Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning just screened for critics, and they all agree on one thing about Jeremy Strong’s Zuckerberg. Early reactions range from praise for the performances to concerns about Sorkin’s direction in this companion piece to The Social Network.
The Social Reckoning gets its first reactions
The Social Reckoning, Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to The Social Network, has now received its first reactions from critics. Meanwhile, early responses range from positive to mixed ahead of the film’s Oct. 9 theatrical release from Sony Pictures.
Film critic Tom Chatalbash called it “a timely and compelling companion piece to The Social Network.” He praised Jeremy Strong as “a ferocious force as Zuckerberg” and noted that Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White are “quietly magnetic.” However, he found Sorkin’s direction “rather flat” and called it “a good, just not great film.”
Awards Radar editor Joey Magidson wrote that the film “still fully engaged me.” He added that “a slow and steady build leads to a climax that suitably got my blood boiling.” Meanwhile, critic Manuel São Bento placed it on “the same pedestal as The Social Network” and called Madison “excellent as a whistleblower driven by love, not spite.”
The film dramatizes the 2021 Facebook leak by whistleblower Frances Haugen and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz. Madison and White star as Haugen and Horwitz, respectively. The cast also includes Wunmi Mosaku, Betty Gilpin, Billy Magnussen, and Bill Burr.
Strong’s casting as Zuckerberg drew significant attention, as Jesse Eisenberg originally turned down the role. Eisenberg told Variety, “I don’t want to be associated with that character.” Sorkin told Vanity Fair he spent three days trying to convince Eisenberg to return. He said Eisenberg “did not want to be conflated with Mark Zuckerberg anymore.”
Not all reactions were favorable. Critic Paul Klein called it “a shrug of a film” that “misses the Fincher magic.” Another critic noted the film “should never have been marketed in connection with The Social Network” because it sets expectations too high.
