Why Jesse Eisenberg Shouldn't Be Nominated For Best Actor For "The Social Network"

[regelemihai]

Thank you! I was thinking the exact same thing. If there is anyone who did deserve to receive a nomination, it was Andrew Garfield. He was head and shoulders above both Jesse or anyone else for that matter, and yet he was snubbed. It's a trevesty. Hollywood has zero perspective. I dunno how anyone can walk out of that film and consider Jesse's performance suprior to that of Andrew's.

[regelemihai]

*Travesty

[fionesidhe]

There are so many actors that could have used all the available colours in their professional toolbox to portray the Mark Zuckerberg character and pulled it off. However, Jesse Eisenberg has an uncanny ability to appreciate the use of white space in his work, and it is what is not said that reveals the most powerful, profound and vunerable aspects of this deceptively complex characterisation..

[heyheyheydaddyxD]

Jesse Eisenberg did his research for the social network and he did a great job . He played the character beautifully .That's all that matters . Degree of difficulty my ass. This guy should try to play Mark. Mark was described eccentric and awkward. Jesse did it ! THIS GUY SHOULD GO ACT AND FAIL. If the character was given to him like that , THEN THE DIRECTOR WANTED HIM TO BE LIKE THAT . what a hater.....

[kostas4908]

let me say this. If you tried to do any of eisenberg did you would definitely suck. Eisenberg is one of the best actors so shut your mouth and don't tell anything again. Say that ferth is a terrible actor and i will agree with you but not Jesse.

[elvaelvirababe]

I liked how the film embodied every single girl useless. 

[Samada88]

this guy doesn't know what he is talking about

[SABRINAGGFTW]

Also, Jesse and Andrew's performances wouldn't be as good if they didn't have each other to feed off of. Their chemistry defined the movie and I think audiences would be able to sympathize with both of their characters.

[SABRINAGGFTW]

His facial expressions, still head/body, and delivery of Sorkin's lines were brilliant. I don't know where you think your credibility comes from, but to be quite honest, if Firth's amazing performance didn't come this year, the Oscar would have been Jesse's. Eisenberg is incredibly skilled/talented and he mastered the Zuckerberg character. His dedication clearly paid off and I'm glad the Academy/numerous critics recognized him.

[floramarge]

I thought he was brilliant. He conveys so much but really subtle changes in his face. He's a great face actor, it's not all about inflection of the voice.

[Tyanes17]

Mark is not a simple character.And you said it perfectly,John,he nailed the character.He did what he was asked to do. "Less emotional less emotional" David Fincher kept saying this to Jesse all the time.Andrew/Eduardo was supposed to be the heart and soul of the movie.

And yes,I don't think it was a difficult characther for Jesse to play,because he could relate a lot of things to himself and his world,but I'm not saying Mark wasn't a complex characther.

[JulzeLovesMovies]

Jesse Eisenberg Is Amazing!!!!

[Macoronox]

Should listen to David Fincher's "Director's commentary" and you'll see that Jesse Eisenberg is a really skilled performer. None of the "ranges" would even be described on the pages of the script. A writer doesn't bother writing every minute detail of facial expression, especially Aaron Sorkin. The only character descriptions of Mark in the script was his name, gender, age, his sandles and that's all. So how do you flesh out that "dialogue", especially SUBTLE dialogue? Jesse is very skilled.

[crudscones]

Well I thought the actors were nominated for their performance and not for the range of the character their playing. You might aswell nominate the script for best actor if that's the deciding factor. Isn't most of the complexity and difficulty of the character on paper before the actor is even cast?

[earthy075]

It's called "Best Actor in a Leading Role" not "Actor performing the most complex character in the universe award".

[breanatheasiann]

Talk shit on Justin Bieber, get death threats. Talk shit on Jesse Eisenberg, find 23498230948920438 fangirls in your house holding pitchforks and torches.

[Silverice92]

@breanatheasiann That image itself deserve a thumbs up. lolz

[I4gotmyMANTRA]

I disagree with you on the depth on the character as written, but your argument is great and I actually really enjoyed listening to it.

[DAmicoJohnny]

I though it was a pretty tough role to play. He had to spit out a lot of lines really quickly and efficiently. He had to play a real-life person who is a genius, which can't be easy. And most of all, he played a character who stole and idea for a website, got rich off of it, and screwed over his best friend in the process, yet still got people to feel sorry for him.

