IN A WORLD… review by Ronnie Malik – a female perspective on a film about a female struggle in show business

IN A WORLD… review by Ronnie Malik – a female perspective on a film about a female struggle in show business

inaworld-poster

In a World

Director: Lake Bell

Cast: Lake Bell, Rob Corddry, Alexandria Holden, Eva Longoria, Ken Morino, Demetri Martin, Fred Melamed, Michaela Watkins, Geena Davis

Rating: A

Actress Lake Bell takes on an ambitious project as writer and director for her film In a World. The end result for Bell’s clever endeavor is a sharp, funny, quick-witted film that gives us a look into world of those gifted with voiceover talent. Most of us take for granted the interest generated in us to see a movie because we heard the marketing pitch from someone possessing a smooth, deep, velvet voice that grabbed our attention. We never acknowledge that it is the mysterious unseen talents that use the sounds they can create with their voices to make us not only sit up and take notice, but also to make us run out and buy movie tickets. In a World not only makes us take notice of voiceover talent but also blatantly points out that for the most part this has been a male dominated arena. Bell explores the differences in gender roles through the dynamics of the relationships of her characters.

Carol (Lake Bell) is a struggling voice coach living in the shadow of her father Sam (Fred Melamed), who is one of the all-time voiceover legends. Carol’s sister Dani (Michaela Watkins) and her goofy husband Moe (Rob Corddry) give Carol tons of support as she steps out to make it big in the voiceover profession and prove to her father that she can achieve the same level of success as any man. Much to Carol’s surprise she starts booking gigs and comes across an opportunity to be the voice for an upcoming film called “The Amazon Games.”  Turns out that her competition is the slick Gustav (Ken Marino), an up and coming talent in high demand.

Then Carol’s Dad gets wind of the fact that his daughter is trying to win the voiceover spot that he truly believes should not only go to a man but to him. So he sets out to prove to his daughter once and for all that she is no match for the top dogs in this line of work.

In a World mixes family drama, professional competition, workplace antics, and romance with quick-witted satire to make its point. The characters are so adorable and off the wall that you can’t help but fall in love with them, even though each one has some idiosyncrasy that could potentially drive you nuts. The movie explores the complex relationship between a father and daughter, a marriage in trouble, the love of two sisters, and the cutthroat world of entertainment. Each sub-plot is tied together nicely to ultimately address the issue of social inequality between men and women and the changes that are coming in our society as we open our minds up to allow females the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

Each actor jumps off the screen in this movie due to playing the complexities of their characters perfectly. Demetri Martin is hilarious as Carol’s tongue tied love interest, Louis. Marino and Melamed are right on with the delivery of some terrific dialogue. Watkins does great as the high strung “A” type personality trying to support her eccentric sister with her quest to break into a male dominated field. Bell adds a ton of charm to the film displaying all the struggles Carol works to overcome to achieve her goal of becoming a top female voiceover for the movie industry. Bell also will bring out a lot of laughs just by displaying the versatility of her voice. It is very funny to hear her imitate voices throughout the film. Rounding out the production are some clever cameos from Eva Longoria and Geena Davis.

In a World is a heart-warming funny story that brings to light how a male dominated world needs to change with the times and include female energy so that all voices can be heard.

Now playing everywhere.

Be Sociable, Share!

About the Author