The Social Reckoning (2026) Movie Review

Solid turns from Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong can’t save The Social Reckoning from feeling like a waste of time.

That’ll leave those who are aware of these events feeling bored to death, with the only sparks of life being Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, and Jeremy Strong’s performances. 

Part of what made 2010’s The Social Network work so well is that it felt like a warning about just how powerful Facebook and social media could become, as screenwriter Aaron Sorkin took us through how the platform began. The same can’t be said of its standalone sequel, which has a script written by Sorkin that feels like something you’d find on Wikipedia with an obvious message that Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, and social media have turned into something monstrous. 

It’s a compelling message, but Sorkin’s script fails to deliver it in an engaging way. He gives his actors a riff on All the President’s Men (1978) and shouts action. Thus, you have a bunch of talented actors trying in vain to find the humanity in their characters, which leaves them coming off like robots. Wunmi Mosaku gave one of 2025’s best supporting turns in Sinners and The Social Reckoning saddles her with a character in Raya who has no individuality, only existing to be a member of Mark Zuckerberg’s (Jeremy Strong, of The Apprentice) legal counsel until Sorkin decides to give her some agency late in the film. 

Having a lack of character and narrative depth weakens what Sorkin is trying to say. His direction also doesn’t help matters. David Fincher created an environment throughout The Social Network that felt lived in and like he put viewers right back in 2003 through 2004. Everything about these environments Aaron Sorkin presents to us feels fake. Nowhere is that more apparent than in a scene between Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison, of Anora) and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White, of The Iron Claw). The duo is supposed to be on a beach in Puerto Rico, but it looks as if they were on a soundstage. 

There are beaches in Vancouver where the film was shot and yet Sorkin’s visuals are bland enough to make you believe that the beach background was inserted in post production. His constant use of close ups and static environments is also a tactic more suited for television than the big screen. Even without the comparisons to Fincher and what came before, you wouldn’t know that Sorkin could be a capable director by watching The Social Reckoning. 

The only signs of life in this film come from Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, and Jeremy Strong giving all they have to a script that provides them with very little to build off of. Madison follows up her Academy Award win with a performance that’s just as vulnerable as what she did in Anora. You can see the frustration, fear, and passion all over her face and in her body language. She captures the terrifying conflict of loving your job but wanting to do the right thing even if it costs you everything. It’s not easy bringing that to the screen and then she’s also asked to deliver a ton of information on top of that. While I don’t love the info dumps, Madison does make them feel natural, which I can’t say about everyone else in the film. 

She also has solid chemistry with Jeremy Allen White, who matches her every step of the way as Jeff Horwitz. I’m always a bit weary when actors portray reporters considering that’s what I do for a living, but I’ll admit that Allen White did a fantastic job. His portrayal of Horwitz wasn’t pretentious and he even made me laugh in a good way several times. Horwitz clearly cares about not only getting the truth to the public, but making sure Frances is okay. That’s part of what makes a good journalist, caring about the sources who put their trust in you as much as getting the story. I’m glad Sorkin got that right, even if I’m not a huge fan of The Social Reckoning as a whole. 

The biggest question mark I had going into this film actually surprised me. As talented as he is, I wasn’t certain Jeremy Strong could fill Jesse Eisenberg’s shoes as Mark Zuckerberg. It’s not an iconic turn from Strong, but he brings Zuckerberg to life quite well. When you consider the message of this film is basically that Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, and social media have become something monstrous that’ve altered the world as we know it, you’ll see how great Strong is. His portrayal is incredibly cold, calculated, and horrifying. When you think about Zuckerberg during this era and that United States Senate hearing, what stands out is how inhuman he seemed. This on screen version manages to be the exact same way, only out for himself, and not caring what happens to anyone else until he absolutely has to. It’s gut wrenching, but this film is so messy that you’ll likely forget that. 

The Social Reckoning shouldn’t exist. Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, and Jeremy Strong are excellent, but Aaron Sorkin’s pedestrian, boring script and mediocre direction undermine them and the film’s decent, unmistakable message.

The Social Reckoning will be released in US theaters and in UK & Irish cinemas on October 9, 2026.