“The Social Network” could be considered a brilliant exposé that reveals the back-stabbing, devious nature of Facebook’s creator, Mark Zuckerberg. Or it could be considered a slanderous movie that takes too many liberties with the truth. It’s up to you.

“The Social Network” may have taken a few artistic liberties (namely the 8-foot bong and the lines of cocaine), but it outlined a very real series of events. And while Zuckerberg might not be happy with the movie, I was very pleased. It was engaging, and it makes you think: What is a multi-billion dollar enterprise really worth? Is it worth alienating every single friend?

At the start of the movie, Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg, had one true friend, and at the end he was left with none. It was hard to watch the Zuckerberg in the film make mistake after mistake, but that is the apparent reality: Becoming a billionaire is not easy. It puts major strains on both personal and professional relationships. But the fact that Zuckerberg seems to be an idiot when it comes to finance, friendships and basically anything that is not computer coding clearly doesn’t help.

For him the goal is simple: to make Facebook cool. Which, obviously, he did. The film’s tagline, “You don’t get to 500 million friends without making some enemies,” basically sums up the movie. I suppose it’s true, but after watching the film I definitely get the feeling Zuckerberg could have played his cards a lot better.

What truly makes the movie is the sense that it is an accurate depiction of what actually transpired. It convinces the audience through good acting, well-thought-out transitions between past and present and great character development. The filmmakers deserve recognition for the outstanding job they did with the conception. It is fast-paced, interesting and keeps the viewer entranced until the very end. “The Social Network” captures what was going through the minds of the characters and chronicles (however accurately or inaccurately) the relationships that Zuckerberg created and destroyed.

The cast works extremely well together, which helps carry the film. Eisenberg embodies a clueless, and later a rather bitter, Zuckerberg with amazing ease. Andrew Garfield portrays Zuckerberg’s friend and beginning business partner, Eduardo Saverin. Justin Timberlake appears in the film as the paranoid but business-savvy entrepreneur Sean Parker. (Parker also invented Napster and has some infamous drug problems; Saverin is nonplussed about teaming up with Parker.)

The audience gets a detailed look at the dynamics among the three characters because of the talented cast. Throw in Saverin’s crazy girlfriend Christy Lee, portrayed by Brenda Song, and angry Harvard row-team twins, both played by Armie Hammer, who are out to get Zuckerberg, and you get a cast that completes the movie.

“The Social Network” is definitely worth a viewing or two, especially since Facebook has become a key part of college life. It is fascinating to see the evolution of such a phenomenon paralleled with its consequences.