THE SOCIAL ONES -- A Shallow and Misguided Social Media Mockumentary

Review by Camden Ferrell

The Social Ones is a mockumentary that serves as the directorial debut for Laura Kosann. While it is definitely crafted for a modern audience, this film often finds itself guilty of the same flaws and vanity as the subject that it is trying to satirize.
 
This movie follows a group of social media influencers as they deal with their own personal struggles as the prepare for a major group photoshoot. This is a movie that was made for today’s audience, and this is a subject that is ripe for satire, but the movie doesn’t address these topics in a truly engaging or creative way.
 
The mockumentary style is one that has been around for several decades, but this movie feels like an emulation of other great mockumentaries. It never feels like it’s developing its own unique style, but it comes off as a rip-off of better works. There are far too many talking heads to make this an engaging film, and it is underwhelming.
 
The acting is mostly amiss throughout. While this is a satire, the overacting in this movie is sometimes difficult to watch. It isn’t bonkers enough to be funny, and it’s too much to be subtle. There is a certain hesitation and restraint in many of the performances that make them more cringy than funny. However, Colton Ryan plays a Snapchat influencer, and he has a handful of funny moments that were fairly rare in this movie. 

Throughout this movie, we see influencers from all walks of life. There is a food blogger, a lifestyle influencer, a photographer, and a self-described “Meme god”. This is a fairly accurate portrait of the social media landscape today, but the movie boils them down to two-dimensional elements rather than exploiting its absurdity in a more meaningful way. While mockumentaries are supposed to do this, there is a certain level of realism that is to be expected, and this movie doesn’t really deliver on that.
 
However, it is admirable for this movie to address and satirize social media influencers. Not too many movies aim to do this, and it’s somewhat refreshing to see this subject in a movie. Unfortunately, after watching this, maybe this a subject that shouldn’t be explored quite yet. The movie often finds itself guilty of the shallowness and absurdity that it is trying to satirize.
 
The film doesn’t lack the pacing at all. It’s fairly short and never drags, but it isn’t particularly entertaining either. A lot of the elements seem out of control and not fully realized. It’s an underwhelming mockumentary, and it’s one that could have been executed better.
 
The Social Ones touches on many modern and relevant themes but doesn’t have much to say about them. It may be entertaining to some members of Gen Z, but it may have a hard time finding an audience elsewhere.
 
The Social Ones is available on VOD March 3rd.
 
Rating: 2/5