| “ | I want the goddamn crown, and you're gonna help me get it. Because the star kicker, and the cheerleading captain, are what I like to call high school royalty. | „ |
| ~ Beth to Tony. |
| “ | Ever since you showed up, Tony hasn't even looked at me. And I look incredible every damn day. I don't know what kind of spell you cast on him, but I'm not about to let some trashy transfer stop me from getting my crown AND MY MAN! 'Cause you know, some things are... meant to be. It's called destiny, ever heard of it? And you, well, you're destined to be locked up. Good luck getting to the game tonight, new girl. | „ |
| ~ Beth's raging breakdown as she prepares to trap Sage in the hallway to keep her from getting to Homecoming. |
Beth is the main antagonist of Zeno Mountain Farm's first feature-length film, Best Summer Ever, and the 2016 play that inspired it. She is a conniving high school cheerleader determined to secure her power and become Homecoming Queen of Mount Abe High School.
Beth was played by Madeline Rhodes in her first villainous role.
Biography[]
Beth is first introduced strutting into the hallway and striking fear into the hearts of teachers and students. She comes across Tony Michaels, star quarterback for Mount Abe's football team and attempts to seduce him so he can become her king. Cody Humphreys, the school meathead, arrives to tell Beth about Sage, a new student and the spirited daughter of drug dealers. Beth introduces herself to Sage and taunts her for her Vermont heritage. Sage tells the other girls, including her new friend Nancy, about her summer at Lakeview Dance Camp with her boyfriend Anthony. Driven by jealousy, Beth shows severe dislike for the girl.
After discovering that Sage and Tony met at dance camp, Beth senses the perfect opportunity to claim her destiny. She and Cody devise a scheme that involves bringing down Sage and Tony to secure their power. Beth injures Nancy by slamming the door on her arm, breaking it. She then lies to Sage that Nancy was killed in an accident so the latter can take her place on the cheerleading squad. Meanwhile, Cody swipes Tony's cell phone before handing it to Beth.
At the pep rally for the Mount Abe Eagles, Beth humiliates Sage in front of the whole school by giving her a sign that says "MOO!" on it. When Tony goes off to find Sage, he runs into Beth, who tosses him his phone and blackmails him by threatening to put the photos of him dancing on blast if he refuses.
After Sage and Tony reveal their secrets and talk about their overwhelming upbringings, an envious Beth, knowing that Sage has no phone or social media, slips Cody's phone into Tony's backpack to track his and Sage's whereabouts. She follows the phone signal into the forest, where she discovers that Sage's moms are growing medicinal marijuana. The following day, she puts up Homecoming posters with her and Tony on it. Beth pressures Tony to join her for Homecoming and threatens to spread the pictures she took of the weed if he doesn't comply. Not wanting to turn Sage over to the police, Tony goes along with Beth's offer.
The next day, Beth calls the police and tells them about Sage's family's drug dealing in an attempt to get her arrested. She taunts Sage, telling her she will enjoy watching her get taken away. Out of revenge, Sage tosses Beth's phone into the toilet and flushes it. With that, Beth flies into a blind rage.
After Tony outwits Officer Gorinsky, the town cop, by switching the cannabis for sunflowers, he and Sage head back to school for the Homecoming game. Unfortunately, Beth chains up two of the doors in the hallway and confronts Sage, ready to lock up the other doors. Nancy bursts through the door and slams Beth against the wall, giving Sage enough time to escape to get to Homecoming and help Tony.
In the end, Tony surprises the audience with a beautiful dance and wins the Homecoming game. As the whole school celebrates, Beth, clutching an ice pack to her face, watches on in anger. She laments over losing her chances of winning Homecoming Queen and gets smacked in the face with a football. Even after dancing with the other students in the celebration, Beth fumes over her failed plan.
Personality[]
Beth is conniving, selfish and used to having her way. Obsessed with becoming Homecoming Queen, she has no qualms about blackmailing others and even resorting to violence to get what she wants. Beth is cunning and manipulative, as she uses lies and seduction to secure her reputation at Mount Abe High School. In addition, Beth cares little for no one else, as she emphasizes that by feigning sadness after lying to Sage about Nancy's supposed "death." She is also consumed by jealousy towards Sage and despises her for her relationship with Tony. Even at the end, Beth shows not an ounce of remorse for her actions throughout the whole film, and when things don't go her way she'll try and make it happen one way or another.
Reception[]
Beth received critical acclaim, as well as Rhodes' performance, with many considering her one of the best parts of the film.
