Lake Bell has always demonstrated a knack for comedy, and since 2003, when I first saw her in “Miss Match,” a short-lived TV vehicle for Alicia Silverstone, she has appeared in at least 30 different films or TV shows. Like any actress, she is at the mercy of Hollywood in terms of what roles she plays. Or at least… she was.
“In A World…” played at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, and I missed it there. Then I proceeded to miss it at least a half-dozen other times, including the actual release date. Finally, when it showed up on the stack of screeners I watched at the end of the year, I made sure to give it a shot.
Written and directed by Lake Bell, “In A World…” follows Carol (Bell), her father Sam (Fred Melamed), and the very specific little community of people who do voice-over work, and in particular, voice-over work for movie trailers. Sam is one of the kings of the voice-over world, and he seems to be grooming a younger guy, Gustav (Ken Marino), to be his successor, which quite rightfully infuriates Carol.
Loose and funny in the way Lynn Shelton’s movies are at their best, “In A World…” has a genuine sense of voice, and by focusing on this one small corner of the entertainment world, she is able to comment on the overall attitude towards women that the industry has. This is a film obviously made by someone who has been through the wringer in LA, but who has bounced and made something of all the petty indignities and sexist boys club bullshit.
But don’t take my word for it. “In A World…” arrives on DVD and Blu-ray on January 21, 2014, and to show you why you should check the film out, Sony’s given us the first ten minutes of the film to offer to you exclusively.
Ten minutes. That’s more than enough to get a sense of how someone’s telling a story. Honestly, I can tell within ten minutes if a film’s even got a shot of being good. Ten minutes is plenty of time to establish a sense of humor, a tone, a look at our lead character. With this ten minutes, I think you’ll get a good sense of what “In A World…” is like, and that should tide you over until you can get your copy of the whole thing before the end of the month.
“In A World…” will be on Blu-ray and DVD on January 21 2014.