In a World... Review: Gender-bending the voiceover industry

Dir. Lake Bell
93 Minutes
Rated R
Watch Trailer

In a World... begins with a brief introduction to Don Lafontaine, perhaps the biggest name in trailer voiceovers of all time, whose deep-voiced phrase "In a world" became the go-to trailer cliche for years.  The film tells the fictional story of Carol Solomon (Lake Bell, who also wrote and directed the movie), a vocal coach at a sound studio, whose big, hairy, abrasive father (Fred Melamed) is the current "king" of voiceovers.  Now his daughter wants in on the industry that previously catered only to male voices - and once word on the street goes that the "in a world" phrase is making a comeback in the latest big-budget sci-fi 'quadrilogy,' the two must put their relationships on the line for the coveted voice spot.


I thought the premise sounded pretty different and interesting - taking place in the largely untapped world of trailer dubbing, and the role of women in it (according to Bell the only major motion picture to have a female voice-over for the trailer is Gone in 60 Seconds). But the quirkiness wears pretty thin after a while.  Even the solid supporting cast, chock full of comedians like Rob Corddry, Demetri Martin, Ken Marino, Nick Offerman, and Tig Notaro couldn't elevate the material.  It was just too in love with itself and its supposed kooky, independent style.  It felt more like a bad sitcom than cinema.  It was so by-the-numbers, with all these pointless romance and husband/wife subplots that add up to nothing.  If only Bell had focused on one aspect of the story, such as gender inequality in the voiceover industry, it would have felt tighter and more interesting.

I'm baffled at the hugely positive reviews this has received.  It won a totally undeserved Best Screenplay at the Sundance Film Festival.  Sure there were some funny and clever moments here and there, but the thing was so light and forgettable I just don't understand this outpouring of praise coming from critics.  The dialogue wasn't nearly as snappy and witty as it thought it was, and some of the characters, especially the father, were annoyingly cartoonish.  I have to cut her some slack for this being her directorial debut, but Lake Bell's intro to the world of filmmaking felt a little shaky.  I'll cautiously wait for whatever she makes next, but In a World... is definitely one of the more overrated indies to come out of Sundance.

Rating: C


Bonus - Related Internet Video:

Here's the main man himself, Don Lafontaine!