‘The Social Reckoning’ Review

Following The Social Network was always going to be a challenge, especially without David Fincher directing.

© Columbia Pictures

There’s a great story here about how Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg’s business practices actively promote radicalisation, online bullying, and other contemporary social ills. Aaron Sorkin, as he did with predecessor The Social Network, tells the tale in an often riveting way, but the more time that passes, the more prominent the film’s issues become in my reflections on it.

The clearest shortcoming sits in the director’s chair. David Fincher’s sharp, defined style is sorely missing, and Sorkin’s direction struggles to keep up with its screenplay. Reznor and Ross’s music is another noticeable absence. While Desplat is a magnificent composer, his tone for The Social Reckoning is a little off.

However, there are also flaws in Sorkin's usually lauded writing. First of all, while it flirts with embracing the gravitas of its subject matter, including some arresting images from the infamous January 6th insurrection (albeit with Donald Trump’s name conspicuously not uttered), it fails to truly recognise how deep, damaging and ubiquitous the effects of these platforms have been and continue to be.

The second problem with the writing is even more baffling. Frances Haugen, played by Mikey Madison, as well as arguably having her contributions to big tech accountability undervalued, is then sexualised in an awkward attempt at contriving a circumstance for her and Jeremy Allen White’s investigative journalist Jeff Horwitz to not appear suspicious when meeting, with Haugen frequenting his hotel room in revealing dresses. The exposition tells us this is to avoid suspicion, but it feels at best unnecessary and quite possibly insulting.

This misjudgement notwithstanding, Madison and White take hold of the piece from their first scenes and make the film compelling. Jeremy Strong clearly worked hard on recreating the presence and vocal quality of Zuckerberg to good effect, while Wunmi Mosaku and Bill Burr are enjoyably effervescent in their attempts to inject some humanity into the techno-oligarch.

Rating: 3/5

Sam Stokes is a co-host of Academy Watch and the host of Den of Ten, which are both podcasts you can find through Punch & Pie Media, wherever you enjoy your podcasts.