In a World... (15.)
Directed by Lake Bell.
Starring Lake Bell, Fred Melamed, Demetri Martin, Rob Corddry, Ken Marino, Michaela Watkins and Alexandra Holden. 90 mins.
In a World…. is a comedy set in the world of the voice over artist, in the very pinnacle of that world, the select few who do the movie trailers. You feel the word “quirky” should be in that sentence somewhere but this isn’t a quirky film; it buys into the cockeyed importance and reverence the characters feel for their skills.
Lake Bell will be a new face to many. Her previous contributions to the movie world have mostly been playing best friend roles in romantic comedies such as No Strings Attached and It’s Complicated. I can’t say she made any impression on me in those films, so her debut as writer and director is a lovely, out-of-nowhere surprise.
She has written herself a smart starring vehicle. Technically I guess this would qualify as a romantic comedy but it is much funnier and much more recognisably human than that term suggest. The story also kind of resonates with her own move from support to lead player. Carol (Bell) is the daughter of a legend of the voiceover industry (Melamud.) She barely makes end meet doing voice coaching for actors, such as Eva Longoria, who is trying to master a cockney accent for her role as a gangster’s moll. But then a chance opening allows her to break through into the male dominated world of movie trailer voiceover. But will this stop her getting together with the sound engineer (Martin) who adores her?
At first, as with any film set in Los Angeles, you are a little wary of these self-absorbed characters and fearful that the humour will be twee little wisps of observation. The film very quickly allays those fears with a mix of sweetness, big laughs and just the occasional moment of poignancy. It is a film that you have to praise with care. Its virtues are too delicate and slight to comfortably support really hefty superlatives. You want to say just enough to get people in and let them discover it for themselves.
Directed by Lake Bell.
Starring Lake Bell, Fred Melamed, Demetri Martin, Rob Corddry, Ken Marino, Michaela Watkins and Alexandra Holden. 90 mins.
In a World…. is a comedy set in the world of the voice over artist, in the very pinnacle of that world, the select few who do the movie trailers. You feel the word “quirky” should be in that sentence somewhere but this isn’t a quirky film; it buys into the cockeyed importance and reverence the characters feel for their skills.
Lake Bell will be a new face to many. Her previous contributions to the movie world have mostly been playing best friend roles in romantic comedies such as No Strings Attached and It’s Complicated. I can’t say she made any impression on me in those films, so her debut as writer and director is a lovely, out-of-nowhere surprise.
She has written herself a smart starring vehicle. Technically I guess this would qualify as a romantic comedy but it is much funnier and much more recognisably human than that term suggest. The story also kind of resonates with her own move from support to lead player. Carol (Bell) is the daughter of a legend of the voiceover industry (Melamud.) She barely makes end meet doing voice coaching for actors, such as Eva Longoria, who is trying to master a cockney accent for her role as a gangster’s moll. But then a chance opening allows her to break through into the male dominated world of movie trailer voiceover. But will this stop her getting together with the sound engineer (Martin) who adores her?
At first, as with any film set in Los Angeles, you are a little wary of these self-absorbed characters and fearful that the humour will be twee little wisps of observation. The film very quickly allays those fears with a mix of sweetness, big laughs and just the occasional moment of poignancy. It is a film that you have to praise with care. Its virtues are too delicate and slight to comfortably support really hefty superlatives. You want to say just enough to get people in and let them discover it for themselves.
