Aaron Sorkin's follow-up to The Social Network, titled The Social Reckoning, is receiving harsh critiques from critics across the political spectrum alongside mixed reviews. The film, which explores Facebook's role in American politics, has earned a 61% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes as of Thursday evening, a sharp contrast to its predecessor's 96% positive rating and three Oscar wins.
The controversy stems from the film's portrayal of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jeremy Strong, defending online free speech in a scene with a character played by Bill Burr. Conservative critics have mocked the trailer for what they view as a biased depiction of the CEO. Ian Miller, a writer for OutKick, described the trailer as tone-deaf, arguing it portrays the person making sense as the villain while casting the advocate for ideological enforcement as the hero.
Film critics have also panned the production. Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail called it one of the most insipid and ugly films of the year, labeling it an insufferably sanctimonious fantasia. In his review, Hertz argued the movie is so bad it might convert even hardcore Facebook haters into believers. Variety noted that the film badly missed the direction of David Fincher, who helmed the original, and already feels behind the curve. Wired magazine described the new film as irrelevant, noting its opening scene involves a woman arrested for threatening police with racist insults. The article highlights that the film blames Facebook's failure to address election fraud theories or remove Donald Trump's account for the January 6 capitol riot.
Stephen Silver, a journalist and film critic, dismissed the movie as an old-man-yells-at-cloud treatment of Facebook. Silver noted that Sorkin argues Facebook was not censorious enough in the 2010s and that the government should reform Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Silver rejected the premise that Facebook is primarily responsible for American political extremism or January 6, maintaining that individuals remain responsible for their own online actions.
Lindsey Bahr of SFGate wrote that while certain political aspects hit the mark, the movie falls far short of its predecessor. IndieWire panned both the script and performances, while The BBC gave it two out of five stars, suggesting it is unlikely to influence anyone. The Guardian dismissed it as a film that does not reckon with the current future. Even positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were tepid; The Seattle Times called it a snappy but pale imitation of The Social Network.
David Bozell, President of the Media Research Center, criticized the film's political messaging in comments to Fox News Digital. Bozell stated that the movie suggests Big Tech's real failure was not censoring conservatives enough. He noted that his organization spent years exposing how Facebook suppressed conservative voices and claimed they were right to do so. Bozell argued that Zuckerberg deserves credit for redirecting Meta away from censorship abuses and that Hollywood is fighting yesterday's battle. He added that Americans are tired of government-imposed censorship and Big Tech deciding which political views are allowed.
Among the more favorable assessments, The San Francisco Chronicle praised The Social Reckoning as a stirring journalistic thriller.