Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- darkly comic
- paranoid
- discomfiting
- late night viewing
- indie film night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film an entertaining and savage Hollywood satire whose dark humor and thriller grip outweigh an overstuffed, occasionally uneven blend of ideas.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jordan Hines works as a Hollywood agent, and the plot repeatedly turns industry networking, ambition, and transactional behavior into sources of dark comedy.
The anonymous sexual encounter and mysterious letter connect personal infidelity to a sinister system that commodifies desire and surveillance.
The anonymous letter Jordan receives is the plot-driving object that draws him into deception, murder, and escalating paranoia.
The film makes Jordan's lies and professional anxieties darkly amusing while surrounding them with infidelity, murder, and psychological menace.
Films like The Beta Test, and why
Sorry to Bother You
darkly comic thriller, social satire, paranoia, and escalating moral unease
Under the Silver Lake
surreal corporate satire, infidelity anxiety, and unnerving genre shifts
Eyes Wide Shut
stylized psychological thriller combining sexual transgression, conspiracy, and bleak humor
The Art of Self-Defense
independent dark comedy with volatile male protagonists and absurdist social critique
Movie Details
- Directors
- Jim Cummings, PJ McCabe
- Release Date
- 2021-10-15
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (251)
Cast
- Jim Cummings
- Virginia Newcomb
- PJ McCabe
- Wilky Lau
- Olivia Grace Applegate
- Jacqueline Doke
- Lya Yanne
- Jessie Barr
- Bridge Stuart
- Keith Powell
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Beta Test about?
- A compromised Hollywood agent follows an anonymous invitation into a darkly comic maze of infidelity, surveillance, and murder.
- What is The Beta Test like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Beta Test as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Beta Test violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Beta Test as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Beta Test?
- Critics broadly found the film an entertaining and savage Hollywood satire whose dark humor and thriller grip outweigh an overstuffed, occasionally uneven blend of ideas.
- Which films are like The Beta Test?
- Films with a similar feel include Sorry to Bother You, Under the Silver Lake, Eyes Wide Shut, and The Art of Self-Defense.
- How long is The Beta Test?
- The Beta Test runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Beta Test?
- In United States, The Beta Test streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now.
