In a World...

Don LaFontaine narrated many trailers of noted movies, often opening with "in a world". So, Lake Bell has directed the movie "In a World...", focusing on voice-over artists. These people usually get the short shrift in the entertainment world but have contributed a lot. Bell's character is the daughter of a voice-over artist and is hoping to break into the business.

I really liked "In a World...". In addition to the quirky plot and smooth character development, I hope that it draws more attention to the world of voice-over artists. I also am eager to see Lake Bell's next movie, if she makes one. Really worth seeing.

A curious thing struck me about this movie, something you rarely see on screen: The living quarters seemed very realistic. Most of the characters worked on the fringes of the entertainment industry and were barely getting by. None of them had the standard issue, blatantly unaffordable, starving artist loft apartment as seen in so many movies. Instead, they had run-of-the-mill places in a so-so part of town. I was impressed they got this detail right. When we first saw Louis' place, I started to call BS because the outside appearance was intriguing, but I breathed a sigh of relief to find it was actually a cracker box on the inside.

In case you can't tell, I found this movie to be very enjoyable. The Dad was a juicy, borderline insufferable character. As obnoxious as he could be, he was fun to watch.

The movie had a few interesting subplots and themes woven around the main story. Not an out and out comedy, it still had some very funny moments, including some inside jabs at Hollywood. I especially enjoyed Geena Davis' brief role as a movie executive, and the confusing and somewhat contradictory bit of advice she offered.

And oh yeah, it's got Nick Offerman in a minor role. So far he's batting a thousand in my book, so check it out.

After watching an infinity of trailers for violent, over-the-top, sci-fi or thriller or political espionage movies coming down the pike, my question is Why aren't there more charming and happy movies? They sell well too.

So what a delight to see In A World.

It is a quirky and sophisticated comedy. Perhaps it is a chick-flick, but not overwhelmingly so.Yes, some of the criticisms herein are true, but not damaging enough to detract from a thoroughly enjoyable cinema experience. The acting is terrific, the plot and subplots are simple, the humor is amusing and even at a couple of points a true belly laugh, and altogether, the movie is a winner. Kudos to Lake Bell and team.

Lake Bell is appealing in the lead role as Carol, an aspiring voice-over artist, and as writer/director she's come up with a unique variation on a familiar indie formula: 30-something slacker gets kicked out of the nest. There's a lot going on-Michaela Watkins and Rob Corddry as Carol's sister and brother-in-law get a whole little romcom to themselves-but Carol's various struggles, professional, romantic and familial, mesh together very well. The cast is impressive: nice to imagine that somebody would cast Eva Longoria as a Cockney gangster's moll (though not in this movie, I'm glad to say), and Geena Davis turns up briefly as a studio exec who delivers a crucial message, maybe THE crucial message. Fuzzy, flabby Fred Melamed ("A Serious Man") is definitely the go-to guy when you need an overbearing a**hole, though Ken Marino seemed a little too cartoony as Carol's voice-over rival-more like an escapee from a Christopher Guest movie. Wouldn't have minded seeing more more about the worrrrld of Hollywood voice artists and dialect coaches; it's refreshing to watch a film where the characters do something real and don't just have vague glamour jobs as lawyers or architects (mainstream) or toil away as peons on a cube farm (indie). Available on streaming Netflix.

Lake Bell wrote, directed and starred in this comedy of a voice coach who wants to make it as a voice-over star, a boy's club dominated by her famous father, the reigning king of movie trailer voice-overs. The small group are competing for the voice-over role for an epic new blockbuster series that's bringing back Don LaFontaine's famous "In a World..." putting the father and daughter at conflict.

Currently making its rounds of the festivals, where it picked up the Waldo Salt Screen writing award at Sundance USA and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. It's a great script that zips along, full of believable characters, handles the central conflict deftly and is never annoyingly quirky, just consistently funny.

Featuring an uncredited cameo by Cameron Diaz and a whole host of comedic talent from the LA circuit including Demetri Martin, Ken Marino, Rob Corddry, Geena Davis, Nick Offerman and Eva Longoria. Lake Bell confirmed at the Sundance London director's Q&A she'd written the script with all her friends in mind but she is the stand-out, anchoring the film and flawlessly delivering around different accents in her performance.

A feminist film that delivers its message without forcing itself upon you and puts the comedy foremost, it's great fun, well worth tracking down at release and shows Lake Bell to be a great talent to watch.