On the one hand, it's got that fantastic Aaron Sorkin rat-a-tat-tat back and forth dialogue, which I have always enjoyed. Steve Jobs, The Newsroom, Moneyball, The Social Network, The West Wing, A Few Good Men…come on, man, what’s not to love about heavy-handed, scenery-chewing banter?!? Can you not handle the truth?!? It's like watching Borg and McEnroe duke it out at Wimbledon!
On the other hand, watching obnoxious characters hellbent on proving their smarts is, well, really, really annoying.
And so, for perhaps 98.57% of the film, I was really, really annoyed ;-)
But then, one thing leads to another, "revenge is a dish best served cold," "integrity is worth falling on one's sword for," and just like that—bada bing, bada boom—I'm crying so loudly I let out an audible yelp to inhale (startling the old couple in front of me), and presto blammo: I became a fanboy once more.
In conclusion: for 2 hours and 18 minutes ye shall revile them, and then for 2 minutes ye shall swoon. Then exit the theater thinking, "Man, I absolutely loved that film," happily trading your mathematical prowess for magic show sentimentality.
