Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

In a World... Blu-ray Movie Review

Can you hear her now?

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 21, 2014

A voice is just not a blessing…it's also a choice.

Voice is big in baseball. The sport routinely runs three hours per game, and with 162 games on the regular-season schedule, broadcasters, and to a lesser extent public address announcers, have a lot of time to fill. It usually leads to oftentimes entertaining and sometimes mind-numbing side-stories between broadcasters about everything from cotton candy color to the beautiful city backdrop out past center field. Public address announcers have a slightly more forgiving job, stating the name of the batter or reminding fans that the park's Hall of Fame is open to the public and is located behind left field. They're heard by only tens of thousands of fans at one time, not hundreds of thousands, and chances are their announcement of Kirk Gibson pinch-hitting or Mookie Wilson coming to bat will forever only be background noise in a much bigger story. Yet every baseball fan can recite by heart "this is going to be a home run. Unbelievable!" and "behind the bag...it gets through Buckner! Here comes Knight and the Mets win it!" Baseball broadcasting and PA voicing are a traditionally males-only occupations. Broadcasters like Vin Scully, Jack Buck, and Bob Prince have left indelible marks on the baseball airways, while the familiar voices of Bob Sheppard, Chuck Morgan, and Tim DeBacco will forever be linked to the Yankees, Rangers, and Pirates, respectively. But things, they are-a-changing. The New York Yankees employ Suzyn Waldman as a color commentator and San Francisco Giants fans will instantly recognize Renel Brooks-Moon's smooth speech pouring through ballpark loudspeakers during home games. Both are living proof that women can effectively break into traditionally male-dominated endeavors and find success therein. In a World... is the story of another woman making her mark on an historically male-centric profession, movie trailer voiceovers.

In the booth.

Carol (Lake Bell) dreams of making it big in the voiceover industry that her father Sam (Fred Melamed) has dominated since the passing of movie trailer legend Don LaFontaine, best known for his signature "in a world..." line. Sam is to be awarded for his vocal accomplishments, but he sees no future in the industry for his daughter, not necessarily because she lacks talent but because he believes there to be no opportunities, and no place, for the fairer sex in the movie trailer business. On the side, Carol makes money voice coaching shrilly girls and those who wish to make a stronger presentation with their voices. When Sam's younger girlfriend Jamie (Alexandra Holden) moves in, Carol moves out and in with her sister Dani (Michaela Watkins) and her husband Moe (Rob Corddry). When Carol one day makes an impromptu voiceover for a children's animated movie, she catches the ears of various executives who decide she's a hot new voiceover commodity, taking jobs away from Gustav Warner (Ken Marino), one of the industry's up-and-comers and Sam's handpicked successor. Carol's star rises high and rises quickly to the point that's she considered for an opportunity to record a trailer for a hit new series that's returning the famous "in a world..." tagline. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance, a chance neither Sam nor Gustav are about to surrender without a fight.

In a World... nicely balances humor and purpose, effectively defining one with the other, maneuvering back-and-forth throughout the film between its primary pieces and shaping its story through (mostly) charming character interactions and simple messages on making the most of a God-given gift, refusing to submit because of gender or other artificial boundaries, and finding a purpose even beyond aspirations and using success to promote something bigger than even oneself or, here, the product a voice promotes. It's also a classic story of a young girl who seeks her father's approval while following in his footsteps. Her ambition is not met with his eager support but rather a constant admonishment -- sometimes subtle, sometimes blunt, but always negative -- until the family business becomes something that can tear the family apart. Through it all, the film dabbles in the current trend of quirky characterization and dialogue, but it's much more reserved here as the humor works in and around a rather serious arc of acceptance and one woman's place "in a world" dominated by men who would rather hold her back, not always because of gender but sometimes just for personal success. It's very well done on the macro level, rarely succumbing to anything that breaks the illusion, hinders the story, or dampens the gentle balance between fun and purpose through which the film delicately travels.

