Jesse Eisenberg has abandoned his reserved and quiet image, pleasing audiences as the star of “The Social Network,” which grossed $23 million its opening weekend.

Director David Fincher of “Fight Club,” “Se7en,” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” does a fantastic job expressing the views of writers Aaron Sorkin and Ben Mezrich. Though this is one of Fincher’s first blockbuster films without the use of Brad Pitt, it probably won’t be the last.

“The Social Network” follows Facebook’s creator, Mark Zuckerberg, down a winding road to success as he leaves behind best friends, fellow Harvard students and girlfriends.

The film opens in a Boston bar as Zuckerberg (Eisenberg) sits down with his girlfriend, discussing the importance of being accepted into certain clubs on campus. The quick assumption is made that Zuckerberg relates every part of life to algorithm and probability, causing his girlfriend to break up with him.

This makes Zuckerberg fall into a downward spiral, leading him to combine two dangerous activities: drinking and blogging. And so begins his groundbreaking creation: “Facebook.”

Like your typical Hollywood drama, there is lying, deception, love, conflict, and action. But what you won’t find in most other films of this genre is a truly genius main character with little to no personal skills. Though he may have created the world’s largest social networking site, Zuckerberg never demonstrates any social intelligence.

The entire film is one huge thrill ride from the opening to closing credits. There isn’t a moment of downtime to let you contemplate the plot. Instead, it keeps viewers begging for more, while they think about which side to support. (The last time audiences debated this hard was between Edward and Jacob.)

While there aren’t any shirtless scenes to let teenyboppers marvel at a six-pack and spiked hair, the movie is enjoyable for a variety of ages.