The Beta Test

It started off kinda interesting, with this skeezy, toothy dog. LOL But, some parts were a bit confusing and the acting was ok, but not great. But it did have a follow-me-down the rabbit hole type mystery to it, that made you wanna see what he would do next.

I don't know about where they got the cheating statistics in the digital age as being LOWER than ever??? I was pretty sure they are Higher Now in past 20 years because of Hand Held Technology (LOL) than they have ever been, with cell phones, and tons of dating and hook-up sites, where you can reach people all over the world, not just the people in close proximity to you, like in the old days. :o I could be wrong, I'll have to look that up.

Overall, I enjoyed watch the main dude FREAKING OUT, and throwing things, and hallucinating. It could have been better, but I think It's worth a 1 time watch if your interested in this genre. ;D.

Adultery meets #MeToo by way of Entourage in the sometimes comic, imminently tragic The Beta Test. Jim Cummings shows his understanding of any poor sap still thinking he belongs to the Alpha Male Club as Cummings did in different ways in Thunder Road and Wolf of Snow Hollow. In Beta, Cummings' Jordan is a talent agent running feverishly with clients but out of date clueless.

Everything about him is geared for combat: handsome head on a slender build, close-cropped hair, and machine gun delivery. What he is not prepared for, however, is a temptation too good to refuse: an invitation for anonymous sex in a high-profile hotel, with no apparent consequences except of course the shock that he would be unfaithful to this loving, virtuous wife.

After the central sin, The Beta Test moves into thriller territory as Jordan tries to find the elusive mystery lady (he was, after all, blind folded when he sinned). Of course, he is really looking to find himself especially after a partier dumps doom on his profession, which is growing more impotent in the face of a fragmented Hollywood and artists' growing independence.

Jordan might face his professional demise in the Harvey-Weinstein way if he fails to see the signals when he inappropriately guides a young female in the office or fails to weigh the consequences of infidelity. Cummings plays the perfect everyman, cocky and successful but disconnected from the emerging new woman.

Cummings has forcefully depicted a corrupt Hollywood while he has defined the defensive role men must take in face of the Internet's merciless data tracking, identity stealing, and lawlessness. Cummings' hero is this time around for him more aggressive than his other leading men but also more vulnerable.

While some may see humor in Jordan's slow dissolve into anonymity, I find his disintegration a caution to live a better life and maybe just go offline.

I am starting to like Jim Cummings. He is like a more neurotic Ed Burns. Impossibly gorgeous but completely flawed.

In this film, he totally nails the obnoxious Hollywood agent thing. You really just want to loathe him as he trainwrecks his way through his seemingly perfect life. But of course, he is only human - a disgusting, overbearing and weak human despite his golden boy facade.

He just can't help himself. If you like the idea of watching a pretty alpha male lose his mind and get what he deserves, this is a decent 90 minutes.

I hope Jackie's résumé was printed on anything but blood clot purple.

An overstressed Hollywood agent, a few weeks before his weeding, gets personal invitation for a no hold barrels sexual encounter. The problem is he is blinded and identify the woman he had sex with. He become obsessed with her and the situation and things get out of control.

The movie can be considered as poor people Eyes Wild Shut; but with some comedy moments (and sometimes very annoying).

Jim Cummings, the director, loves the be the annoying/disturbed guy (as he did in the funnier The Wolf of Snow Hollow); perhaps too much . He is still funny but he exceeds his welcome in my opinion.

There some interesting secondary characters; dialogs filled with one liners that requires a lot of attention, several killings and some kind of thriller that (as in Eyes Wide Shut) is barely resolved.

The important theme of the movie is the hypocrisy and desperation that requires to stay afloat in this new ultra technological world. As hard as it seems; Cummings also keep everything on the light smile side instead of the drama.

In brief; it is an interesting concept managed in a very interesting way. Worth a try; but requires attention.

A social satire about our modern society that produces unsatisfied people by always selling them the next best thing, by convincing everyone they need and deserve more, making those who have everything not even realizing it, leading them to poor choices and often madness.

The main character has a beautiful and devoted fiancee, health and he makes a decent living. But by always searching for more, he starts to loose all of the above, plus himself and his dignity. His sinking is about half-way through when he first appears, which makes you wonder what's wrong with him and allows the movie to be grasping.

Jim Cummings is obviously a big Jim Carrey fan, too obviously in my opinion. It really felt like he was imitating his vision of what would have been Carrey's performance instead of really making it his own, which is actually not that bad but can be frustrating at times. Like his character, he seems to be searching for himself (as an actor) ; maybe there's a subtle message there related to the plot...

The story is too restrained in my opinion, it lacks daring, but still is quite clever and enjoyable.

Overall, even though this movie has its flaws, it's really worth watching.