[heavyblow]

Why does it take you like almost an hour to prove such a simple point? :) while i agree with you about jesse's limitation (deliberate or not), comparing acting to gymnastic is silly. you don't judge acting like it's a sports. you judge it on basis of how authentic it is and how it moves you emotionally.

[Chars13x]

Jesse doesn't have the potential to win this year but he definitely deserves to be nominated. He did a fantastic job at portraying emotions just by a simple shrug of the shoulders or an eyebrow raise.

[TheBoysdontcry96]

Eisenberg had a simple character ? No , bullshit.

[thesoundofmusic6]

I totally disagree with you. I think Jesse Eisenberg did a wonderful job for "The Social Network" and he deserves the nomination.

[DAmicoJohnny]

I just think that something like that can be really subjective. And he was so good I would hate not to see him not get honoured somehow. And it's not like they're going to make another category for less difficult performances.

[PennyLane979]

How do you show feelings without actually revealing them?It is extremely difficult to play such an introverted character because you should express all the drama that is going on underneath the facade, it requires a very subtle performanse which Jesse obviously gave us. He deserves this nomination.

[blueboyblue]

I agree Jesse deserves the nomination, but I'm undecided about him winning. I would like him to win for his own sake, but I'm not sure the part rises to the level of best actor. He is certainly a fine actor, & I'm a big fan. He did a fantastic job in this role. But I'm not sure the role itself lends itself to 'best actor'.

I think his preformance was nuanced, more so than you seem to. And I think you get it better if you understand the internal conflict of someone so driven.

Its a dilemma.

[shrillyland]

HE JUST GOT NOMINATED!

AMPAS clearly doesn't agree with your lowbrow tastes.

[ToksPianoTube]

"He played it well". You said it yourself. " I could have played this character, I wouldn't have played it well"... well Jesse DID play it well.

[obstinaXcore]

i disagree.

[lucasboden]

Mark Z appears like a zombie robot without a soul in online interviews & I think a better actor could have captured this in an better way.

Was Jesse E required to imitate Mark? No. But I think Jesse wasn't fully successful in capturing the essence of Mark. They cast a indie guy to play a socially awkward nerd and they made Mark end up indie hero rather than a nerd. The viewer should be questioning whether Mark has a soul, but somehow the movie seems to define him a hero instead.

[veronika383]

Not true. Jesse could say "I don't know" and "fuck you" at the same time in a single shrug. He had to show a lot of emotion, hid behind a reserved exterior, which is incredibly difficult. And for once, he was playing someone that seems unlike himself. He will definitely be nominated, but there's little chance he'll win. You're right about Andrew Garfield though.

[lizbizzie]

I see your point.

[TryingToFindTheWords]

Jesse makes this character look easy because of his talent. You mention range a lot. Mark was based on a real person who does talk in a monotone and does not really express emotion in the script. Mark COULDN'T be the "soul" of the film. But Jesse uses every nuance possible to become Mark from his eyes shifting to black to body movement.

He doesn't NEED to yell or act out to express anger or sadness like most actors do. We know hes angry in more subtle ways. Thats the beauty of it. Its simple.

[phoebeluvsfrance]

agree sort of. garfield was so much better.

[SinnedAngel08]

I disagree I feel that this character very intricate and had many different levels to him. I felt it was a more subtle performance so it gets looked at as one note. I do agree with you about Andrew Garfield. He does get angry in the film when Mark and Eduardo are yelling about the bamk account. This though is something to think about. The character is very matter of fact so he thinks he has done nothing wrong so he cant understand why Eduardo is getting so upset.

[AnnaOconner123]

To me with best actor nominations it's all about who did the best in their role given, not what is the best role, or what seems the most difficult. If he gets nominated it will be deserving, same with Andrew Garfield. I'm not saying he should or shouldn't win it though. Anyways I don't think it matters because it seems Colin Firth will get it, who is also deserving of it. Congrats if you read this all. Rant over.

[AnnaOconner123]

It may actually be very hard for actors considering they are always told to show emotion and in this role he needs to suppress that and go against the norm. It can be seen as more limiting and therefore difficult (again depends on the actor). And after watching the movie its hard to imagine anyone else in that role. I think it took a lot of skill getting across the right tone in his speeches, the blank stares, etc.

[AnnaOconner123]

Also, going with your gymnastic analogy (which doesn't work) the actor is not allowed to do what would they would consider the most difficult, they have to do the role given. Jesse is told to do the "somersault" (as you think it is) even if he can do the "triple back flip" so you can't count that against him. Also your making the assumption that showing no emotion is easy.

