I was impressed by the subplot arrangement too. Never seemed too contrived or scattered meaninglessly throughout the film (Warhorse left me dizzy). Like to think Z's witty cuts inspired Robert Downey Jr in Ironman...perhaps the best wit on film (Stand down reindeer games). PS Very sorry to hear about Kurt. Words never seem to suffice. Death is so final, and yet...it's not. As you know, King Solomon said, "Better to go to funerals than parties because death is the end of every man and the living take it to heart."

I don't comprehend tagging Severin as a "mentor". The classic role of a mentor is someone older and wiser guiding,counseling somebody younger, less experienced. In the film, Severin is Zuckerberg's peer, chronologically, socially, and academically. It seems to me he plays the role of ally. He provides Zuckerberg with moral support and resources such as an initial equation, startup money, etc.

pgronk, that's the thing about character archetypes: they come in all shapes and sizes. For example, in the movie (500) Days of Summer, one of Tom's Mentors is his kid sister Rachel. You can go here to see a series of her dialogue quotes, and most of them are advice, which is one of the key functions of a Mentor. So as writers, we can play against type with any archetype. And that's how I choose to interpret Social Network. Who gives Zuckerberg the code at the beginning to set up their first social network experiment? Saverin. Who provides the seed money for the Facebook project? Saverin. Who is the business partner for the project? Saverin. Who tries to call bull shit on the Trickster that is Sean Parker? Saverin. Who is the one true friend that Zuckerberg has throughout until Mark betrays him? Saverin. The whole ironic point of the movie is that it's about a guy who creates a social network for millions of people while being unable to have a meaningful personal relationship of his own. And nowhere is that played out more than in the relationship between he and Saverin. Mark rejects the 'wisdom' of friendship and the advice of his friend in exchange for fame and glory. That said, I don't believe there is any right or wrong with archetypes, they are merely tools to help us analyze and develop stories. So if you don't see Saverin as a Mentor, fine by me. To me, that's how I see him.