‘The Beta Test’ review: Sexual mystery wrapped up in Hollywood satire

Jim Cummings gives a gloriously unglued performance in “The Beta Test,” a satirical comic-thriller which he also co-wrote and co-directed with actor PJ McCabe.

Cummings is a DIY indie film darling who made waves on the independent circuit with his 2018 film “Thunder Road,” which acted as a marvelous showcase for his vulnerability and sincerity as an actor.

He walks with swagger and confidence but he’s an insecure, jealous, petty mess, a climber always looking for the next rung and worried it will be taken from him.

He’s engaged to be married in less than two months but he doesn’t let that stop him from answering a letter he receives calling for an anonymous sexual encounter with an unnamed admirer.

Jordan needs answers and he goes on a quest to find them, bumbling his way through pseudo-interrogations he can barely fake his way through.

There’s another backdrop of murders that is woefully underexplored, but “The Beta Test” hits its target in Cummings’ performance, which is manic and on the brink of full hysteria.

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