Review - In A World... (2013)

On DVD and Blu Ray - "In A World..." - Lake Bell stars (and writes and directs) as a vocal coach struggling to make a mark while living in the shadow of her sexist, arrogant father (Fred Melamed), the world's reigning voice-over king.  Aiming to land a substantial voice-over gig for an impending mega-budgeted franchise-starter, she'll have to defy the odds of a male-dominated field and (unknowingly) beat out her Father and his upstart protege (Ken Marino).  In A World... is a certified gem- it's an intelligent, legitimately funny and engaging Rom/Com also doubling as a satirical volley at sexism in Hollywood.

Lake Bell (It's Complicated) is so charming and outright cool here as "Carol", with such a fantastic, natural sense of comedic timing, that it's some kind of shame the actress hasn't been featured up front and center in other roles of this nature.  She's not a conventional beauty by Hollywood's standards, but I sure fell in love with her in record fashion.  Yes, I'll definitely be looking forward to what she has to offer next. 

Fred Melamed (A Serious Man) plays a bit of an unsupportive turd here as Carol's father, "Sam Solomon"- he's a living legend in the realm of voice-over artists who decides to kick his daughter out after marrying a much younger woman (Alexandra Holden).

Ken Marino (Bad Milo), bordering on obnoxious but commendably refraining, supplies her father's eccentric apprentice, "Gustav".  There's a brief romantic interlude between Gustav and Carol that involves a hilarious "nose kiss"- the recipient's expression is priceless.

Michaela Watkins (Afternoon Delight) portrays our protagonist's sister, "Dani" - an overworked concierge that doesn't fully realize just how good she has it in life with her live-in boyfriend, "Moe", played by Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine).  Corddry is in fine form here, though with limited screen-time.

Demetri Martin (Contagion) rounds out the principal players in providing the amiable sound tech with a secret crush on our heroine.

Expect worthwhile cameos from Eva Longoria, Cameron Diaz, Geena Davis and comedian Jeff Garlin, with some much-deserved love in the form of face-time for several big names in the entertainment field of voice-over and vocal work, including Marc Graue, Joe Cipriano and Melissa Disney.

For those who've been living in a cave for the last few decades, the film's title (and a fair amount of it's content) are inspired by the late Don LaFontaine's popular opening phrase used in a myriad of feature film trailers of the past.  There are relatively very few film trailers that feature voice-over work from female artists- something I never really thought about, to be honest.

I fell for Bell's quirky presence and charisma, the excellent, snappy dialogue and the surprisingly fresh approach to a number of (previously) familiar situations.  It's a promising debut from a triple-threat talent that left me with a substantial grin and feeling pretty damned upbeat.  That said, females should especially take notice, for there's an undeniable sense of girl-power at work and on display here.

And, oh yeah- it never really gets old hearing Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" (used in context) as a fitting selection to end a film...

Highly Recommended

8.5 out of 10

Director: Lake Bell
Cast: Lake Bell, Fred Melamed, Ken Marino, Rob Corddry, Michaela Watkins, Alexandra Holden, Demetri Martin, Nick Offerman, Tig Notaro, Stephanie Allynne and Jason O'Mara
Run-Time: 93 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for language including some sexual references