The early word on Aaron Sorkin’s “The Social Reckoning” is mixed, and the first wave of reactions is settling into a clear shape: a good film, not a great one. That is the takeaway from Variety’s first set of reactions, and it explains why searches for actor Jeremy Allen White are rising today.
The film dramatizes the 2021 Facebook leak by whistleblower Frances Haugen and the Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz. It stars Mikey Madison as Haugen and White as Horwitz. The cast also includes Betty Gilpin, Bill Burr, Wunmi Mosaku and Billy Magnussen.
Early Reactions Run the Gamut
Film critic Tom Chatalbash called the sequel a “solid sequel,” noting that it shares more DNA with Sorkin’s “The Newsroom” than with its predecessor. He praised Madison and White as “quietly magnetic,” and he noted that Strong’s Zuckerberg performance glides past sheer imitation with ease. Chatalbash was not impressed with Sorkin’s direction, however, writing that the film’s listless pacing nearly blunts its overall emotional impact.
That is the mixed verdict in its clearest form: the story works, the dialogue fires, but the execution falls short of the heights Sorkin once reached.
White’s Performance at the Center
White plays Horwitz, the reporter who worked with Haugen to expose the leak. The role places him alongside Madison as the central whistleblower. His performance is described as part of the movie’s quiet magnetism.
The film’s subject is the Facebook leak, and White’s performance is one of the reasons critics singled the film out.
Strong’s Zuckerberg Performance
The casting of Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg was a major talking point before the film’s release. Strong replaces Jesse Eisenberg, who played Zuckerberg in the original “The Social Network.” Eisenberg turned down Sorkin’s request to return, saying he no longer wanted to be associated with the character.
“I just told him I’m moving in different directions in my life,” Eisenberg later told Variety. “I don’t want to be associated with that character, but all of my reasons for not wanting to do the movie have nothing to do with how wonderful the movie is, and will be, and I’m sure is already.”
Sorkin told Vanity Fair that he spent three days trying to convince Eisenberg to return. “He simply did not want to be conflated with Mark Zuckerberg anymore, that he has his problems with the guy,” Sorkin said. “He doesn’t like kids coming up to him in airports with business cards that say ‘I’m CEO, bitch’ for him to sign.”
Why Searches Are Rising Today
The film’s release this weekend is the engine of the search growth. Reactions from the press event are now the main thing people can read about the movie, and White’s name is among the top searches today.
A Good Film That Fails to Be Great
Joey Magidson, editor of Awards Radar, wrote that the film “fully engaged me” and delivered “a slow and steady build leads to a climax that suitably got my blood boiling.” He called it “Hardly subtle, it works well as a companion piece to Aaron Sorkin’s prior look at Facebook.”
Manuel São Bento wrote that the film sits on the same pedestal as “The Social Network” for him. “This one matters more,” he said. “Aaron Sorkin turns the Facebook Files into an infuriating film about a company that knew exactly what it was doing.”
The film opens in theaters Oct. 9 from Sony Pictures.
The film is a good one, but not a great one. That is the honest verdict on a weekend morning when every outlet is running the same question: what did the critics think?
Source material: “‘The Social Reckoning’ First Reactions: A ‘Solid Sequel,’ ‘Good, Just Not Great Film’ and a ‘Harsh Assessment of Zuckerberg’,” Variety.
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