subject: Aaron Sorkin At The Movies [print this page] This past Christmas, television aficionados were given a delightful surprise when the landmark NBC show "The West Wing" finally found it's way to instant streaming on Netflix. The show, which won the Emmy Award for Best Drama Series four years running, was highly acclaimed for its fast-paced and witty dialogue, its cultural relevancy and its unabashed efforts to raise awareness of political issues. The series was masterminded by Aaron Sorkin, who was fresh off a show that received similar acclaim but far inferior ratings, "Sports Night." Many television critics would place Sorkin high a top any list of the great television minds of his generation. Television is not the only medium Sorkin has tried his hand at however. Throughout his career, Sorkin has written six screenplays. Some have earned him tremendous acclaim, others not so much. Here are brief looks at the six films Aaron Sorkin has penned.
A Few Good Men
Aaron Sorkin's first screenplay, about a hotshot Navy lawyer attempting to save two enlisted men wrongly accused of murder, was based on his own play, which was a Broadway hit. The film, directed by Rob Reiner, displayed Sorkin's natural ear for dialogue, sardonic humor and legalese. The film was nominated for Best Picture. Sorkin was curiously snubbed in the screenplay race.
Malice
For his next film, Sorkin paired with acclaimed screenwriter Scott Frank ("Minority Report," "Out of Sight") for this dark crime thriller directed by Harold Becker. Among Sorkin's ouevre, this is Sorkin's most largely forgotten work. The film received decidedly mixed reviews, many complaining about how much was jampacked into the film's brief running time.
The American President
After "Malice," Sorkin went back into his element with this Capraesque romantic comedy about a widowed President of the United States who starts dating a lobbyist, opening himself up to character attacks shortly before the election. Sorkin reteamed with Rob Reiner for this whimsical, hilarious and romantic political fable. Interesting trivia: Many of the subplots that Sorkin ditched during the writing of this film became storylines for "The West Wing."
Charlie Wilson's War
Thanks to his blossoming television career, it would take twelve years after "The American President" for Sorkin's name to return to the credits on the silver screen. The results were frankly underwhelming, but to no fault of Sorkin's. His script, which detailed the true life remarkable story about a boozing Texas Congressman who helped Afghani civilians fight off the Russians during the Cold War, was razor sharp and moving. It was Mike Nichols' pedestrian direction which left something to be desired.
The Social Network
If Sorkin suffered from a mediocre visual treatment the previous time around, it certainly wasn't going to happen with filmmaker extraordinaire David Fincher behind the lens the next time around. The two teamed together to make a film about the first years of social media giant facebook. Fincher's direction was exceptional, as was Sorkin's "Rashomon" like script. Many have labeled the film as one of the very best of the new century. The Oscars seemed to agree: Sorkin won Best Adapted Screenplay.
Moneyball
For the second time, the notoriously prickly Sorkin teamed with another writer on a project, this time with another Oscar winning writer, Steve Zaillian ("The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," "Schindler's List). Along with being a political geek, Sorkin is also a sports geek, and this project, about a Major League Baseball general manager seeking to salvage his team from the doldrums by using a mathematical formula, was tailor made for him. The two writers received Oscar nominations for their work on this film.
