Round of 64 (Tier 4): The Social Network vs. The Godfather

Round one is here. 61 years of film with 3 convenient ties. What film will come out on top?

For this round, we start with:

THE SOCIAL NETWORK, a cautionary tale about the rise of social media, its seemingly contradictory effect of dehumanizing each other, and the anti-social behavior at the head of the social media giant among them all. Like CITIZEN KANE, you can seemingly get everything without the one thing you always wanted.

Against...

THE GODFATHER, a film so revered and written about that there is little else to say. While on the surface a Mafia tale, it is ultimately about the immigrant experience in America and the dichotomy between the lie that working hard will pay off and the reality that the country's wealth is built on exploitation.

The winner will move on to the next round. The full bracket is attached below.

 

Might be the unpopular vote but I’m going with the social network.

 

The Godfather is better but The Social Network is pretty easily the best Fincher and I love it a lot.

I first saw The Social Network at a pre-screening at my college with a Q&A with Aaron Sorkin, Jesse Eisenberg, and Armie Hammer. Someone in the Q&A confronted Sorkin about how he writes female characters.

I feel like Brando laid the groundwork for "serious actors" using makeup and prosthetics and radically gaining weight for roles, but most modern actors misunderstand why Brando was brilliant in that yeah, especially in his later career he did not look like the Streetcar Named Desire/Wild Ones leading man and it helped the immersion, but he still embodied the character truth of every scene in every moment he's onscreen, and he didn't specifically gain weight for roles but because he never stopped eating and didn't like to exercise. I feel like late career Brando is why we have the Christian Bales, Gary Oldmans, and Jared Letos who largely only take roles if there's a requirement to radically alter their body or cake themselves in makeup, but none of them are reaching near the transcendence of Brando.

 

Social Network is great, but c'mon

 

Social Network is Facebook. Its like Amazon. Its omnipresent. It deserves better than going up against Godfather.

Sure, you can vote against Godfather, but you cannot justify, on any level, that Social Network outdoes Godfather.

Or can we? I can stew over it before voting for Godfather, and even make it close, but in the end.... I have a tough timing with backing Social Network

 

I'd vote for plenty of films in this bracket over The Godfather, just not this one.

 

I’ve never seen any Godfather movies, voting social network because I love it and it’s gona lose anyway

 

Have you seen The Godfather?

 

come on. please.

 

What could make me go against Godfather?

Is it over hyped? Maybe its not as good as we think it is? Do we just like it because its the thing to do...?

With all the big name stars, director, etc... What are the negatives to it?

So I googled negatives and only came across this?

• Ugly and generic world; no challenge to gunfights; poorly implemented strategy section

Then realized it was a video game. My mind is made up.

 

it is one of the few that’s hype is adequate. do we have to litigate why the godfather is good???

 

I’ve seen godfather I and II and thought they were okay. No where near as good as it seems alot of people claim them to be. The Social Network I’ve seen a dozen times and still find it enjoyable.

 

I wanted to at least give Social Network a chance... I dont want to see a solid movie go up against Shawshank, Godfather, Schindlers List (or whatever classifys in your top 10 movies) and immediately get put down,.

 

If you are going to come after the Godfather, make sure you did your research first.

 

It’s good

 

These are actually pretty close for me but The Godfather takes it.

 

"A million offers you can't refuse isn't cool. You know what's cool? A billion offers." - Vito Corleone

 

Honestly out of the two I'd say Godfather II is the one more overrated. Maybe that's just circumstantial thought. I always heard it was a hot take to think the first is better than the second one.

 

This is the most lopsided choice except for Days of Heaven v Hereditary so I’m still worried. But yeah The Godfather obviously.

 

The Godfather is one of the few perfect films. Aaron Sorkin writing alone sinks TSN well below perfection. Fincher makes it great but tiers below The Godfather.

 

Those who vote for The Godfather

 

I can't imagine a world without The Godfather. It is that important to American culture.

 

It's not a knock against The Godfather in the least, and it's clear what will win, but in 20 years we'll see The Social Network as just as important as TGF. To me, it's the best American film ever made, and it's not close.