[AnnaOconner123]

Sorry but I think your whole argument is unfair. I understand where your coming from but the "degree of difficulty" for the Mark Zuckerberg role or any role is subjective. You can't say one leading role is more difficult than another. Each actor has different strengths and weaknesses. And actually I've read some actors say roles that seem more emotionally challenging/ crazy characters can be easier for some because there is more to grab hold of and work with. It can give them more freedom.

[SinnedAngel08]

@AnnaOconner123 I completely agree with your review critique. I loved it.

[dizzycarwasher]

Finally, a review I can agree with! I absolutely love Jesse Eisenberg, but when I saw TSN, I walked away feeling like Andrew Garfield should win best support, with a possible nom. for Jesse. I don't quite agree with the somersault analogy, as it can be difficult for actors to portray emotions through the subtlest, slightest movements. But altogether, this review is better than either the "He sucks, he just plays the same person", and on the other end "OMG his performance was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!"

[pianist150]

You're absolutely wrong. Jesse took a one note character whos face was unreadable and let a degree of emotion shine through. His voice range didn't vary but it was clear that Mark was feeling emotion the whole film. He was jealous of Eduardo for being likable and getting into the finals club, he was angry at Sean in the end for being so mean. He was sad over losing Erica and in the end he was a sad man desperate for human connection. That's why he built a website that connects millions of people

[certifiedchillin420]

if you compare jesse eisenberg's portrayal of mark zuckerberg to javier bardem's portrayal of anton chigurh in no country for old men, which he in fact won an oscar for, then i think you find a similar "degree of difficulty". but honestly this guy is just missing the point because winning an oscar is about being the character in a natural and convincing way.

[SesslerCell]

Hey john, huge fan by the way.. this specific blog had me thinking of something that i normally think of when it comes to oscar nominations and such. Do you believe that sometimes because a movie is crititically acclaimed and put up for "best picture" that the academy seems to just hand out nominations to the stars of the movies nominated solely based on the fact that the movie may be fantastic, but really their performance may not have been up to par as others that deserved it more?

[lazowes]

Jesse's performance carried the whole film. Jesse's performance was not one note. A one note performance would not be interesting or compelling. You could never be half the actor Jesse is and that fact that you truly believe you could play this part as well as Jesse is laughable and proves you know nothing about the art of acting.

[phoebeluvsfrance]

@lazowes yeah i dont think the point is him wanting to be an actor. he doesnt....

[lazowes]

You have no idea what you are talking about. Jesse gave a great, nuanced performance and as an actor I think he more than deserves a nomination. Unless you were there then how would you know how difficult it was for him? the fact that you think he played himself is absurd. He in no way played himself or any one near to being himself. You know nothing about the art of acting. BS, that is a laugh you never could be a decent actor as witnessed by this video.

[NecroAOD]

I never respond to youtube videos but, I gotta say, Degree of difficuly? Are you kidding me? Did you do research? Because it has been noted that the opening shot took 99 takes. Does that not sound difficult? Not every person can portray a Sorkin character. They just can't. And to put things into perspective, the bathroom scene in the Shining took about sixty takes.

[PurpleMilkFTW]

I agree partly. To me, it seems like playing Mark is uneasy because of his inhumanity. Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg did an amazing job. Justin Timberlake's performance was also better than I'm used to of his.

[nosleepinheaven]

Don't you think it's more difficult to emote when you're only given a very limited range of emotions to work with?

[frikinpanda007]

How on earth should Andrew Garfield get an Oscar? It's insane. He didn't have that outstanding of a character to play. An average performance I'd say. Sort of the same argument John made about Eisenberg. I think Justin Timberlake had an even better performance than Garfield.

[frikinpanda007]

@alexleenarren You can't just nominate people for oscars and "give em a chance" because they'll never get another opportunity. Other actors gave greater performances and shouldn't be pushed aside so Eisenberg can get his only shot before he goes back under the radar.

[CAK11891]

I totally disagree... but since I suck at arguing with people, I'll just leave it at that...

[kickodude]

I never thought of it that way. But still, at the end of the day, a somersault and a triple back-flip are both in the category of gymnastics. Acting is acting. But it is probably fair to say that Colin Firth did a much better Triple-backflip than Jesse Eisenberg did a somersault. Hey John, got a question for ya. Remember the 2009 film "Moon" with Sam Rockwell? Do you feel that his oscar-worthy performance was a somersault or a triple back-flip?

