We’ve already met Lake Bell, versatile actress, who’s played it straight in TV dramas like Boston Legal or dabbled in satire starring in Rob Corddry’s Adult Swim comedy Childrens Hospital. She’s earned so much acting street cred that we’ll forgive her for Black Rock, which opened and sank earlier this year. But with the release of In a World… it’s time to meet Lake Bell, feature film writer, director (and producer). And what a debut it is: Her film has heart, soul and a message without getting too preachy.
Ostensibly, the film is an examination of the male-dominated world of the voice-over industry. It opens with a short introduction to the men behind the microphone, including the late Don LaFontaine, who voiced more than 5,000 movie trailers during his career. It’s LaFontaine’s passing that sets the film in motion: Who will become the industry’s next godfather? Veteran voice actor Sam Sotto (Fred Melamed) says he doesn’t want the mantle, so instead grooms golden boy Gustav (Ken Marino) to win the next big gig: the official voice for a female-centered “quadrilogy” (think Hunger Games).
Sotto’s underachieving daughter, Carol (Bell), works on the fringes of the old boys club as a voice coach and accent specialist to actors—with Eva Longoria making a funny cameo appearance early on as one of Carol’s clients struggling to master a British accent. Sam isn’t supportive of Carol, personally or professionally. He kicks her out of the house to make room for his much, much younger girlfriend, Jamie (Alexandra Holden), forcing her to move in with her sister, Dani (Michaela Watkins), and brother-in-law, Moe (Rob Corddry). And when it comes to the movie trailer business, Sam bluntly tells his daughter, “The industry does not crave a female sound … stick with accents.”
Her sound engineering friends, particularly Louis (Demetri Martin), are more supportive. With his help, she lands her first voice-over gig and two more projects soon follow. (She’s got the market cornered on the burgeoning “children’s romantic comedy” genre.) Carol soon finds herself also in the running for the quadrilogy. When her father finds out, he breaks his promise to groom Gustav and throws his own hat into the ring. It gets ultra-competitive with both hilarious and heart-breaking moments.
In a World… provides great insight into the voice-over industry. (Melamed, who has worked as a VO actor, says that the film’s stereotypes of older men with Corvettes, younger girlfriends, big egos and even bigger insecurities are not untrue.) But Bell does an even better job of bringing fresh characters, interesting relationship dynamics and multiple storylines to the screen through a crisp script that doesn’t pander to the audience.