The reviews are out for The Social Reckoning, Aaron Sorkin's follow-up to The Social Network, and critics are sharply divided on the Facebook drama days before it opens in US theatres this week.
The film holds a 71% positive rating from 48 critics on Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 6.4 out of 10, while Metacritic assigns it 52 out of 100 based on 32 critics — a "mixed or average" verdict. The review embargo lifted on October 7, ahead of the film's theatrical debut.
A companion, not quite a sequel
Written and directed by Sorkin, the film exists alongside rather than directly continuing David Fincher's 2010 original. It dramatises the 2021 Facebook leaks, with Mikey Madison playing whistleblower Frances Haugen and Jeremy Allen White as Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, whose reporting exposed that the company was aware of the harmful societal effects of its platforms. Jeremy Strong takes over the role of Mark Zuckerberg — Jesse Eisenberg declined to return — alongside Bill Burr, Betty Gilpin, Billy Magnussen and Wunmi Mosaku. The film had its world premiere at London's Curzon Mayfair on September 29.
What the critics are saying
The Arizona Republic's Bill Goodykoontz gave the film three out of five stars, calling it "a good movie that could have been a great one". He praised Sorkin's Oscar-winning screenplay instincts but found his direction clunky and bombastic, arguing the film mixes melodrama into a story that "doesn't need" it — though he singled out Strong as outstanding in limited screen time.
The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney was warmer, calling it "sharp entertainment" with Sorkin's "signature rapid-fire, garrulous dialogue", while Variety's Guy Lodge compared it unfavourably with its predecessor on both messaging and lead performances. The consensus emerging: strong performances and crackling dialogue, weighed down by flat direction and the impossible shadow of the original.
Sources: Arizona Republic — 'The Social Reckoning' is no 'The Social Network.' Why it fell short | Metacritic — The Social Reckoning
The film holds a 71% positive rating from 48 critics on Rotten Tomatoes with an average score of 6.4 out of 10, while Metacritic assigns it 52 out of 100 based on 32 critics — a "mixed or average" verdict. The review embargo lifted on October 7, ahead of the film's theatrical debut.
A companion, not quite a sequel
Written and directed by Sorkin, the film exists alongside rather than directly continuing David Fincher's 2010 original. It dramatises the 2021 Facebook leaks, with Mikey Madison playing whistleblower Frances Haugen and Jeremy Allen White as Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, whose reporting exposed that the company was aware of the harmful societal effects of its platforms. Jeremy Strong takes over the role of Mark Zuckerberg — Jesse Eisenberg declined to return — alongside Bill Burr, Betty Gilpin, Billy Magnussen and Wunmi Mosaku. The film had its world premiere at London's Curzon Mayfair on September 29.
What the critics are saying
The Arizona Republic's Bill Goodykoontz gave the film three out of five stars, calling it "a good movie that could have been a great one". He praised Sorkin's Oscar-winning screenplay instincts but found his direction clunky and bombastic, arguing the film mixes melodrama into a story that "doesn't need" it — though he singled out Strong as outstanding in limited screen time.
The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney was warmer, calling it "sharp entertainment" with Sorkin's "signature rapid-fire, garrulous dialogue", while Variety's Guy Lodge compared it unfavourably with its predecessor on both messaging and lead performances. The consensus emerging: strong performances and crackling dialogue, weighed down by flat direction and the impossible shadow of the original.
Sources: Arizona Republic — 'The Social Reckoning' is no 'The Social Network.' Why it fell short | Metacritic — The Social Reckoning
