In a World… introduces the viewer to struggling thirtyish L.A. actress and vocal coach Carol (Lake Bell), who is bumping against a durable glass ceiling. Film studios aren’t hiring female actors for coveted trailer voice-over work, a niche dominated by a handful of older white men. One of these is Carol’s father, Sam (Fred Melamed), a self-absorbed widower who is incapable of expressing any approval towards his daughters. Ejected from her dad’s spare bedroom to make way for his perky groupie-turned-girlfriend (Alexandra Holden), Carol crashes with older sister Dani (Michaela Watkins).
It’s at this point that Carol’s career and love life veer into some tricky turns. Her voice-over work suddenly begins to attract the attention of studios, which in turn prods a green-eyed conspiracy between her father and fellow actor Gustav (Ken Marino). Sound engineer Louis (Demetri Martin) strives in vain to act on his long-gestating crush on Carol, even as sister Dani is tempted to stray from her live-in boyfriend Moe (Rob Corddry). Bell, who is the star, writer, and director of In a World…, generally handles this flurry of plot quite adroitly. She creates in Carol an amusing and appealing heroine who is unashamed to crave a little success and happiness in life.
Unlike Frances Ha from earlier this year, Bell’s feature film debut is not a coal-black portrait of single white female dissolution, but a more classically styled comedy of errors. Unfortunately, the screenplay is a bit wobbly in places, and the sheer craven egotism of Melamed’s character is often excruciating to witness. In the main, however, Bell and her performers offer an endearing, progressive morsel of character-centered comedy. When it’s firing on all cylinders—as in the deliriously awkward romantic fumbling between Carol and Louis—it’s damn funny stuff.
