Some of you eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that last week I dropped the name of a film that I was looking forward to seeing, but the film for this week is not that movie. That is because I have cleverly fed you all the reddest of herrings to cover up the real movie I was eager to see this October. That’s how you know Aaron Sorkin’s “The Social Reckoning” is good; it made me bamboozle you all!
For those who don’t know, it is a sequel to the 2010 film “The Social Network,” directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. This dramatic biopic follows the lives of Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin during the creation of Facebook and the lawsuits between them and the Winklevoss twins. “The Social Reckoning” takes place in the years following the publication of “The Facebook Files” by The Wall Street Journal. Investigative journalist Jeff Horwitz, with the help of Frances Haugen, a Facebook data engineer turned whistleblower, helped bring the files to light.
In the film, Haugen was compelled to approach Horwitz because of the inexplicable radicalization of her childhood friend. The two go back and forth, with Haugen feeling a great sense of loyalty to her job until finally realizing how much damage her company is doing to people. All the while, we jump between their teamwork and Mark’s inner circle dealing with the fallout of The Wall Street Journal article and the Jan. 6 crisis.
This film is very professional in its presentation; its pacing is engaging but lags behind in certain places, especially in its second act, where Horwitz tries to get information out of Haugen. I would say that the film’s stronger qualities are in Jeremy Allen White’s performance as Jeff Horwitz. It was an interesting choice for sure, especially considering his career up until this point has been films like “Movie 43.”
Yet, his performance in this film shows that he has the chops to be a very serious actor. Mikey Madison as Frances was also very interesting, and despite her looking stunning in this film, I will admit, it is an odd casting choice considering she looks nothing like Frances Haugen. I think the actor who really steals the show was Jeremy Strong’s portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg. This is both reflective of the synthetic, unfeeling man the public knows him as, and the true, straightforward and megalomaniacal businessman he is.
The film’s message is worn quite clearly on its shoulders, with it delving into a slightly surface-level analysis of Facebook’s MSI algorithms, its refusal to fact-check ads and how those practices have affected people who use Facebook every day. However, I will admit it could have been better when it came to explaining these systems. Of course, the techno-illiteracy of Jeff Horwitz is supposed to be a stand-in for the audience’s own blindness to the technical aspects. Other films, such as 2015’s “The Big Short,” have done this better. It was not only entertaining but was able to explain its frankly complicated subject simply and effectively.
All in all, the film was good, though not perfect, and it does not talk down to you. It respects your intelligence but is not really a film that you can go see to turn your brain off. Coupled with its important message and solid characters, I’d say this one is well worth the price of admission.
