In a World...(Film Review)

                

Lake Bell and Fred Melamed in "In a World"

          Inspired by voice legend, Don Lafontaine, who coined the phrased the term "In a World..."in various movie trailers, come a movie that is a dedication to him, of sorts. Back in the day, Lafontaine was a household name for his serious baritone vocal applied for many trailers for Movies, Video Games and TV shows. All of that vocal work spanned 46 years of doing many takes in a voice over booth belting the same repetitive lines. The business itself is pretty devoid of female talent. He died in 2008 due to complications with Pneumothorax. His impact was felt within the voice acting world because he crossed over to the mainstream and everyone took noticed of the man behind the legendary voice, literally. So, while the industry is filled with many colorful, effervescent personalities, much of the vocals in the booth for many trailers are mostly men.

Aside from a few exceptions like Melissa Disney, who narrated Gone in 60 Minutes back in 2000, women are hardly ever chosen to helm these roles. There's not a definitive reason why that is, but it's pretty glaring that in 2013, even if you've ever listened to one movie trailers that is carried by just the larynx of a voice actor.  In a World... challenges this idea by having a woman go through the hard task of being in a place where female voice overs are hard to find or aren't in high demand, even though, the movie is intended to be comedic and it works very well here. Carol Solomon, played by Lake Bell, who also wrote and directed this film, faces these problems head-on in a male dominated function and, to top it off, her selfish father won't let go of his aging legend. Fred Melamed plays Carol's father, Sam Soto, a contemporary to Lafontaine's style only with a lot more noticeable ego. Bell's script is sharp, especially when her character and Melamed's have a confrontation about the industry and why both of them are unwilling to let go of their dreams. Their rivalry is petty as it is insecure and the way it's handled here is somewhat refreshing. Same can be said for the quirky, awkward love triangle involving Carol, as she deals with another voice rival (played by Ken Marino) and her audio engineer played by Demetri Martin.

Alas, before the film reaches its highest crescendo, the movie is over. Just like that. Brevity is the movie's biggest flaw, but it's not a crippling one. There are a couple of small quibbles with In a World... (Some set-pieces look cheap; voice examples like “sexy baby” could use more explanation.) It just had me wanting more because there's a lot of detail within the comedy of the film that elevates into one exceptional package. While you won’t completely learn about how this profession is like through the entirety, but taken for what it is, you’ll certainly enjoy this brand of comedy along with the quirky cast of characters.