The Beta Test (Movie Review)

After just three features, Jim Cummings has proven himself to be a unique filmmaker both in front of and behind the camera. The only thing not unique about his films thus far is that they all tackle immensely flawed men, and let’s face it, flawed men in media are scarcely hard to come by. What separates Cumming’s voice from the rest is the heightened, abrasive and bizarre humor his characters embody. The Beta Test sees him tackling yet another genre throwback of a 90’s erotic thriller and the result is mixed, but when the social commentary bites…it undoubtedly leaves a mark.
Cummings stars as Jordan, a caustic Hollywood agent just weeks away from marrying his fiance Caroline (Virginia Newcomb) when he receives a purple envelope containing an invite to a hotel for a no strings attached sexual encounter. Jordan’s ego is already seemingly deflated by all the wedding planning and the evolving landscape of his career, so he decides to go through with the mysterious encounter. Shortly after, Jordan’s paranoia and guilt send him in a potentially destructive downward spiral as he attempts to learn who is behind the mysterious envelopes.

The world in which The Beta Test takes place feels like a bit of a dream. The opening shows a confrontation involving a woman who also indulged in a mystery encounter received in an envelope which sets the course of the movie with a tense perspective that things are going to go downhill quickly. Additionally, there are other casualties seen along the way. More “clients” are targeted by the colored envelopes and anonymous sexual encounters. The plot device here also highlights the social media aspect of the film in the wake of data harvesting combined with the collective fear of insecure men in the age of the “me too” movement. Throw all this into a blender and you’ve got a wide variety of tastes that form a potent satirical cocktail, but that’s bound to not be everyone’s cup of tea.

The Beta Test has a contempt for the Hollywood machine which is evident in its portrayal of Jordan and his profession in general. Early on, a potential client growls at Jordan that he’s part of a dying social network that people cannot wait to watch burn to the ground. However, as we see throughout, Jordan often hears inappropriate statements directed at him which may or may not be in his imagination. Jordan is an unpleasant and two-faced liar, and the world we see through his eyes is unreliable.

Cummings and co-writer/co-director PJ McCabe know that Jordan is such a…how to put it, a dick, and so they are aware of the balancing act to keep audiences hooked to his plight from beginning to end. And that is where The Beta Test’s biggest issues fall. Jordan is more or less irredeemable as a character. His smile is fake and easy to see through. Though semi-reluctant he still jumps at the opportunity to cheat on his fiancé. So why should we care what happens to him? The answer is, quite frankly, we don’t. Yet we do get to enjoy people pointing out his flaws and calling him out on his lies and reprehensible behavior.

In essence the need for catharsis is unburdened from the audience early on by the fact that we more or less know that it’s likely things are not going to end well for Jordan–just as they don’t end well for many more of the invite’s recipients. Cummings’s blend of humor takes you off guard in tense, uncomfortable moments. The Beta Test stumbles in an area that The Wolf of Snow Hollow succeeded: it gives this flawed man a chance to seem salvageable even without actually showing the salvation. Cummings and McCabe do attempt to show that Jordan can potentially be saved, but in the world of the movie it’s a stretch to see any kind of happy ending.

The Beta Test is itself a test to see if audiences can withstand a selfish self righteous man lie his way into seeming like a good person deep down. Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe have all the mechanics to operate this 90’s-esque erotic thriller, but fumble with the final handoff a bit as a lot of audiences’ patience will dwindle long before the finale. The Beta Test is still a showcase for Cummings as a talent on and off the camera and still spells hope for what might come next.