Quotes[]
| “ | Introducing this year's Homecoming Queen! (laughs, then sidles up to Tony) And you'll be my king. (Tony: Hi, Beth.) How was my summer? Oh, just sailed around the Galapagos with the fam. Thanks for asking. (Tony: I don't remember asking - ) I spent the entire summer in my bikini. I mean, if you want the goods, give the people what they want, am I right? (feels Tony's bicep) Ooh. Speaking of the goods. Wow. (Cody: Guys, guys. You gotta check out the new chick. So hot! (turns to Beth) Oh, hi Beth. What do you say? You and me at Homecoming?) In your dreams, Cody. I'm already spoken for. (to Tony) Give the people what they want. Right, tiger? | „ |
| ~ Beth seducing Tony. |
| “ | (Cody runs into Beth in the hallway.) Ow! Watch it, Cody! (Cody: Sorry. But Beth, you won’t believe what I just found out. I got gossip with a capital G.) Spill it. (Cody: Tony, and the new chick, they know each other.) I KNEW that was his necklace! That means Tony and Sage met at dance camp.) (Cody: Yes!) Oh. (Cody: Wait, what?) Thank you, Lordess of Eternal Death! (Cody: Dance camp...we gotta tell everyone. I'm gonna be star quarterback, I'm gonna be star quarter- ) (grabs Cody by the arm, pulling him back) Hey! (Cody: Whoa!) Not so fast. We need to make a plan. | „ |
| ~ Beth to Cody as she realizes that Sage and Tony fell in love at dance camp. |
| “ | I got the G, now I got work to do
Mark my words I’m a-comin’ for you When you steal my man You pay the price She may be making lots of friends But queen of the school wins in the end Oh G, what will we do? |
„ |
| ~ Beth singing as she plots to bring down Sage so she can have Tony as her Homecoming King. |
| “ | Listen. Nancy took a terrible spill and she’s dead. (Sage: What?) Ugh, okay. She's not dead. She broke her arm, though. There's blood everywhere, it's disgusting. That's not important, though. What's important is that we need to find someone to fill in for her at the pep rally, and that someone is you! (Sage: Me? I - ) You'll do it, right? The whole school is counting on you. In memory of Nancy? (Sage: Yeah, I mean...) Great! (hands Sage her cheerleader outfit) Okay, your shirts and skirts and your... all the things that you need. You're on the squad! See you at the gym at three. Rest in peace, Nancy! (feigns sobbing) | „ |
| ~ Beth lying to Sage that Nancy got killed in an accident after deliberately fracturing her arm so she can put Sage on the cheerleading squad to humiliate her. |
| “ | (Tony: Jesus.) Nope. Just me. (tosses Tony his phone) (Tony: What the hell, Beth? Why'd you have my phone?) Nice tights, sugar. (Tony: Okay, what do you want? Seriously?) Must I spell it out for you? The crown. I want the goddamn crown, and you're gonna help be get it. Because the star kicker, and the cheerleading captain, are what I like to call high school royalty. (Tony: Yeah? And what if I say no?) Then I'll put these pictures on blast (holds up a picture of Tony dancing ballet) faster than you can say... ba-lan-cé. (singing) Hold me closer, Tony dancer... | „ |
| ~ Beth blackmailing Tony into helping her get the Homecoming crown with a picture of him dancing. |
| “ | There's something off about this new girl. (Cody: Yeah!) Shut up. You don't even know what I'm talking about. (Cody: Right.) Don't just blindly go along with whatever I say. It's really annoying. (Cody: Sorry.) Think about it. She's got no phone, no social media, can't find her address anywhere. She's getting way too close to Tony. (Cody: What are you thinking?) Give me your phone. (grabs Cody's phone from him) (Cody: Why?) Now's the time to blindly go along with whatever I'm saying. | „ |
| ~ Beth plotting to keep Sage and Tony from getting together. |
| “ | Wherefore art thou? | „ |
| ~ Beth as she prepares to track down Sage and Tony. |
| “ | Holy scheisse. | „ |
| ~ Beth as she discovers Sage's family's weed farm. |
| “ | Oh, if it isn't Mister Fancy Dancy Pants himself. (puts up posters for Homecoming) I had some nerd in homeroom make them for us. Frickin' spineless. (Tony: All right, listen. I am not going to Homecoming with you, okay? So you can post the pictures if you want. I really don’t care anymore.) You mean…THESE pictures? (holds up the pictures she took of the weed on her cell phone) Yeah. It’s gonna be hard deciding which ones to post first if you fail me, Tony. The ones of you doing your best Patrick Swayze impression, or the ones of ALL THESE DRUGS! (Tony: Shhh! Are you serious? Be quiet! Beth, where did you get those photos? This is not funny.) Oh, you're right. It's not. It's insurance. Now get out there and win that big game, tiger. And then take me to Homecoming. (scoffs) It isn't that hard. It's like I told you, this is our destiny. | „ |
| ~ Beth blackmailing Tony into joining her for Homecoming by using the photos she took of the weed farm. |
| “ | Oh, hi, grass fed. I was just chatting with Officer Gorinsky. Apparently, there's an illegal drug ring going down. (Sage: What are you talking about?) (...) It's going to be so much fun watching you get hauled away. | „ |
| ~ Beth to Sage after reporting her family's drug dealing to the police. |
| “ | No! | „ |
| ~ Beth after Sage tosses her phone into the toilet. |
| “ | You broke my phone, you monster! (turns out the lights in the hallway) (Sage: Here we go.) And then I had to fish it out of the toilet with my bare hands. YOU! Ever since you showed up, Tony hasn't even looked at me. And I look incredible every damn day. I don't know what kind of spell you cast on him, but I'm not about to let some trashy transfer stop me from getting my crown AND MY MAN! 'Cause you know, some things are... meant to be. It's called destiny, ever heard of it? And you, well, you're destined to be locked up. Good luck getting to the game tonight, new girl. | „ |
| ~ Beth confronting Sage in the hallway as she prepares to trap her. |
| “ | My perfect face. | „ |
| ~ Beth crying in pain after Nancy slams her against the wall. |
| “ | This all is starting to make sense
I wish that I had seen When you hang with losers, no offense You'll never be Homecoming Queen (screams as she gets hit with a football) |
„ |
| ~ Beth's last words as she sings, lamenting over her failed victory and chance of becoming Homecoming Queen. |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- When Beth sings "Hold me closer, Tony dancer." as she taunts Tony, this is a reference to Elton John's "Tiny Dancer".
- Madeline Rhodes, who plays Beth, also helped create the songs for the film.
- The song that plays when Beth enters the hallway is "Battlecry", one of Rhodes's songs.
- In the original script, Beth injures Nancy by kicking a ladder out from underneath her, which causes Nancy to fall and break her arm.
- In the climax, Beth was going to trap Sage by putting a padlock on her wheelchair, before being knocked out by Nancy, and her initial comeuppance in the finale was being relegated to mascot duties as punishment for her actions.
- Despite being the main antagonist, Beth makes her first appearance in the second act of the film.