It’s been sixteen years just past to the day since David Fincher directed The Social Network, chronicling the birth of Facebook. Its dominance of the world of social media would just be getting started at that point, and I am not sure how much of what we have been through as a people since could have been foreseen. What started as simply a way for college students to connect after school (and we are not counting the “Hot or Not” chapter) became one powder keg after another. Even though that gap in time is not completely covered in The Social Reckoning, what could be the most important part of it is.
Aaron Sorkin chooses to direct this go around (he has written both films, with this one being based on The Facebook Files, published in The Wall Street Journal) as Jesse Eisenberg has handed the torch to Jeremy Strong to play Mark Zuckerberg in the 2019-2021 time frame, and he absolutely NAILS it. Honestly, I am not sure Eisenberg could have encapsulated this version of the eccentric (what could be debated as) founder of Facebook the way Strong does. He apparently went full method here (which as I am getting older, I am becoming less of a fan of from a human interaction standpoint), and the portrayal is borderline creepy. From his awkwardness when dealing with others to his awkward rage and seeming lack of care for the feelings of those in the room and behind the keyboard is spot-on, giving Sorkin’s mood that much more intensity.
Mikey Madison comes off her Academy Award-winning performance in Anora with another role that knocks it out of the park. Her portrayal of insider Frances Haugen is mesmerizing. Not knowing much about her or seeing any post-film images or footage makes the portrayal that much more focused (even Madison herself did not contact Haugen until after the film with a personal letter). Watching her character evolve over the length of the film from a girl that just wants to be heard to the young woman who needs to act on what is right could get her consideration again in March.
Add to that Jeremy Allen White as Washington, D.C. beat reporter turned into the guy tasked to look at Facebook in San Francisco (who also continues to be one of the most talented actors of this generation), Wunmi Mosaku as Zuckerberg’s crisis manager, and even a star turn by Bill Burr as a foil for Strong, and this film simply fires on all cylinders. One thing that avid Sorkin fans will notice here is his departure from overloading this film with his “walk and talk” sequences, and I for one am glad he did. His dialog has always carried the load for his productions, and keeping the camera tricks to a minimum really lets this script shine through. The Social Reckoning is simply a film that fully engages its audience from the jump and holds on without letting go until the house lights come up. Whether or not it gets the love and recognition that it so truly deserves will be seen as we are in the race to the end of 2026, don’t be surprised to see it toe-to-toe with the other top films of the year in the first quarter of next year.