The Big Picture

The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 1 - 'The Social Network’

December 31, 2025

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  • The hosts unequivocally crown David Fincher's 'The Social Network' as the number one film on their list of the 25 best movies of the 21st century, viewing it as their generation's 'Citizen Kane'. 
  • The film's enduring power lies in its masterful synthesis of David Fincher's precise style and Aaron Sorkin's sharp writing, creating a 'docudrama that is also mass allegory' about the thoughtlessness behind the rise of tech culture. 
  • Jesse Eisenberg's performance as Mark Zuckerberg is deemed essential and defining for the century, successfully anchoring a film about an unlikable protagonist by refusing to over-psychologize his motivations. 
  • The discussion touches upon past Oscar upsets, specifically criticizing 'Crash' over 'Brokeback Mountain' and 'The King's Speech' over 'The Social Network,' highlighting the perceived disgrace of director Tom Hooper. 
  • 'The Social Network' is noted for having swept the 'big four' critics awards (NYFCC, LAFCC, NBR, NSFC) alongside 'Schindler's List' and 'L.A. Confidential,' positioning it historically among elite precursors. 
  • The hosts compare David Fincher's 'The Social Network' and 'Zodiac,' concluding that 'The Social Network' is the more representative film of Fincher's overall work, while 'Zodiac' is a more mysterious, unresolved exploration of obsession. 

