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The Mac Weekly

The Student News Site of Macalester College

The Mac Weekly

The Student News Site of Macalester College

The Mac Weekly

Swens N’ Dobbs// The Man With The Golden Gun

Sam Swenson15 & Allison Dobscha15. Photo courtesy of Dan Shi15.
Sam Swenson’15 & Allison Dobscha’15. Photo courtesy of Dan Shi’15.

This week we review In a World, the directorial debut of Lake Bell (“Boston Legal” and It’s Complicated). This movie tells the story of Carol Solomon, the daughter of a famous voiceover actor. As she tries to break into the industry while maintaining a voice-coaching job on the side, Carol is confronted with the man-dominated world of voiceover acting.

Dobscha:

In a World is a worthy effort from first-time director Lake Bell. It tries to be funny, quirky, romantic, yet real. It is nearly intriguing and it almost made me laugh. The movie even nods its head in the general direction of feminism—but it can’t seem to commit to anything. Neither bold enough to be hilarious nor subtle enough to feel sincere, the film’s attempt to please everyone leads to sloppy results. Bell’s protagonist rattles off witty comments and wakes up on a dirty couch in classic sexy-indie-nonchalant disarray, but in the next scene we’re asked to believe that she’s realistic and unique. And for a movie about voice acting, it’s unfortunate that there’s so much mumbling and that the dialogue discourages close listening. In a World isn’t terrible, but it needed someone to nudge it in the right direction. Any direction will do.

Swenson:

In a World is a unique movie in that it focuses on a topic I have never really encountered in a movie before (except for Robin William’s work in Mrs. Doubtfire). It follows many of the typical rom-com and family drama narratives that we have come to know and love/hate, yet there is something endearing about the scenes in which the voiceover actors practice their craft. Unfortunately, while “In a World” has a pretty impressive cast, it does not seem to be able to use them in an effective way. With a running time of just over 90 minutes, there is very little opportunity for the plot and the characters to develop in a meaningful way. That being said, there are moments of snickering and elation throughout the film, which make it a reasonable watch. While I am not saying you should go and watch this immediately, I definitely think it is worth a view if you have some down time.

More like In a World: I Know that Voice, Obvious Child

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  • S

    Stewart HodgesSep 10, 2019 at 12:37 pm

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  • R

    Ruth PatersonSep 8, 2019 at 2:36 pm

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    Reply