Aaron Sorkin continues Social Reckoning excuse tour: "I have no visual sensibility, it turns out"

Now that the film is mostly out of theaters, Sorkin continues to praise all the people he hoped would make the movie but ultimately did not. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast at Newport Beach Film Festival, Sorkin continued his sales tactic, which boils down to: I would’ve rather someone else directed and acted in this movie. “I was my second choice to direct it,” he admitted. “I would have rather David Fincher directed it—I would rather David Fincher direct everything—but David has an exclusive deal at Netflix, and this was owned by Sony.” Stranger still, amid talking about teaching screenwriting and believing there are parts of the craft that cannot be taught, he confesses that he lacks a certain directorial je ne sais quoi. He continues: 

“From time to time, I get to speak with screenwriting students, and I’ll be asked, ‘Is screenwriting something that can be taught?’ And the answer is, ‘There are parts of screenwriting—important parts—that can be taught and can be learned, but there are parts that can’t be. And those parts that can’t be? That’s usually what we mean when we use the word “talent.” I’m very worried that the parts of directing that I’m not good at are those parts that you can’t learn.'”

He adds, “I was surprised by how little of the science of filmmaking I’d managed to absorb[…]I have no visual sensibility, it turns out.” 

While we appreciate the candor with which one of the successful screenwriters on Earth discusses his shortcomings, it’s not an effective pitch for a new release. Anyway, run, don’t walk, to The Social Reckoning, Aaron Sorkin’s new film that lacks a visual sensibility.