Honestly, if you missed the boat on The Circle with Tom Hanks when it hit theaters back in 2017, I don't blame you. Most critics absolutely shredded it. It’s got a 15% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is basically the "stay away" zone for anything starring an A-lister. But here’s the thing. Watching it now, years later, feels less like a failed techno-thriller and more like a documentary that accidentally leaked from the future.
It's weird.
The movie stars Emma Watson as Mae Holland, a girl who lands a "dream job" at a company called The Circle. Think Google meets Facebook, but with a campus that looks like a high-end yoga retreat and a corporate culture that feels a bit like a cult. Tom Hanks plays Eamon Bailey, the charismatic co-founder. He’s not a mustache-twirling villain. He’s the "cool dad" CEO. He wears sweaters. He talks about community. He makes you feel like privacy is just a selfish way of hoarding experiences from the rest of the world.
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What Most People Get Wrong About Eamon Bailey
When people talk about The Circle with Tom Hanks, they usually focus on how "unrealistic" the tech is. Or they complain that Hanks is too nice to be the bad guy. But that is exactly the point.
The movie wasn't trying to give us a Bond villain. It was trying to show us how easy it is to give up our rights when the person asking for them is someone we trust. Hanks uses that "America's Dad" energy to sell a nightmare. He introduces "SeeChange"—these tiny, marble-sized cameras that can be placed anywhere. The pitch? Accountability. If everyone is watching, no one can commit a crime. If everyone is transparent, there are no secrets.
"Secrets are lies. Sharing is caring. Privacy is theft."
That’s the company motto. It sounds catchy until you actually think about it for more than two seconds.
The film's most chilling moments aren't the big explosions (there aren't many). It's the small stuff. Like when Mae’s coworkers corner her because she didn't post about her weekend or join the "Lupus Awareness" group on the company’s internal social network. It's that "mandatory fun" vibe taken to a lethal extreme. You've probably felt a version of this in your own life—the pressure to document every meal or every sunset just to prove you were there.
The Real-World Tech That Caught Up to the Movie
When the film came out, the idea of "going transparent" (wearing a camera 24/7) seemed like a reach.
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Now? We have people streaming their entire lives on TikTok and Twitch. We have smart glasses. We have ring cameras on every porch. The "SoulSearch" program in the movie—where the community uses the Circle’s network to find anyone on the planet in under 20 minutes—basically exists via OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) and social media sleuthing.
Why the Mercer Scene Still Stings
There is a specific scene involving Mae’s friend Mercer, played by Ellar Coltrane. He just wants to be left alone. He makes things out of deer antlers. He’s the "off-the-grid" guy. When Mae tries to "help" him by showing the world his work via The Circle, the internet turns on him. They track him down. They chase him with drones while he's driving.
It’s a brutal look at how "community" can quickly turn into a lynch mob. The movie shows the death of the individual in the face of the collective, and honestly, it’s a lot more relevant in 2026 than it was in 2017.
A Cast That Deserved a Better Script
It’s actually wild how much talent was packed into this 110-minute runtime:
- Emma Watson: Bringing that post-Harry Potter earnestness that makes her descent into the cult of transparency actually believable.
- Tom Hanks: Playing against type as a soft-spoken manipulator.
- John Boyega: As Ty, the original creator of the tech who realizes he's created a monster. (The movie kinda wastes him, if we're being real).
- Karen Gillan: As Annie, the high-achieving friend who slowly crumbles under the weight of the company's expectations.
- Bill Paxton: In his final film role. He plays Mae's father, who has MS. His performance is one of the few truly grounded, emotional anchors in the movie.
The problem wasn't the actors. It was the "murky" message, as some critics put it. The book by Dave Eggers has a much darker, more cynical ending. The movie tries to have it both ways—showing the dangers of tech while trying to give us a "hero moment" for Mae that feels a bit unearned.
Is It Worth a Rewatch?
If you want a polished, high-octane thriller, maybe skip it. But if you're interested in how the "nice guys" of Silicon Valley actually operate, The Circle with Tom Hanks is a fascinating case study. It captures that specific brand of "toxic positivity" that defines modern corporate culture.
The film serves as a reminder that the most dangerous tools aren't usually forced on us. We buy them. We charge them every night. We carry them in our pockets.
Actionable Insights for Your Digital Life
- Audit your "Mandatory Fun": If a social platform makes you feel guilty for not posting, it's not a community; it's a metric-driver.
- Check your transparency settings: The movie’s "SeeChange" is just a step beyond modern smart-home ecosystems. Take ten minutes to look at what permissions your apps actually have.
- Watch the Ending Again: Pay attention to Mae’s final decision. Is she actually taking down the system, or just becoming the new face of it? There's a lot of debate on whether the ending is actually a "win" or a total surrender.
Don't let the 15% Rotten Tomatoes score totally scare you off. It’s a flawed movie, sure. But in a world where privacy is becoming a luxury item, it's a conversation worth having over some popcorn.