David Fincher’s 2010 film The Social Network is one of my favorite movies of all time. Every time I tell people about this, they are slightly surprised. After all, it is a movie about the creation of Facebook. But the film has been in my Letterboxd favorites list ever since I first saw it in 2022, and I have made multiple loved ones watch it, much to their chagrin.Â
This year, we are finally getting a sequel to my favorite movie. The Social Reckoning is scheduled to come out in October 2026. It stars the likes of Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison, and Jeremy Strong, and will follow how a former Facebook employee exposed some of the company’s biggest secrets. So, with The Social Reckoning’s release date approaching, I think now is a great time to be watching (or rewatching) The Social Network. Here are some of my favorite things about this movie.Â
Firstly, the cast. Everyone in The Social Network is perfectly cast, from the top-billed actors to extras in the background. Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg, is fantastic. He nails the social awkwardness and deadpan nature and brings a needed dose of pathos to a hard-to-sympathize-with figure. Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin is so likable in a sea of egomaniacs. Meanwhile, Justin Timberlake plays one of those said egomaniacs, Sean Parker, and is skin-crawlingly charismatic in the role. And that’s just three characters. Brenda Song, Rooney Mara, and Max Minghella are more standouts in a stacked cast. Everyone sinks into their roles and makes the movie feel real despite it being a very fictionalized “true story.”Â
The technical elements of this movie are another thing I love about it, namely the music and cinematography. Every scene is simply shot yet looks slick, and timeless because of that. The soundtrack, created by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails, is sparse, composed of synthesizers, light piano, and occasional guitar sounds. The heavy electronic influence suits how technology-focused the movie is, and the use of diegetic music (such as the Dead Kennedys’ “California Uber Alles”) situates the movie firmly in its various environments. While these parts of the movie are sometimes easy to overlook, they make the movie engaging in subtle, stylish ways.Â
Speaking of stylish, let’s talk about another great aspect of The Social Network: the script. Aaron Sorkin wrote this movie, and he is known for his very specific style of dialogue. It’s clever and sharp while still feeling realistic, and that is very present here. The movie’s first scene alone is a masterclass in miscommunication and tells us everything we need to know about Mark Zuckerberg. Alec Nevala-Lee explains what makes Sorkin’s dialogue so good in his article “The Aaron Sorkin Trick.” Sorkin keeps every character following their own train of thought, doubling back around in the conversation or answering questions late. As Nevala-Lee explains, this creates the “illusion of real thought” rather than sounding like characters are just reciting lines. This realistic yet stylized dialogue makes for incredibly quotable moments. From Eisenberg’s “You have part of my attention. You have the minimal amount” to Rooney Mara’s phenomenal monologue to the infamous “f*ck-you flip-flops” scene—it’s all so good and makes the movie endlessly rewatchable.Â
However, beyond just being entertaining, The Social Network holds up today as an important investigation into fulfillment and what makes people happy. The film ends with Mark sitting in an empty conference room, attempting to “friend” someone on Facebook, his own website. It’s a bleak image, but one that becomes somehow bleaker remembering that Mark did this to himself. He pushed away everyone who tried to be close to him, and while he might be a billionaire, he isn’t happy. It is an important reminder that pursuing success and money may be a temporary fix for loneliness, but it might just leave you feeling emptier in the end. Â
Hopefully, The Social Reckoning will be another favorite for me, with a great script and timeless commentary on the state of social media and the world. But until then, watch The Social Network! Hopefully you will fall in love with it too.Â