“In a World…” was the iconic opening line spoken by late movie trailer voice-over pioneer Don LaFontaine. Actress Lake Bell (“No Strings Attached”, “It’s Complicated”) uses that piece of dialogue as the basis for her feature film directorial debut of the same name. She also wrote the screenplay (a winner at Sundance) and stars in this fictionalized look at the movie trailer and commercial voice over industry in Hollywood, with some authentic elements.
Bell plays Carol. She’s the daughter of one of the most famous voice-over actors, Sam Soto. Carol is currently a vocal coach but trying to pursue voice-over work as a career. However, her father despises this. He doesn’t think anyone will ever want to hear a female voice behind a trailer or TV ad telling people to go see the movie or buy the product. Carol is disappointed that her father won’t support her, but that’s not stopping her. She continues to work harder and book more TV and movie trailer spots. But she faces some tough male competition for other opportunities (including the voice of the “quadrilogy” film series – based on a huge book series – “The Amazon Games”).
“In a World…” starts-out as an interesting and likeable look at the voice-over game. There’s some archival footage of interviews with LaFontaine used in the opening credits. Someone should make a documentary about him and his profession. That would be fascinating. And it’s nice that Bell uses the Golden Trailer Awards, a real awards show that honors movie trailers, TV spots, posters, and more every year, in her climactic scene.
However, about a half hour in, “In a World…” turns into a predictable romantic comedy. Carol falls for another voiceover artist who’s trying to make it big, while her sister has some relationship issues of her own. Rob Corddry gives the most dramatic performance in an otherwise pure comedic career as Carol’s sister’s boyfriend. These unnecessary elements were likely added in to fill the 90 min. runtime.
And then, with about 20 minutes to go, “In a World…” gets back on the right track. The “father vs. daughter” storyline works well and is a unique hook to keep you engaged to the end. There are some very funny lines and situations that pun Hollywood and the pop culture industry. Eva Longoria, Jeff Garlin and Cameron Diaz even get in on the act playing themselves. More of this would’ve helped. Geena Davis and Nick Offerman (“Parks and Rec”) are part of the supporting cast.
“In a World…” is rated R for some language and adult references. Overall this is pretty solid, but enjoyable.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “In a World…” gets a B-.