'The Social Reckoning' Faces Criticism from Both Political Sides

Aaron Sorkin's latest film, "The Social Reckoning," a follow-up to the acclaimed "The Social Network," has been met with a divided critical reception, drawing sharp criticism from across the political spectrum and a lukewarm overall response. The movie, which delves into Facebook's role in American politics, currently holds a 61% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, a notable drop from the 96% achieved by its 2010 predecessor.

Early reactions to the film's trailer, which featured Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg being questioned by a comedian's character about free speech and user responsibility, highlighted partisan divides. Conservative critics, such as Outkick writer Ian Miller, perceived the trailer as tone-deaf, suggesting it portrayed the advocate for ideological enforcement as the hero and Zuckerberg as the villain.

Film critics have also voiced strong opinions. Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail described the movie as "insipid, ugly, flat" and "despicably bad," while Variety noted that the film "badly missed" the original's director, David Fincher, and "already feels behind the curve." Wired magazine's review called the new film "irrelevant," pointing out that its narrative blames Facebook for the spread of election conspiracy theories and the events of January 6, 2021, including the failure to remove Donald Trump's account.

Journalist Stephen Silver characterized the film as an "old-man-yells-at-cloud treatment of Facebook," arguing that Sorkin's premise that Facebook's primary failure was insufficient censorship in the 2010s is flawed. Silver contended that individuals, not solely the platform, are responsible for their online actions and that government intervention via reforms to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is not the solution.

Other reviews, such as from SFGate, suggested that while some political points land, the movie falls short of its predecessor. The BBC awarded the film two out of five stars, deeming it unlikely to sway opinions, and The Guardian offered a mixed review, calling it a film that "doesn't reckon with the future we're living in."

Despite the widespread criticism, a review from the San Francisco Chronicle praised "The Social Reckoning" as a "stirring journalistic thriller."

David Bozell, president of the Media Research Center, commented on the film's political slant, stating, "It says everything you need to know about Aaron Sorkin and the Hollywood elite that they would make a movie suggesting Big Tech’s real failure was not censoring conservatives enough." Bozell acknowledged that Meta has made efforts to move toward a more open platform and that Zuckerberg deserves some credit for redirecting the company away from past censorship issues. He added that Hollywood appears to be addressing outdated battles, while Americans are increasingly fatigued by censorship and ideological gatekeeping.

"The Social Network," released in 2010, focused on Facebook's founding and ensuing legal battles, earning critical acclaim and three Academy Awards. "The Social Reckoning," written and directed by Sorkin, explores the platform's more recent impact on political discourse.