New Delhi: Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning has barely arrived, and audiences are already comparing it with its predecessor, David Fincher’s 2010 film The Social Network, which was written by Sorkin. While some viewers have questioned the decision to market the new film in connection with the critically acclaimed original, others are struggling to accept Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg, a role previously played by Jesse Eisenberg, whose performance earned him an Oscar nomination.
Online reactions to the film have been divided. Some viewers have praised Sorkin’s writing and the performances of Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White, while others have found the film lacking when measured against The Social Network. Strong’s portrayal of Zuckerberg, in particular, has emerged as one of the biggest points of contention.
“It not only sets too high an expectation but also misrepresents this film. While Jeremy Allen White puts in a career-best performance and Sorkin’s writing is on top form, Jeremy Strong’s Zuck feels like a caricature and weirdly one that I feel the film would greatly benefit from removing,” one user wrote on X.
Another viewer was similarly unimpressed, writing: “THE SOCIAL RECKONING is a far cry from David Fincher’s 2010 masterpiece and though Jeremy Strong owns Zuckerberg, its relevance is sorely lacking and Aaron Sorkin can’t seem to get out of his own way with the screenplay. Ah, well.”
But not everyone said The Social Reckoning should be judged against The Social Network.
“It’s no Social Network, don’t think it’s fair to compare the two cuz they’re so different from each other. Network has more personality than Reckoning, the music & actors performances biggest indicator of that. Pretty watchable movie, just never ‘goes for it’ like Network did,” another viewer wrote.
The Social Reckoning follows whistleblower Frances Haugen, played by Mikey Madison, and The Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White, as they investigate Facebook in 2021. Their reporting drew attention to internal research documenting the platform’s potential harm to teenagers’ mental health and its role in the spread of misinformation.
Strong takes over the role of Zuckerberg after Eisenberg, who played the Meta founder in the original film, declined to return. The casting change has itself become a talking point, with some viewers describing replacing Eisenberg as a “suicide mission”.
“Trying to replace Jesse Eisenberg’s Mark Zuckerberg was always a suicide mission, but the problem with The Social Reckoning isn’t just Jeremy Strong,” one user wrote.
Others have been more blunt about Strong’s performance.
“I kept thinking Jeremy Strong was playing Zuckerberg as paralysed from the waist down until about an hour into The Social Reckoning when he finally stood up,” another viewer posted.
Also read: Rekha is still hot. Beauty police have no notes
Jeremy Strong is not Zuckerberg
“Tbh, when I saw this casting, I knew it wasn’t gonna work. Jeremy Strong is a great actor, but he isn’t Mark Zuckerberg,” another user wrote.
While Strong’s portrayal of Zuckerberg has divided viewers, Madison and White have emerged as the performances attracting more consistent praise.
“I actually enjoyed Aaron Sorkin’s legal thriller The Social Reckoning… Mikey Madison & Jeremy Allen White are fantastic,” one viewer wrote.
Another, however, argued that the pair were doing their best to rescue the film, writing: “Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White do their best to save what is ultimately an unsavable disaster. Terribly edited, loosely written, painfully boring.”
“We liked watching Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White figure out what they could prove,” another viewer wrote.
One audience member summed up the mixed reaction more simply: “Quite enjoyed The Social Reckoning, didn’t have a clue what they were on about for most of the film but Mikey Madison was great!”