C’mon Hollywood #176

… Aaron Sorkin needs a better gig!
by Sturdy

I had to accept a while ago that sites like Facebook and MySpace were here to stay. They represent a delusional, self-important society, made up of people that think their problems and lives are somehow important enough that people want to read about them. But the joke’s on me because people flock to them. Furthermore, if you’re online regularly and you don’t have an account on either site, you’re the equivalent of the only kid in school without the popular toy. And no one wants to be that kid. But when I read the news that Aaron Sorkin was going to be writing a screenplay based off of Facebook, a little part of me died inside.

My main problem is that Aaron Sorkin is part of a very small, elite group of screenwriters that every screenwriter strives to be in; the group that can write whatever they want. Granted, he stunk up the screen with CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR (which I blamed on the script), but he has enough victories under his belt that a miss here and there won’t hurt him. So I have to ask why in the world is he tackling this project? Unless he’s getting paid ogles of cash, in which case, writers have to take their paychecks where they can get them.

It was never the same after Lowe left.

So I checked out his Facebook page and he freely admits that he knows nothing about Facebook and isn’t really all that internet savvy. Now, I’m not the kind of guy that thinks writers should be experienced in the subject they’re writing. After all, that’s why God gave famous people assistants and researchers. But his lack of knowledge on the subject once again begs the question; why?

I wonder if this will make the movie.

Also, is the story of Facebook really that interesting? They can’t have a two hour movie about the “ ladettes
”…can they?For starters, no one seems to be able to agree on many details about its creation or the people who created it. As of now, there’s speculation that the “facts” in the upcoming book (of which, Sorkin is basing his screenplay) are actually not true at all. So how why in the world did Sony greenlight a film like this and how did they manage to get someone like Sorkin to write the screenplay?

We all want the truth, but I’m not sure Sorkin will give it to us.

But I really expected more from Sorkin than a Facebook movie. He’s made a name for himself doing intelligent, politically-themed dramas that I would expect his next progression would be to an Oscar-worthy drama or maybe a sharply witted dramedy utilizing the wit and charm he constantly showed on The West Wing. He’s too talented to waste his time on an idea/pitch like this. So c’mon Aaron Sorkin, challenge yourself with something that’s both interesting and intelligent. Leave the Facebook stuff to the amateurs.