Movie Review: The Social Reckoning
I would argue The Social Reckoning is a companion piece to 2010’s The Social Network, not a direct sequel. Aside from screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, who also directed the film, and cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, none of the original cast and crew returned for Reckoning. It tells a completely different story and has a completely different tone, style, and motivation. The biggest connective tissue between the two films is the man at the center of both films, Mark Zuckerberg.
Sorkin’s approach to making The Social Reckoning more of a companion piece than a direct sequel was smart. The Social Network is one of the defining movies of the 21st century and has only gotten better with age over the last sixteen years. Trying to make a sequel, especially without the team that made The Social Network, would have been a bad decision and probably would have failed.
The Social Reckoning is Sorkin doing an investigative procedural, similar to films like All the President’s Men and Spotlight, though don’t get excited; it isn’t nearly as good as those films (not many are). It marks Sorkin’s fourth effort as a director, and it has all the hallmarks we have seen in his other films: snappy dialogue that mixes inspiration, brilliance, wit, and corniness, courtroom drama, and a David vs. Goliath story. He’s done a better version of all of this before, but The Social Reckoning is Sorkin 101.
The Social Reckoning looks at The Wall Street Journal’s 2021 investigative series The Facebook Files, in which journalist Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) wrote several pieces about the danger and harm Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong) posed to society. Horwitz was able to write the piece thanks to Facebook product manager Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), who gave Horwitz thousands of documents, presentations, reports, and other materials that showed how Facebook’s algorithmic changes led to harmful content being shared all over the platform.
Where The Social Network showed how Facebook started, how it got so big, and the betrayals behind it, The Social Reckoning shows what happens when a company and its founder have unlimited power and control over society. It’s an underdog story about sticking your neck out to do what is right, despite fear and potential consequences. Haugen, a reserved, socially awkward data scientist who often fades into the background, leaks the information to Horwitz not out of spite or anger, but because she believes in the power Facebook can have in connecting people. Yet the company she works for and loves is using it for hate. Madison’s performance is a complete 180 from her boisterous, Oscar-winning turn in 2024’s Anora. She has things to say and points she wants to make but can barely get her voice out over the background music. It’s a solid performance, though she struggles sometimes with Sorkin’s snappy dialog. Jeremy Strong immerses himself as Zuckerberg, getting the posture and voice cadence perfectly.
I was interested during most of The Social Reckoning. It’s a good movie about an important moment in journalism, especially if you’re unfamiliar with The Facebook Files and what was brought to light. There is a lot of technical jargon, but because Horwitz isn’t tech-savvy, Haugen dumbs it down for him (she calls him ‘stupid’ several times), which cleverly does the same for us in the audience. Sorkin’s direction leaves something to be desired, and even his writing has lost a bit of spark, but The Social Reckoning is still a solid investigative procedural that doesn’t try to be The Social Network and instead tells a story of unchecked power and influence and the small voice who exposed it.
TL;DR Review of The Social Reckoning
- More of a companion piece than a direct sequel to The Social Network
- An interesting investigative procedural about a small voice taking down a giant.
- Jeremy Strong gives the best performance in the film as Mark Zuckerberg.
- While Sorkin’s direction leaves something to be desired, his writing is strong, and he tells an important story.
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