"That's the only kind of argument I know how to have."
Carol Solomon (Bell) is an underachieving vocal coach. She has an ear for accents and is always trying to covertly record the unique voices she encounters. She works at a recording studio with Louis (Martin), who has a crush on her. Her father is famed voice-over artist Sam Sotto (Melamed), a legend in the industry. Sotto is dating a much younger woman, Jamie (Holden), and has no interest in his daughters. Carol lives with her sister Dani (Watkins), a concierge, and brother-in-law Moe (Corddry).
A new film series, The Amazon Games, based on a quadrilogy teen series, wants to bring back the famous "In a world" trailer staple made famous by the late Don LaFontaine. It is a huge, career-making gig. Sam steps aside so that his friend and up-and-comer Gustav Warner (Marino) can secure the job. When Gustav gets laryngitis, Carol does a temp track and ends up getting the job. The job leads to other offers for Carol, and makes her the front-runner for The Amazon Games job. But in the male-dominated voiceover industry, does Carol have a chance?
I saw a trailer for this film and was intrigued by the premise. Most movie trailers and commercials feature deep male voices taking a commanding lead. There are movie trailers that use female voices, but most of the memorable trailers have a male voice. Actress Lake Bell was fascinated by the world of voiceover artists and wrote, directed, and starred in this film. She cast 2 voiceover actors in the film: Melissa Disney (who voiced the trailer for Gone in 60 Seconds) and Fred Melamed (sports and TV announcer). The title of the film, and the main plot point, revolve around the phrase "In a world" that Don LaFontaine made famous.
It is an interesting premise and a solid cast... but I didn't love the film. Bell assembled an impressive cast (for her writing and directing debut), mostly comprised of people she previously worked with (most are from the webseries Children's Hospital). The cast are good in their parts, but Bell's lack of experience behind the camera shows. Also, it is billed as a comedy, but is more of an absurd drama... it's not hilarious, but there are funny / absurd moments, while focusing on the drama of the events. It is an ok film, but not overly memorable.
In a World... (2013) 93 minutes
Rating: R for language including some sexual references
Director: Lake Bell
Starring: Lake Bell as Carol Solomon
Fred Melamed as Sam Sotto
Michaela Watkins as Dani Solomon
Ken Marino as Gustav Warner
Demetri Martin as Louis
Rob Corddry as Moe
Alexandra Holden as Jamie
Nick Offerman as Heners
Tig Notaro as Cher
Stephanie Allynne as Nancy
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