The Beta Test (2021) Review

Picture this. It’s a normal day. You carry out your usual routine; wake up, shower, cup of coffee. Nothing out of the ordinary. You go to pick up the mail and there it is. An extravagant purple envelope with golden calligraphy addressed directly to you.

Intriguing yes, but it only gets more compelling as you slide your finger within to extract the contents.

An anonymous letter – inviting you to a no strings attached, one time sexual encounter. Would you accept? Whilst there may be a hint of temptation, I’m sure for most this would be drowned out by the din of alarm bells. Yet for some, the promise of such an exciting, illicit experience would be worth the risk.

Despite his imminent wedding, young Hollywood agent Jordan is enticed by the offer and seemingly seeking one final fling of freedom, follows the invitations instruction, travelling to a hotel where he is instructed to immediately blindfold himself.

The event itself seems clumsy and lacklustre, hardly worth risking ones future over, and yet as we get to know Jordan, it becomes clear that his focus remains strictly insular. Living and working in Hollywood in an environment where image is everything, Jordan’s fixation with the superficial and instant gratification has led to a carefully crafted persona that feels entirely without integrity.

The adage goes that there is no such thing as sex without consequences and as the film progresses our unfortunate protagonist begins to experience how true this can be. From the creeping paranoia to full on breaks in reality, the audience begins to see the threads of Jordans carefully crafted exterior being pulled as he begins to disintegrate at pace.

But the narcissistic, privileged asshole is hard to feel sympathy for. The situation Jordan finds himself in is entirely of his own doing, and his egotistical portrayal feels like a somewhat comedic homage to Patrick Bateman. Similar to American Psycho, Jordan’s breaks in reality leave the audience wondering the extent of his paranoia and veracity of what we are witnessing.

The Beta Test is directed by and starring Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe, who play Jordan and PJ respectively. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously and as things progress, there are some moments of genuinely funny dialogue. Coming away I feel that I wish it either leaned into this more, or played it completely straight, as the end result felt a little disjointed. Given Jordan’s unlikable character it was difficult to feel any sense of connection to the lead, to the point I sort of felt myself hoping for his ultimate downfall. Where the protagonist is so conscious of his outward persona he loses himself, I feel the film overall is somewhat guilty of this, not quite committing to being what it could be.

The Beta Test is an interesting premise, especially in light of the exploration of possibility in a digital age, but the message it tries to convey falls a little flat. The implication of temptation always being present despite consequences is an intriguing one, but something overall felt a little off.

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