In the world of voice-over work, Sam Soto reigns supreme. Carol Solomon, Soto's own daughter, has dreams of "making it" herself in between her days of working as a vocal coach, but the notion is generally frowned upon by her father, saying that the idea of a woman doing acts like narrating trailers is absurd. Despite these thoughts, and the pursuit of future gigs from Soto's own protege Gustav Warner, Carol finds herself determined to break down barriers and prove her worth.
One week ago, I traveled to my home state of Maryland for several days, specifically traveling for a Bar Mitzvah. Though my schedule was rather tight, I was determined to catch at least one film that wasn't playing down here in Wilmington. A quick flip through the Washington Post showed me that the rather obscure, but promising In A World... was playing in my own hometown of Silver Spring. I happen to be a fan of writer/director/star Lake Bell, going back to her work on Boston Legal, and catching her promotional appearances on The Daily Show and the like filled me with confidence of her directing debut.
For a directorial debut, this is rather balanced. A proper mixture of humor, drama, and genuinely sweet moments doesn't come off as gawky. Though her co-stars all deliver great performances, they are a bit on the iffy side in terms of realness, but that's honestly just minor nitpicking. There is excellent chemistry between everyone involved, most likely enhanced by real life friendships between a majority of the cast. Bell and Demetri Martin in particular are just fantastic together, and Bell's own character Carol feels unquestionably real, struggling in a world overrun with egotistical humans accustomed to the old way of thinking. Carol's own sister (Michaela Watkins) is also the focus of a subplot, which deals with her troubled marriage and own frustrations. Surprisingly, none of this feels tacked on, and transitions are rather smooth between the respective conflicts.
Despite how solid most of the script is, the satirizing of certain movie franchises and blockbusters is a bit hit or miss, feeling like bad modern-day Simpsons writing whenever they are brought up. Again, nitpicking, but I can't help it if certain bits of hammy writing rustle my jimmies. If I haven't mentioned before, the film is rather funny. Bell's own experience on shows like Children's Hospital comes through, and if you don't at least chuckle at her disdain for the "sexy baby voice," I may have to question as to whether you'r even human on the inside. Martin is actually playing it rather straight here, but he does get to sneak in some dry humor here and there. Co-stars Tog Notaro and Nick Offerman also get a chance to shine, and I was especially pleased that the former was cast, as she is probably one of the most underrated standup comics working today.
Most of In A World...'s tones will be construed as feminist, which is certainly not a difficult argument to make, but most of it comes down to one simple, but easily identifiable message: don't give up on any dream you may have, no matter the criticism, whether it has been done before/is thought to be nigh-impossible, or goes against any principles or long term structure. It also encourages us to find our own, unique voice, literally and figuratively. If you're one of the lucky cities playing this little gem, I urge you to find a screening. If you aren't, I'm sure this will hit VOD (Video On-Demand) services and DVD before the end of the year, and you can catch it there.
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