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The Beta Test
Actor, writer, and director Jim Cummings, who made a strong impression with a squirm worthy 2018 film called Thunder Road, knocks it out of the park with a loopy and frightening look at office and sexual politics and social media's effect on same called The Beta Test that is so rich with so much cinematic panache that we're completely blown away by the incredible twist ending.
Cumming co-directed and co-wrote this 2021 erotic thriller with PJ McCabe, who appears in the film as his BFF PJ. Cummings plays Jordan Hines, an arrogant Hollywood agent who is engaged to be married in six weeks. One day in the mail, he receives an elegant invitation to a no-strings-attached sexual romp with an anonymous woman. After some soul searching, he decides to meet the woman, leading to an evening of sexual debauchery unlike anything Jordan has experienced, where both he and she remained blindfolded. They meet for a second time but after that, the woman seems to disappear, which sends Jordan into a meltdown unlike anything seen before.
Cummings is no stranger to squirm worthy cinema as anyone who has seen Thunder Road can attest. Cummings takes the squirm to a whole new level by creating a central character nothing like the character in Thunder Road. His character in that film had a pathetic aura
that evoked sympathy for him, but there is nothing pathetic about Jordan Hines...he is slick and self-absorbed and doesn't put anyone or anything above himself. He begins to imagine that every woman he crosses paths with might be this mystery woman and if he's not that thinking that, he keeps running into women he believes are part of his sexual history who never confirm or deny. Not to mention the brief scene of Hines filling out a form that came with the invitation that asks specific questions about his sexual proclivities.
Cummings and McCabe paint this character in straight shades of black for most of the running time. Every time we see a window of sympathy for this guy, it quickly closes. There's a truly stomach churning moment with an assistant in his office where he thinks he misheard something his assistant said the day before and then confronts her about it the next day in front of the office. Jordan's treatment of women in this film put me in mind of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, but even more repugnant now because of the climate we're living in.
Cummings and McCabe were provided a much bigger budget than Cummings was for Thunder Road, with standout art direction and film editing. With all the hats he was wearing, Cummings manages to deliver a mesmerizing performance in the starring role that had this reviewer invested from opening to closing credits. Not for all tastes, but startling and surprising entertainment for those who are game.
Actor, writer, and director Jim Cummings, who made a strong impression with a squirm worthy 2018 film called Thunder Road, knocks it out of the park with a loopy and frightening look at office and sexual politics and social media's effect on same called The Beta Test that is so rich with so much cinematic panache that we're completely blown away by the incredible twist ending.
Cumming co-directed and co-wrote this 2021 erotic thriller with PJ McCabe, who appears in the film as his BFF PJ. Cummings plays Jordan Hines, an arrogant Hollywood agent who is engaged to be married in six weeks. One day in the mail, he receives an elegant invitation to a no-strings-attached sexual romp with an anonymous woman. After some soul searching, he decides to meet the woman, leading to an evening of sexual debauchery unlike anything Jordan has experienced, where both he and she remained blindfolded. They meet for a second time but after that, the woman seems to disappear, which sends Jordan into a meltdown unlike anything seen before.
Cummings is no stranger to squirm worthy cinema as anyone who has seen Thunder Road can attest. Cummings takes the squirm to a whole new level by creating a central character nothing like the character in Thunder Road. His character in that film had a pathetic aura
that evoked sympathy for him, but there is nothing pathetic about Jordan Hines...he is slick and self-absorbed and doesn't put anyone or anything above himself. He begins to imagine that every woman he crosses paths with might be this mystery woman and if he's not that thinking that, he keeps running into women he believes are part of his sexual history who never confirm or deny. Not to mention the brief scene of Hines filling out a form that came with the invitation that asks specific questions about his sexual proclivities.
Cummings and McCabe paint this character in straight shades of black for most of the running time. Every time we see a window of sympathy for this guy, it quickly closes. There's a truly stomach churning moment with an assistant in his office where he thinks he misheard something his assistant said the day before and then confronts her about it the next day in front of the office. Jordan's treatment of women in this film put me in mind of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, but even more repugnant now because of the climate we're living in.
Cummings and McCabe were provided a much bigger budget than Cummings was for Thunder Road, with standout art direction and film editing. With all the hats he was wearing, Cummings manages to deliver a mesmerizing performance in the starring role that had this reviewer invested from opening to closing credits. Not for all tastes, but startling and surprising entertainment for those who are game.