“The Social Reckoning” is in theaters now (Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment).
1/2
(“The Social Reckoning” trailer courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment)
“The Social Network,” which came out in 2010 is a better film than “The Social Reckoning.”
However, “The Social Reckoning” is a much more important film that should be required viewing every two to four years, especially for those who participate in the voting process.
The year 2010 represented a simpler time in American politics.
Former President Barack Obama had spent approximately two years in the White House, and America believed it had become post-racial.
At that time, social media still unified people by reconnecting folks with childhood friends that they had lost touch with decades ago.
That is the world that “The Social Network” entered.
The movie became an instant classic with critics, average moviegoers and award voters.
Back in 2010, many people knew that Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg epitomized the word jerk.
However, few probably realized how much danger his arrogance and greed could put American democracy in.
In 2026, many sane Americans know how bad misinformation, outright political, racial and scientific lies and insane conspiracy theories are on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X and Threads.
Even with such knowledge of the political realities of the 21st century, a movie like “The Social Reckoning” is an ongoing warning about the dangers of misinformation and hatred.
And some of the jarring scenes in “The Social Reckoning” serve as a reminder about why everyone should have a voice, but why everyone should not have a microphone or a megaphone, especially if the person with the megaphone of lies is a sitting United States president.
In “The Social Network,” the film centers around Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg, “Justice League”) as he creates Facebook, based on an idea given to him by two Harvard classmates.
The original film focuses more on Mark and how his arrogance attempted to cheat his co-founders out of millions of dollars.
However, “The Social Reckoning” focuses more on Mark’s (Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice”) employees like Frances Haugen (Academy Award winner Mikey Madison, “Anora”), and how his arrogance might cheat the public out of unity, mental health, physical safety and democracy.
The prologue of “The Social Reckoning” begins with a powerful scene entitled, “White Girl Wasted.”
Now, anyone who has ever attended a high school party or college fraternity party might not believe that a wasted White girl is something newsworthy.
But a drunk White girl becomes newsworthy when they turn their encounter with two police officers of color into a chance to play the race card, pretending that White people are the true victims of racism in America.
For a drunk Black girl, the encounter would have probably ended in death at the hands of the police officers.
But for a White girl, especially in the age of misinformation and rising membership in alt-right hate groups, the encounter is just another viral social media sensation, that throws fuel onto the fire of racial division and animosity.
While race-baiting social media videos from White groups is nothing new on social media, it hits close to home for Frances in “The Social Reckoning,” because the wasted White girl who had a run-in with two Black and Brown cops in San Mateo, Calif. was a former friend of hers.
The wasted White girl once was a progressive Democrat who became made at her former political party when her candidate of choice did not win a nomination.
But somehow and some way, the wasted White girl became radicalized by alt-right hate groups on Facebook.
How this happened is something that perplexes Frances to the point where the Facebook employee begins doing her own research on how this happened to her former friend.
In “The Social Reckoning,” Frances discovers that Facebook’s algorithm is sending people towards hate groups and misinformation, which is beginning to radicalize many Americans who believe that they are getting factual information from the social media giant.
While Mark does not want to fact-check or censor any posts on Facebook because he is a free-speech absolutist, many detractors believe that his recipe for more engagement on Facebook is a recipe for disaster, especially during turbulent times, politically, scientifically and racially.
Despite the controversy surrounding Facebook’s new algorithm, the company is like Fort Knox when it comes to not letting outsiders infiltrate its ranks.
Executives warn Facebook employees not to talk to suspected journalists, especially Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White, “The Iron Claw”), an investigative journalist with the Wall Street Journal who has been tasked with investigating tech companies like Facebook.
While Jeff gets the cold shoulder from most of the Facebook employees that he cold calls, all he needs is one employee who is cold as ice to blow the whistle on an entire operation that is capable of more harm than anyone could have ever imagined.
Other than different legal scenarios, the obvious difference between “The Social Reckoning” and “The Social Network” is the fact that Strong portrays Zuckerberg and not Eisenberg.
While Strong’s portrayal will not be as iconic as Eisenberg (“I’m CEO B****), it does not take away from “The Social Reckoning.”
Strong’s Zuckerberg is obviously older.
But he is no less of an a-hole as he was in “The Social Reckoning.”
While Eisenberg was the star of “The Social Network,” the shining star of “The Social Reckoning” is Madison.
He role as the nerdy Frances is so different than her role as Ani in “Anora” that many will not realize it is the same actress unless they already knew before entering the theater.
“The Social Reckoning” might not resonate with news junkies who vividly remember the role social media played on politics in 2020.
Regardless, it is a reminder of how those in power are more powerful than they want to admit, and how susceptible the public is to their greed and desire for more money and power.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
- Movie Review: ‘731’ Another Film That is a Warning - September 26, 2025