There are a few things on the micro level that don't play as well as the rest of the film, but such are relatively few and far between, the best example being the ups-and-downs of the Dani-Moe relationship. Otherwise, In a World... hits on most all cylinders, delivering plenty of wit, charm, and purpose through a smart, tight script and strong lead performances. There's quality interplay between Writer/Director/Star Lake Bell and Co-Star Fred Melamed, the former of whom comes across as confident in her ability and determined to succeed but not particularly arrogant, cocky, or entitled while the latter of whom shows some of those emotions and produces some, mostly negative, others, and towards different ends. The contrasting styles play nicely together and work in tandem to both further the story and further the point, culminating in a largely predictable but nevertheless satisfying conclusion. Bell almost singlehandedly makes the movie, not only because of her numerous on- and off-screen duties and the general success she finds in all of her endeavors, but through the nuance with which she shapes the story, performs her part, and focuses the picture on that tightrope of laughter and purpose.

In a World... Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

In a World... features a good, though sometimes slightly murky and drab, 1080p transfer. The picture varies in temperature, going warm at times but finding a more natural balance at others. Colors still satisfy but never leap off the screen in spectacular fashion. Light softness may be seen in places, and textural definition is not always fully razor-sharp. Nonetheless, image clarity suffices and many scenes reveal clean, well-defined details, particularly on clothes and faces. Black levels are never problematic, and skin tones don't often betray natural shades, save for those aforementioned warm scenes. There's very little in the way of banding or other hindrances. This is a fairly unassuming and basic but satisfying presentation from Sony.

In a World... Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

One would expect a film revolving around voice to feature a rather front-heavy track lacking much sonic variety, and indeed, Sony's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack for In a World... primarily centers on the spoken word. Whether off-the-cuff dialogue, practiced delivery in front of the recording microphone, or those shrilly voices that pop up from time to time, Sony's track presents each one accurately and richly, finding the deepest lows and sharpest highs in every delivery. Ambient effects are limited, examples being steam in a sauna or the background din at a party that rises and lowers in volume relative to character distance. A few musical numbers appear, with smooth, mostly front-heavy presentations and rich clarity. The track presents a bit of heavy, well-defined bass during some more upbeat tunes heard in both chapters six and fourteen. Overall, this is a rather unassuming but nonetheless effective soundtrack from Sony.

In a World... Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

In a World... contains a commentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and humorous promos.

• Audio Commentary: Writer/Director/Actor Lake Bell delvers a smooth, even commentary, covering a wide swath of detailed information concerning the fill's origins, shooting locations, character development, art direction, inspirations, directorial style, music, performances, voices, and much more. She also shares plenty of little anecdotal stories from the production. This is a good, enjoyable commentary that fans will enjoy.
• Deleted Scenes (HD): Alt. Opening Sequence (1:54), Pippa & Hugh Grant (1:53), Stupid Slapper (0:20), Erin & Erinn (0:51), Melinda Chisney (2:00), Sisters on the Roof (1:53), Puppies & Auras (0:51), Daisy Whore (1:38), and Secret Boyfriend (2:58).
• Gag Reel (HD, 3:57).
• In a World... Promos (HD): Humorous little bits featuring the cast behind the mic, including Carol Interrupts (0:59), This Friday (0:32), Mouth Music (0:54), Go See 'In a World...' with Your Mom! (0:58), No Pressure (1:09), and People Think My Job is Easy (0:46).
• Previews: Additional Sony titles.

In a World... Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Movie fans will find much to love in In a World..., a quirky, charming "Dramedy" that flourishes on balance and the simple approach to its message. It doesn't often miss its mark, and when it does it's concerning its side stories rather than its primary arc. Lake Bell acquits herself wonderfully in all of her on- and off-screen duties and enjoys the help of several smart, well-defined supporting performances along the way. In a World...'s Blu-ray release features good video and audio. A few supplements are included. Recommended.