There aren’t many screenwriters who have enjoyed as much success as Aaron Sorkin. From an early age, Sorkin had been fascinated with acting, films, and writing. He was actively involved in his High School’s drama and theater club, performing in different plays. Over the years, Sorkin has written for stage, film, and television.
Recognized for his writing style, Aaron Sorkin is one of few screenwriters to frequently use and popularize the “walk and talk” storytelling technique. The technique often involves characters having conversations while walking or having dialogues in natural, realistic environments. The Academy Award-winning, Emmy-nominated writer has written several successful screenplays. These are Aaron Sorkin’s top 6 screenplays.
A Few Good Men (1992)
The Rob Reiner-directed legal drama film A Few Good Men (1992) was one of the most successful films in that genre in the early 90s. The screenplay was written solely by Aaron Sorkin, who based it on his 1989 play of the same name, which he had also written. It was Sorkin’s screenwriting debut in film. Sorkin’s idea to write the original story was conceived while on a phone call with his older sister, who’s a lawyer. She mentioned a case she was going to defend in Guantanamo Bay.
With no laptops in the 80s, Sorkin wrote much of the original story on a cocktail napkin before typing them into the newly purchased Macintosh 512K he and his roommates had bought. A Few Good Men grossed $243.2 million on a $33–40 million budget. The film also gave Aaron Sorkin his first nomination at the Golden Globe Awards. He was nominated for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture at the 50th Golden Globe Awards in 1993. He lost to Bo Goldman‘s 1992 Scent of a Woman screenplay.
The American President (1995)
The American President (1995) was Aaron Sorkin’s third feature film screenplay and the second time working with director Rob Reiner in a film. The film cast Michael Douglas as its lead character, President Andrew Shepherd, and Annette Bening as Sydney Ellen Wade, a lawyer, lobbyist, and love interest of the United States president. Sorkin revealed in a 2001 interview with TV Guide that he had been high on crack cocaine while writing The American President‘s screenplay. The addiction eventually made him take three years to write. However, The American President received positive reviews from critics and was embraced by film audiences. The American President (1995) performed moderately at the Box Office, grossing $107.9 million on a $62 million budget. Sorkin was again nominated for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture at the 1996 Golden Globe Awards.
The West Wing (1999–2006)
The NBC serial political drama The West Wing is one of the most successful TV shows of the 2000s. Created by Aaron Sorkin, The West Wing originally aired from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The show was a critic favorite, with unanimous praise for its writing. It is ranked tenth on the Writers Guild of America’s “101 Best-Written TV Series” list. The West Wing received a total of 26 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, with Sorkin getting 10 of them. Of his 10 nominations, including the show’s 2020 special reunion episode “A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote,” Aaron Sorkin won five.
The Social Network (2010)
Aaron Sorkin based his The Social Network screenplay on Ben Mezrich‘s 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires. The Social Network is one of the century’s best films and the best-adapted screenplays of a biographical film about tech billionaires. Sorkin’s screenplay for the film was ranked the third greatest of the century by the Writers Guild of America. The Social Network was a massive success at the Box Office, earning $224.9 million on a $40 million budget. The film’s screenplay gave Sorkin his first Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Sorkin won his nomination at the 83rd Academy Awards. Similarly, Sorkin won Best Adapted Screenplay at the BAFTA Awards and his first Golden Globe Award win for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture.
Steve Jobs (2015)
Five years after writing a Screenplay based on the founding of Facebook and the life of Mark Zuckerberg, Aaron Sorkin returned with a biographical drama about Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs. Although a financial disappointment, Steve Jobs was critically acclaimed, with special praise for Sorkin’s screenplay. The film starred Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs, Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak, and Kate Winslet as Joanna Hoffman. Aaron Sorkin received nominations for his screenplay at the BAFTA Awards and won his nomination at the Golden Globe Awards.
Molly’s Game (2017)
Actress Jessica Chastain played the titular character, Molly Bloom in the biographical crime drama Molly’s Game (2017). Aaron Sorkin adapted the screenplay from Molly Bloom’s 2014 memoir. Molly’s Game was also Sorkin’s feature film directorial debut. The film almost doubled its $30 million production budget, grossing $59.3 million at the Box Office. Sorkin’s adapted screenplay received praise from critics and several accolades. After Moneyball (co-written with Steven Zaillian), Molly’s Game became Sorkin’s third Academy Awards nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Aaron Sorkin also received similar recognition at the Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA Awards.
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