There are more than 500 million users who log into Facebook on an everyday basis. The majority of users knows how to tag a photo, hide their status from specific ‘friends’ and keep certain photos private. But do most users know the origins of Facebook, or who Mark Zuckerberg is? Whether or not you know, you’re about to find out in what just may be the best movie you see this year.

Dubbed ‘the Facebook movie,’ ‘The Social Network,’ which opens nationwide today, offers viewers a fictionalized look into the man behind the social-networking phenomenon, Mark Zuckerberg.

You’re introduced to the Harvard student (Jesse Eisenberg) as he’s going through a breakup with his girlfriend, Erica (Rooney Mara). In this brilliantly executed scene filled with an exchange of insults, Mark is presented as a narcissistic misogynistic misanthrope who doesn’t care about, tolerate or has the patience for her.

This little spat sets him onto the path of creating Facemash, an online site that rates Harvard girls and their hotness, and soon afterward to design Facebook itself.

Based on the book ‘The Accidental Billionaires’ by Ben Mezrich, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin crafted a screenplay in which he used the two lawsuits filed against Zuckerberg to frame the story. Director David Fincher cuts back and forth between the formation and creation of the most used social networking site and the depositions in the two lawsuits filed against Zuckerberg.

The first was made by Zuckerberg’s former and only friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield), who, after providing the earliest financial backing of the site, claims he was cheated out of millions when he was kicked out after a power struggle. The other lawsuit was made by the Winklevoss brothers (Armie Hammer), who say Zuckerberg stole their idea after asking him for help in coding their own Harvard-only social networking site.

Sorkin has drafted a razor-sharp script with dialogue that right from the opening scene makes you keep up with the storyline ‘ you’d be lost, otherwise.

Fincher, famous for his films ‘Seven,’ ‘Fight Club’ and ‘The ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,’ has probably crafted his best film to date in ‘The Social Network.’ Fincher is able to somehow knit a very complex web of feuds and legal battles into the larger story of how Facebook was formed without sacrificing much in the realm of characterization. And the proof is in the casting.

Eisenberg has played overambitious nerdy types before (‘Adventureland’ and ‘Zombieland’) but as Mark, Eisenberg plays him as defensive, needy and vulnerable. What he does best though is finding ways to tick people off despite his awkwardness.

Regardless of his ‘asshole’ tendencies, Eisenberg still found ways for viewers to empathize with the multifaceted, conflicted character even at times when he really acts like an ‘asshole.’ Even with his quick and witty remarks, you’re able to see the resentment in his eyes even if he’s barely aware of it. Garfield is also perfectly cast as Zuckerberg’s only friend and after watching his performance, he’s probably going to be the only character you sympathize with.

As for the supporting role of Napster co-founder Sean Parker, pop star Justin Timberlake plays him with relish. He exudes arrogance and is conniving, as he was able to squeeze his way into the power structure of Facebook, leading to Eduardo’s departure and the strained relationship between Mark and Eduardo. You might get the idea that Parker is just there for the ride, cashing in on Zuckerberg’s success and using him ‘ but who really uses whom remains a fascinating question for viewers to debate.

In the end, we’re left to question whether or not Zuckerberg is the ‘asshole’ we’ve been made to believe or just a lonely boy with very poor people skills and a victim of his own genius.

And therein lies the greatest irony of the film ‘ the youngest billionaire who essentially created a way for people to connect is unable to communicate with people to begin with.