As far as legacy sequels go, it doesn’t get much more high-pressure than following up one of the greatest films of all-time.
“The Social Reckoning” is a standalone sequel (being marketed as a “companion piece”) to the 2010 film “The Social Network,” and follows the 2021 Facebook leak by employee Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison). Jeremy Allen White stars as investigative reporter Jeff Horowitz while Jeremy Strong replaces Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Burr, Wunmi Mosaku, Betty Gilpin, and Billy Magnussen fill out the rest of the cast. Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the original film, returns to write and take over directing duties from David Fincher.
Back in October 2010, I walked into “The Social Network,” like many people, thinking “who cares about a Facebook movie?” and walked out blown away by what I had seen. David Fincher’s meticulous eye for detail, combined with Sorkin’s rapid fire dialogue and Reznor and Ross’ relentless yet melancholic musical score, resulted in brilliant performances and pacing, and a film that has only aged like wine in the decade-and-a-half since its release. When “Social Reckoning” was announced I was under no impression nor delusions that it would even come close to matching the highs of “Network” (due in large part to the absence of Fincher and other key technical players), but was hoping that it would be able to recapture some of the magic and justify its own existence; and thankfully, it largely does.
Despite being an Oscar winner, Mikey Madison has a pretty short resume to-date, and most every one of her roles involves her screaming and/or playing a mentally unwell character, so it is refreshing to see her get to play someone calm and caring. Her Frances Haugen is socially awkward but truly believes in Facebook’s mission to connect people, and her reluctance to speak out about the company’s growing internal problems clearly causes her internal grief.
Jeremy Allen White is arguably the heart of the film as the investigative reporter who reaches out to Frances, and his distrust of social media and resentment for Big Tech is commendable and nowadays relatable. Bill Burr and Wunmi Mosaku, who play members of Zuckerberg’s legal team, are the voice of reason and moral compasses of the film, with both pointing out the flaws in Facebook’s algorithm and hypocrisy of their mission statement. Taking over the role of Mark Zuckerberg from Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Strong does a good impersonation of Zuck’s almost alien-like behavior and social awkwardness, but also gives off the menace and intimidation of a Bond villain. In an early scene, Frances and her team have a meeting in Zuckerberg’s office and the whole thing plays like they’re talking to an authoritarian king and not simply the CEO of a social media company; you can feel the tension in the room and the culture of suppression in a company that is supposed to champion it.
Since 2017 with “Molly’s Game,” Aaron Sorkin has started directing his own screenplays, and it has become clear that the reason his scripts have been so effective over the years is because talented directors (Fincher, Danny Boyle, Rob Reiner) are able to reign in some of Sorkin’s weaker tendencies and give them a shot of flair and dramatics. The issue with Sorkin’s direction is he has a background in theater and television, and he shoots his films as such. He is able to draw big performances out of his actors and let them deliver hyper-realistic dialogue, but the way he frames the camera and plays with the environment (or lack thereof) give his films a made-for-TV feel. It’s a little extra frustrating here, because cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth actually shot (and received an Oscar nomination for) “The Social Network,” but there he was collaborating with David Fincher, a director with a meticulous eye for detail and extreme demand for visual perfection (it’s similar to this summer’s “Devil Wears Prada” sequel that saw the original DOP Florian Ballhaus return, yet the film looked and felt different).
I don’t think Sorkin is a bad director, however he just lacks the chops to do the stories he’s trying to tell justice, and because he now serves as founder, mayor, and sheriff all rolled into one on the productions, the amount of people to creatively collaborate with is few. The film’s climax, what everything has been building toward and is treated as a bit of a twist reveal, should be intense and emotionally resonating, but the way Sorkin shows his cards makes it feel like just another event that is taking place with no additional stakes or weight.
That isn’t to say that there aren’t effective moments in the film. Right from the opening scene Sorkin gets your blood boiling by portraying the divides we face as a country, and how the internet has given a microphone to some people who do not deserve to have one. He also does a good job showing how much Facebook has grown since their days in a warehouse celebrating their one millionth member to operating like its own “post-government” country, and how much the site creeps into our lives whether we know it or not. When Frances reveals studies and stats, like how 64% of people who are members of political extremist groups on Facebook were sent to the pages via recommendations by the site’s own algorithm, you can’t help but feel anger toward the social media heads who are putting profits ahead of people. In “Social Network” all of the drama and tension came from the human interactions; in “Reckoning” it is stripped down to humans vs code.
“The Social Reckoning” was never going to be “The Godfather Part II” of sequels, nor does it try to be. And while I think it misses some of its bigger swings and doesn’t stick all the landings, it does a good job at doing what it sets out to, which is to make you mad at the current world and ask how we let our society get to this point. It should be as easy as turning off the laptop and putting down the phone, but as Sorkin shows us, the site isn’t just pictures of puppies and reconnecting with old friends anymore; it’s a news website and gathering place for some of the worst kinds of ideas, and someone needs to be the friction that upsets that apple cart before it’s too late.
Critics Rating: 7/10
