Review: In a World (2013)

Snap Judgment: An overlooked comedy about the voice over industry. Writer/director/actress/comedic gem Lake Bell plays a young woman who dreams of breaking into the voiceover world, like her legendary father. Her father is utterly dismissive of her dream (partly because he's generally a conceited asshole, partly because he's incredibly sexist). Lake Bell is stuck in the stultifying job of vocal coaching, trying to teach stars like Eva Langoria how to do accents  (fun tip: literally putting a cork in your mouth apparently helps you sound more Cockney! not helpful from personal experience: enthusiastically, repeatedly, and drunkenly shouting  "'ELLO GOV'NA"). Lake Bell is a dream at accents, which she bolsters by (not very) sneakily recording people with interesting accents - including stalking them through the hotel lobby where her older sister works. 

Lake Bell finally gets a break into the industry, and is in the running for the voice over of the Hunger Games/Avatar mash-up, The Amazon Games, which will resurrect the famous phrase "In a world..." Family drama, romantic entanglements, and industry shenanigans ensue. 

This is the kind of small film that I really love. It's not too serious and ponderous. It doesn't have a 15 minute close-up of a flower. It's not an allegory or a metaphor. It doesn't let the message hijack the plot. It's just a small-budget story, with a focus on characters, that is funny and sweet and inspiring and emotional and tense (who will get The Amazon Games voiceover?!?!). This is the kind of movie I like to see when I'm getting worn out by blockbuster action movies and super hero films and bigger budget comedies. This is the kind of movie that you don't hear much about when it's in theaters, but it is worth finding it on DVD.  

Grade: A-

Final Verdict: When you feel like watching a comedy with a side of tension, drama, or romance, then watch this. Bonus: it will inspire you to try to add the phrase "In a world..." to everyday events.

If you like this, watch: Celeste and Jesse Forever, (500) Days of Summer, Safety Not Guaranteed, Drinking Buddies, Ruby Sparks, Jeff, Who Lives at Home