In a World... (2013) Reviews

• Pleasant comedy that's worth seeing

  Red-1252013-10-12

  In a World . . . was written, produced, and directed by Lake Bell. Can you guess who stars in the movie? This modest comedy takes place in the mini-world of people who do voice overs. Apparently this world exists. And, like all such worlds, it has stars, former stars, people who want to be stars and will make it, and people who want to be stars and won't make it. This world also has alliances, feuds, betrayals, burning hates and burning loves. It's the same as any other profession, except that it's invisible to the rest of us. (When was the last time you knew the name of someone doing a voice-over?) Bell is a good director and a good actor. (And, yes, her voice is fabulous.) She keeps her excellent ensemble cast moving along. The story line starts with boy meets girl, so you know how it will end, but there are enough unexpected twists and turns to hold your interest. It will work well on the small screen. My advice--seek it out and see it. Just don't expect a movie that's so powerful that it will change your life forever.

• Delightfully real characters.

  DougInNC2014-11-10

  I hope you're lucky enough to see this movie - stream it on Amazon for free if you're a Prime member. Best movie in our house this year, mainly for the simple enjoyment of the characters that told the story. The casting, the acting, and the writing are all great. Why? The choice of actors didn't focus on big names (to me), but on people more concerned about the role. The acting was witty and consistent throughout. The writing was true to real life, with uncomfortable elements of conversation, and, yes, people talking over one-another at times (which some viewers did not like, but I found it genuine). This was the first time I can recall seeing Lake Bell. Was she great or am I just enamored with the resemblance to Amanda Peet? That comparison is more than striking. It seemed that she and Michaela Watkins truly were sisters, given their brilliant, somewhat confrontational, and I'm-there-for-you-when-it-really-matters interactions. Other things I liked: -Terrific sound mixing! Quite unexpected surround greatness. -1.5 hours told the story, and they didn't drag it out -No silly chase scenes or killings to hype the story -Not social commentary, just fun (other reviewers disagree) -Bit-part roles added, not distracted (neighbor, office staff)

• Make more movies like this one!

  nyccents2013-08-31

  After watching an infinity of trailers for violent, over-the-top, sci-fi or thriller or political espionage movies coming down the pike, my question is Why aren't there more charming and happy movies? They sell well too. So what a delight to see In A World. It is a quirky and sophisticated comedy. Perhaps it is a chick-flick, but not overwhelmingly so.Yes, some of the criticisms herein are true, but not damaging enough to detract from a thoroughly enjoyable cinema experience. The acting is terrific, the plot and subplots are simple, the humor is amusing and even at a couple of points a true belly laugh, and altogether, the movie is a winner. Kudos to Lake Bell and team.

• One of the best movies I've seen in 2012-13

  charles-hale2013-02-14

  A friend invited me to a Sundance USA event in San Francisco, where they take 10 films from the festival and show them in different cities around the US. I had no idea what the movie was even about, and obviously no expectations. I was completely blown away. 'In a World' was one of the funniest, cleverly-written and flawlessly edited movies I've seen this year (2012-present). From Demetri Martin, Rob Cordry and Lake Bell herself, the acting was fantastic. I had seen Lake Bell in 'How to Make it in America' and thought she was great, but I had no idea how unbelievably talented she is (i.e. playing an accent- obsessed speech coach/aspiring voice-over actress who does probably 10+ flawless accents throughout the movie...a movie she wrote and directed as well. No big deal). I'm not sure if this movie is getting distributed to a wider audience, but I'm grateful my friend convinced me to go. If you have a chance to catch this, it's a must-see.

• Cracking little indie comedy from Lake Bell

  jibson892013-04-28

  Lake Bell wrote, directed and starred in this comedy of a voice coach who wants to make it as a voice-over star, a boy's club dominated by her famous father, the reigning king of movie trailer voice-overs. The small group are competing for the voice-over role for an epic new blockbuster series that's bringing back Don LaFontaine's famous "In a World..." putting the father and daughter at conflict. Currently making its rounds of the festivals, where it picked up the Waldo Salt Screen writing award at Sundance USA and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. It's a great script that zips along, full of believable characters, handles the central conflict deftly and is never annoyingly quirky, just consistently funny. Featuring an uncredited cameo by Cameron Diaz and a whole host of comedic talent from the LA circuit including Demetri Martin, Ken Marino, Rob Corddry, Geena Davis, Nick Offerman and Eva Longoria. Lake Bell confirmed at the Sundance London director's Q&A she'd written the script with all her friends in mind but she is the stand-out, anchoring the film and flawlessly delivering around different accents in her performance. A feminist film that delivers its message without forcing itself upon you and puts the comedy foremost, it's great fun, well worth tracking down at release and shows Lake Bell to be a great talent to watch.