Movie Week - In A World

I love films that offer a peek into a world that I don’t really know that much about.  I like that into of something that I don’t really understand.  Those films can be a bunch of fun.

I’m also very interested in writing and directing debuts.  I often find inspiration in see how these artists brought their vision to fruition. 

In A World is one such film. 

Right off the bat In A World is hilarious.  Choosing to set a film in the world of voiceover talent is such a great conceit.  Considering all of the Hollywood stories that have been told on the big screen, this one feels fresh and dynamic. 

Plus it’s got to many different components working at once.  It’s an underdog story, a romantic comedy and film about family all at once.  And Bell pulls it off deftly. None of those elements feel forced or out of the place, they all happily coesist in the world that she created. 

In fact the only real qualm I have with the film is that basically all of the major players in the film get a resolution, except for Ken Marino’s Gustav.  He doesn’t really have a moment at Golden Trailer Awards, nor does he pop up in the epilogue.  We don’t really know what happens to this character, who is a huge part of the story and action throughout. 

It’s a minor flaw, but it’s there. 

In A World also makes great use of music.  The music in this film is so perfectly spot on.  As a longtime Gerry Rafferty fan, I was slayed to see his stuff used as a reconciliation song. 

I will say that I’m pretty much over seeing Hip-Hop used by white people for comedic effect.  The karaoke scene with Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day” sort of rubbed me the wrong way. 

The last time the juxtaposition between white people and Hip-Hop was used as effective comedy was in Office Space.  I’m totally over it at this point. 

All in all, In a World is a solid debut of someone who will hopefully become a powerful voice in entertainment.