Movie Monday: The Circle

We've really been on a movie roll lately, seeing so many movies I can barely keep up with reviews! We kind of go in streaks, depending on how many good TV shows are on at the time - late summer is always a lull. Our college-aged son was home sick last week, so to cheer him up, we rented a movie Saturday night that we've all been wanting to see: The Circle, starring Tom Hanks and Emma Watson. We all enjoyed this creepy movie about social media gone mad, based on a Dave Eggers novel by the same name.

Emma Watson plays Mae, a young twenty-something woman who is very sweet and a bit shy and devoted to her family. Her dad, played by Bill Paxton, has MS; her mom, played by Glenne Headley, takes care of him as his disease progresses; and Mae lives at home so she can help, too. At the start of the movie, Mae is working as an anonymous customer service rep in a dead-end job, until her best friend, Annie, suggests she apply for a job at The Circle, the huge tech/social media company where she works. Mae gets the job, and her life begins to change dramatically.

The sprawling campus of The Circle is similar to what I have heard the main headquarters for Google and Facebook are like, with employees using bikes in between buildings, beautiful landscaping, and all kinds of extras for employees, like parks and amphitheaters and play areas. Although she is still in customer service, Mae's job is much different, too, with constant electronic monitoring and a spiffy grading system that gives her instantaneous feedback on her performance. Her co-workers are also very different - pleasant and welcoming, encouraging Mae to stop going home on the weekends and spend more time at The Circle in her off-hours, too. There are parties and live bands and more right there on campus.

Soon, Mae is swept up in life at The Circle and keeping in touch with her parents only through video chats. Her childhood friend, Mercer, doesn't approve of her new job or lifestyle - he prefers the simple, unconnected life. Mae is impressed when she meets the head of the company, Eamon Bailey, played by Tom Hanks, though she is beginning to get an inkling that all of this connectedness might have a downside. When Bailey asks her to take part in a social media experiment, though, and offers to include her parents and add them to the very generous company health plan, Mae is all in. As you might guess, things don't go quite as planned as the openness and connections the company touts are taken to new heights.

We all enjoyed this taut drama. It's suspenseful - not in a horror-story way but in a I-know-this-won't-turn-out-well way that makes it very compelling. Besides the growing tension, it is also an intelligent and thoughtful look at our own modern society and how our craze for sharing our lives 24/7 could easily get out of hand. Issues of privacy, ethics, and freedom are explored. And of course, the cast is excellent, especially Watson and Hanks. The Circle is a cautionary tale that is highly entertaining.

The Circle is now out on DVD and available to stream on Amazon, starting at $4.99.