Hulu is about to lose one of its best films in a few days, and you might not have even realized because the movie isn’t nearly as well known as it should be. But you can change that by streaming it this weekend.
The movie is called The Beta Test, and it leaves Hulu on Monday, February 3, which means your last day to see it is on Sunday, February 2. Honestly, I’d say the movie is good enough to justify signing up to the streaming service if you’re not already subscribed.
The Beta Test is about a sleazy Hollywood agent who receives a mysterious letter inviting him to a commitment-free sexual liaison. Despite having a fiancée he accepts, but after the encounter he begins to obsess over the mysterious woman. This causes him to hunt down the person who sent him the letter, while also trying to maintain his relationship with his fiancée and keep on top of his job.
Straddling thriller and dark comedy elements, the movie is at heart a satire of Hollywood and the movie business, but it’s also a gripping character study of its lead. It’s quite reminiscent of Under the Silver Lake, one of my favorite movies, but far less divisive.
This role is played by the man who also co-directed and co-wrote the film: Jim Cummings. Cummings is best known for taking these three roles in the phenomenal 2018 drama Thunder Road and the 2020 horror The Wolf of Snow Hollow (which is being added to The Roku Channel on Sunday, February 2, if you haven’t see that one).
It’s an impressive trio of movies and each of them has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 90% or above. The Beta Test is the middle of the three with a 92% score, with critics praising its tone and story most of all.
Joining Cummings are co-writer and co-director PJ McCabe, who plays the main character’s best friend and Virginia Newcombe who plays his fiancée.
The movie was released in 2021, where it played at a few film festivals before getting a small theatrical run in November. Despite its high quality, most people haven’t heard of it, which is why you need to catch it before it leaves Hulu.
If you like twisting thriller movies, I’d recommend acting fast to see The Beta Test as soon as you can, as its digital home after Monday hasn’t been confirmed. In fact I’d recommend all of Cummings’ films, especially with TWoSH being free for Roku users soon too, but if you want to watch Thunder Road you’ll have to buy or rent it digitally.
Other departures from Hulu soon include Spencer on Friday, February 7 and Titane on Friday, February 15, but there’s a lot that’s new on Hulu and worth watching.