As Aaron Sorkin's "The Social Reckoning" continues its slow rollout to critics, more early reactions are popping up online. I'm scheduled to see the film on Monday, but so far, the consensus seems to be that it's rather mid — more reactions below.
Sorkin is directing this one himself, and none of his three previous films, "Molly's Game," "The Trial of the Chicago 7," and "Being the Ricardos," came anywhere close to the obsessive precision Fincher brought to "The Social Network." Add Alexandre Desplat stepping in for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on score duty, and Jeremy Strong taking over Zuckerberg after Jesse Eisenberg passed, and you’re just asking for the inevitable comparisons.
A few days ago, a press colleague caught "The Social Reckoning," and the verdict confirmed my worries. Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White carry the film, and Jeremy Strong is solid in limited screen time. The problems are familiar: flat, TV-like visuals, an overbearing Desplat score, and a January 6th riot sequence that looks cheap next to "Chicago 7."
It's an angry message movie about Facebook's algorithm fueling extremism.
By the way, "The Social Reckoning" cost around $50 million, and it's currently tracking in the low single digits for its opening weekend: $4–6 million. Yikes. The only other major wide release that weekend is "Other Mommy," a horror film starring Jessica Chastain, and it will probably make triple what Sorkin's Facebook movie does.
No, really: who asked for this movie? Sony thought it had an Oscar contender and greenlit the project expecting it to be part of the awards conversation. Despite what will likely amount to middling reviews, the Academy does have a soft spot for Sorkin, so you never know. Still, plenty of shade is being thrown its way.
Speaking of shade, Aaron Sorkin could have used a little more of it. The Oscar winner showed up to the London gala screening of "The Social Reckoning" on Tuesday, and somehow the story ended up being his face, which was bronzed to a degree I can only describe as alarming.
So far, the consensus seems to be that it's rather mid. Comparisons to David Fincher's "The Social Network" show up in almost every reaction.