20 Movie Scenes That Are Totally Flawless
3. We're Not Dating Anymore - The Social Network (2010)
The opening minutes of David Fincher's masterpiece The Social Network is all dialogue, penned with typical ferocious intensity by Aaron Sorkin and featuring just two characters - future Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), and his soon-to-be ex Erica (Rooney Mara).
Over the course of a five-minute conversation, the two talk amicably about college and final clubs, before Mark's motor-mouthed, insensitive ramblings insult Erica and he finds himself dumped.
The scene is simple and almost unimpressive in terms of its barroom setting, because nothing in the background matters. The scene is all about talking, nothing more, establishing a deteriorating relationship and setting Mark's rise to almost supervillain-esque power in motion.
Most impressively, it's worth noting this one scene took over three weeks to edit, a ridiculous statistic that nonetheless seems worth it given its entertainment value and narrative importance. It's funny, angry, infuriating and thrilling, and a scene the rest of the film somehow manages to match again and again.