[alexleenarren]

you know i was gonna argue when i saw "Why Jesse Eisenberg Shouldn't Be Nominated For Best Actor For "The Social Network"" cuz i was gonna say, give jesse ah break everyone deserves a chance to get nominated, it might be his only opportunity but after watchin your video, i thought to myself, your right, he was actually one note all the time in a field where there are actors who are fighting to give a great performance like ryan gosling who deserves nominations

[ShamonUk]

I agree with you 100% John.

Also, you don't need to clarify that this is "just your opinion". Not only is it a redundant statement, but more importantly we're here to hear your opinion because we like what you say. Even if people couldn't disagree more with you, no-one will be offended by anything you say, and in fact your profile is more likely to explode if you came out with something controversial.

[wajigma]

as an actor (granted amateur and untalented) i know that the crazier the character its actually easier to play. to embody someone that is like yourself but different like in "Social Network" can be much more difficult than an off the walls energy character.

[MovieBlogTV]

@wajigma That's just not true. Oh sure... just playing wider range emotions may be easier... but playing them and not looking silly, playing them and making them convincing takes a lot more skill.

[stifler12333]

John, great blog. But if i may say, why dont you do more of these reviews for movies. We only see 5 or 6 review in a year from you, and that really sucks. Thats all i wanted to say. Greets from the Netherlands

[KoiPondProject]

I agree with you 100%

[hee0710]

From your explanation I guess you prefer showy or dramatic roles/acting. I suppose you think Natalie Portman deserves Best Actress? That’s fine but I’m confused as to why your “acting” preferences should dictate the Oscars? Or why you think your criteria for acting should be the academy’s criteria.

[hee0710]

Eduardo Saverin is the heart and emotion of the movie but Eisenberg’s character is the glue that holds everything together. He is the magnetic energy of the movie. With a lesser actor, the whole movie would have fallen apart. And lots of people saw more than what you saw in Eisenberg’s performance.

[hee0710]

I guess I will ctrl c+ ctrl v my comment from your site here since I don't have a facebook account.

I disagree completely. Not only is Zuckerberg the most complex, difficult, and interesting character this year, Eisenberg’s performance was the most subtle yet nuanced and intelligent. The Zuckerberg character in Sorkin’s script is very one-note but Fincher and Eisenberg successfully elevated that character to a whole new level.

[metfilmguy2009]

Great video, I feel it was a point well made and I respect that point. Keep up the great work! I would like to say however that for us non-actors to say a role was either hard or easy to play isn't fair on actors.

I'm an independent writer-director and have worked with actors of various degrees of ability and, in the case of Jesse Eisenberg in the Scoial Network, asking an actor to show as little and/or no emotion in a role is probably one of the most difficult things an actor can do.

[Silverice92]

I guess you missed the point of Mark's character. In one of the interview, Jesse was mentioning that David wants to reign in all the emotion that the character was feeling because he feel so much but didn't know how to express it. To play a character who has so much emotion but can't express it, but still have to convey those feeling through performance, I think that was what critics was raving about.

[BrandonisaBasterd]

Armie Hammer should get an Oscar nomination from playing the Winkle Twins.

[chestravis]

he might not win, but should be nominated, aaron sorkin's dialogue is not easy to do, especially for mark's character, and he did great

[vilhelmcasp]

honestly, you're right

that character was very simple and not hard to play at all, even though in my opinion, he played it flawlessly

[yowonapple]

I think Jesse Eisenberg gave the best performance of 2010 and he should not only be nominated but win the Oscar for best actor. We all have our opinions.

[vilhelmcasp]

@yowonapple BTW i respect you for it

[paulbanksbaby]

smh

[mollypie10]

Agreed.

[ZodiacTrailers]

I don't know about getting the Oscar, but Jesse was great and I think he should get at least a nomination. But definitely agree with you about Garfield, he was the best part of the film.....BTW John, what do you think about Leonardo DiCaprio? Should he get the nomination for best actor( Inception, Shutter Island)?

[MovieBlogTV]

@ZodiacTrailers I'm a HUGE Leo fan... but I don't actually think he should get nominated this year... just too many other amazing performances. Colin Firth, Jeff Bridges, James Franco, John Hawkes and a few others all place ahead of Leo this year in my personal opinion.

[Doak22Nick]

He'll still get the nomination, but Firth will win.

[MovieBlogTV]

@ClockworkCaptain Not at all, as I said in the video I think Garfield's performance brings the humanity and heart to "The Social Network".  I whole heartedly think he should be nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

[cores717]

Very well said, after hearing your thoughts I kinda have to agree with you.