Segments

Confirming #1 Status
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(00:00:17)
  • Key Takeaway: The selection of ‘The Social Network’ as the number one film was never in doubt and has been a collective favorite of the podcast hosts.
  • Summary: The episode confirms that ‘The Social Network’ was slotted as the number one movie from the start of the project. It represents a collective favorite where the hosts’ tastes meet. The film is described as an increasingly underappreciated study of the current world.
Film’s Cultural Significance
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(00:02:16)
  • Key Takeaway: The film functions as a character study of a ruthless creator, prophetically capturing the unforeseen cultural impact of social media’s architects.
  • Summary: The movie is framed as a trilogy’s conclusion, representing the America we are in and will continue to inhabit. It portrays Mark Zuckerberg as a ruthless creator whose foresight regarding culture was perhaps underestimated at the time of filming. Key personnel include director David Fincher and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, based on Ben Mesrich’s book.
Production Details and Craft
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(00:03:17)
  • Key Takeaway: The film is a precisely constructed ‘Swiss watch’ with a clean two-hour runtime, featuring music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
  • Summary: The movie grossed $225 million on a $40 million budget and runs exactly 120 minutes. Scott Rudin produced six films on the ‘25 for 25’ list, representing a specific era of serious adult filmmaking. The score by Reznor and Ross is noted as being essential to the film’s structure.
Citizen Kane Comparison
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(00:04:38)
  • Key Takeaway: The film is explicitly called ‘our generation, Citizen Kane’ due to its focus on a media mogul who achieves global influence while alienating everyone, ending in isolation.
  • Summary: Structurally and textually, the film mirrors ‘Citizen Kane’ by focusing on a mogul who takes over the world but seeks a lost piece of connection. The filmmaking is a virtuostic exercise, balancing Sorkin’s talky script with Fincher’s style. It chillingly exposes the thoughtlessness behind the tech boom.
Eisenberg’s Unlikable Center
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(00:12:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Jesse Eisenberg is the absolute center of the film, delivering a deeply unlikable but necessary performance as a wounded, snide narcissist who never seeks psychological justification.
  • Summary: The film succeeds despite focusing entirely on a person the audience does not like, avoiding deep dives into his trauma or anxiety. Eisenberg’s portrayal captures a character who is always ready with a snide response, even when realizing he has gone too far. This contrasts with actors like Eddie Redmayne, who might be too emotional for the role.
Fincher and Sorkin Synergy
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(01:09:48)
  • Key Takeaway: The collaboration between Fincher and Sorkin successfully cancels out the potential weaknesses in each artist’s style—Fincher’s coldness and Sorkin’s sentimentality.
  • Summary: The sum of Fincher’s style and Sorkin’s writing is greater than their individual parts, resulting in a mean but effective film. Fincher eradicates Sorkin’s usual sentimental streak, creating a rare, mean movie that is still enjoyable as a comfort watch. Both artists were at interesting career junctures when making this assignment film.
Oscar Snub Analysis
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(00:58:07)
  • Key Takeaway: The Academy’s decision to award Best Picture to ‘The King’s Speech’ over ‘The Social Network’ is viewed as a baffling and worsening historical error.
  • Summary: ‘The Social Network’ received eight nominations and three wins, including for Sorkin’s screenplay and Reznor/Ross’s score. Tom Hooper winning Best Director over David Fincher is considered a particularly bad choice in retrospect. The win for ‘The King’s Speech’ over films like ‘The Social Network’ and ‘True Grit’ is seen as brutal.
Oscar Upset Comparisons
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(01:00:26)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts critique past Oscar decisions, citing ‘Dances with Wolves’ over ‘Goodfellas’ and ‘Crash’ over ‘Brokeback Mountain’ as poor outcomes.
  • Summary: The segment reviews historical Best Picture wins, noting that ‘Dances with Wolves’ offered a heartful, progressive take on the American West, which was defensible despite ‘Goodfellas’ quality. ‘Crash’ winning over ‘Brokeback Mountain’ is deemed indefensible, with ‘Brokeback Mountain’ considered a borderline masterpiece likely ranking around 27th or 28th on their list. The Academy’s decision to ‘zag’ on Spielberg after ‘Schindler’s List’ is suggested as a factor in ‘Shakespeare in Love’ winning over ‘Saving Private Ryan’.
Tom Hooper Disgrace
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(01:02:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Director Tom Hooper’s subsequent career, culminating in ‘Cats,’ validates the perceived disgrace of him winning over David Fincher for ‘The King’s Speech.’
  • Summary: The speakers strongly condemn Tom Hooper’s directorial choices since winning for ‘The King’s Speech,’ citing the infamous ‘Les Misérables’ and the subsequent failure of ‘Cats.’ The fact that Hooper directed ‘Cats’ is used as definitive proof that his earlier win over David Fincher was a major error. The segment concludes Hooper’s directorial track record since that Oscar win is essentially zero.
Critics Award Sweep Context
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(01:03:46)
  • Key Takeaway: ‘The Social Network’ joins ‘Schindler’s List’ and ‘L.A. Confidential’ as one of only three films to sweep the big four critics awards.
  • Summary: Only three films have ever swept the major critics awards: ‘Schindler’s List’ (which won Best Picture), ‘L.A. Confidential’ (which did not), and ‘The Social Network.’ The hosts note they are awaiting the National Society of Film Critics announcement on January 3rd to confirm if ‘The Social Network’ completes the sweep. Manola Dargis’s review quote frames the film as a creation story for the digital age, a morality tale where ’the geek shall inherit the earth.’
Fincher Film Comparison
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(01:05:16)
  • Key Takeaway: ‘The Social Network’ is deemed more representative of Fincher’s overall work than ‘Zodiac,’ which is a more mysterious, unresolved exploration of obsession.
  • Summary: The hosts debate whether ‘Zodiac’ should rank higher than ‘The Social Network,’ ultimately deciding against trading, partly because ‘The Social Network’ features Aaron Sorkin’s script, tying into the series’ themes. ‘Zodiac’ is described as longer, more discursive, and upsetting in a different way, focusing on unresolved crime and obsession. ‘The Social Network’ is praised for its enjoyable, fast-paced narrative structure detailing how everything came apart.
Other Fincher Films
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(01:09:10)
  • Key Takeaway: David Fincher’s filmography this century includes the slick thriller ‘Panic Room’ and the underrated ‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,’ but ‘Mank’ is considered a less successful attempt at sentimentality.
  • Summary: Ben Affleck’s other directorial efforts this century, like ‘Panic Room,’ are noted, while ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ was difficult for one host to connect with. ‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ is called an awesome movie and an underrated Christmas watch, suitable for a ‘Rewatchables’ segment. ‘Mank’ is viewed as Fincher trying to access his sentimental side, a muscle he rarely exercises, leading to a film many people dislike.
Series Conclusion and Thanks
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(01:11:17)
  • Key Takeaway: The hosts express gratitude to listeners and acknowledge the significant undertaking of producing a third episode weekly for the 25 Best Movies of the Century series.
  • Summary: The hosts thank Sam Burtwistle for research assistance and producer Jack Sanders for managing the demanding schedule of tacking on a third episode virtually every week. They announce this is the last episode of the countdown for the year and encourage listeners to support physical media. The selection special, which is roughly two hours long, will air later that week.