything of this novel delivery, which instead makes us more apathetic about the judicial outcome. The cases aren’t ground-breaking, but more importantly, the two lead lawyers, Rob Morrow and Maura Tierney, just don’t grab us. They have no real vulnerability and nothing makes us want to spend more time with them. And that’s the real truth.

My Generation

This documentary style show tries where others have failed, to show the struggles of twenties-somethings in a group friends format. But this style separates us from the characters, because we never see them real enough. It constantly has to explain the presence of cameras and the characters are always aware. And surprise, surprise, stereotypes have grown up to defy their stereotypes! The love triangles are obvious, the storylines apparent, and none of these characters are engaging enough. This probably won’t last this generation of TV.

Ultimately my picks to survive to next year are Hawaii 5-0, Nikita, and Defenders, although I’m curious to see Law & Order: Los Angeles, Ordinary Family and some of the others en route. Detroit 187 may last if it finds the right time slot. A gritty cable channel like A&E or AMC would be wise to pick up Lone Star if it falls off the network roster.