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.

You have to see In a World — if for no other reason, it's the perfect story to explain to someone the glass ceiling faced by most women. In a World is genius. It's brilliant, amazingly well written, and filled with all kinds of nuances that speak to our lives and what is right and wrong with them. Family issues. Sibling connections. Loving someone out of your league. Commitment and its challenges. Self confidence. Need I go on? Rarely will you go to a movie that offers so many mirrors of yourself to look into. Thank you, Lake Bell.

So, who is Lake Bell and where did she come from? This movie is in the Juno category, and even if it's a one-shot wonder, I want to know this person who is behind it.

It took me a good ten minutes to figure out where I'd seen Lake Bell before. Then it hit me. She's the dragon tattoo lady married to Meryl's ex in It's Complicated. I was stunned. It's so rare to see someone on the screen who can be more than one persona. When I realized she'd written it, directed it, and starred in it, I was blown away. Blown away, I tell you. I have very little desire to meet Hollywood players, but I would have lunch with Lake. Dinner. Breakfast. Tell me where and when, and I'll be there. I want to pick her brain. What made her think of it? What was her father like? Has she done voice-overs? Oh my, maybe we should spend a weekend at Canyon Ranch? One meal isn't enough time.

The cast is obscure and perfect. The sisters look like sisters. Rob Corddry, who plays Lake's sister's husband, will tear your heart out. He makes the case over and over again for marrying the nice guy, not the guy who sends your heart into cardiac arrest. Ken Marino, who plays Gustav and has the difficult task of walking close to the line of ridiculous, nails it. There is one weak link, however. Fred Melamed, who plays Lake's father, is off. I'm not sure exactly why, or whether he was playing it the way she directed, but he's not quite believable.

Here is what I love, love, love about In a World: It proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you can make great movies without a star attraction. It proves that there can be many Hollywood writers. It proves that we can rework this industry, and women can have a voice and a place in film. It shows the sheer depth of resources that exist for making films that are unique, compelling, and funny.

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.

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.

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.