And Here's Yet Another Summer Movie You Need to See....

The fun summer at the movies continues with another weekend surprise.  Last Friday, the big blockbuster opening was some action dreck named "Elysium" starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster.  Okay, I'm a fan of the latter and she usually doesn't make crap.  But she's now in this weird older actress category and her phone doesn't vibrate the way it used to.  Sorry, Ms. Foster who I've seen numerous times at the post office.  I'm not seeing you in "Elysium."

Especially when smart folks have a film like "In A World" available to them.  This movie opened the same day and, truth be told, I didn't know anything about it until the previous day.  But, the logline was intriguing enough.  All about that very closed group of Hollywood people who do voice over work.   There's probably no more than five of them getting regular work and the former king of that industry was a real guy named Don LaFontaine who died a while back.  Never heard of him?  Probably not.  But you've surely heard his word on one of a thousand trailers for big blockbuster movies of the past.  With the narration that always starts with...

"In a world where..."

How much shit did that guy's resonant pipes get us to go see in the past?  Sadly, it's more than I care to admit.  

But that man's career spearheads this comedy about the voice over artists who endeavor to be the next Don LaFontaine.   You might be thinking this is a documentary.  Nope, it's as fictitious as Charles Dickens.  But it feels free and organic, thanks to the efforts of first time writer/director/star Lake Bell.

Who?

That's what I asked.  And I had to look her up on IMDB.  Apparently, she's done a lot of acting work.  Things like "Boston Legal" and "The Practice."  This is her first writing and directing attempt and, from my estimation, her credits on the website are likely to increase a lot after "In A World."  She's got a great feel for quirky dialogue and plots.  Her future work might not be everybody's cup of Chai tea.  But, it's a hell of a lot funnier and insightful than anything Judd Apatow or Seth Rogan have done lately.

Bell plays Carol, an actress with a talent for doing weird voices.  She hopes to break into the voice over business in a big way, following in the footsteps of her dad who doesn't need or relish the competition.  He wants to be the next Don LaFontaine.  Suddenly, his own offspring is in the way.  

That's essentially the whole plot.  If it sounds skimpy, it's not.  Bell layers the film with lots of bizarre supporting characters that fill out the rest of her family and co-workers.  There are more subplots than Planters has peanuts.  Broken romances.  Troubled marriages.  Good dates and bad dates.  The worlds of the entire cast are all in some form of emotional upheaval.  And you're along for the breezy, sometimes laugh-out-loud ride.

Oh, sure, there are lots of moments where the cleverness is way too cute and specific.  Do people really talk like this?  Probably not.  But, at the same time, you can walk into the screen next door at your local multiplex and watch giant evil metal machines stomping through Los Angeles.  On the believability meter, "In A World" scores much higher any day of the week.

Indeed, like the real folks who do voice overs, the cast of this film are virtually all unrecognizable.  I knew very few of the actors involved, but they're all marvelous and ten times more legitimate than the bloated likes of Will Smith, Denzel Washington, and Angelina Jolie.  Thank God that "In A World" dares to give us all fresh faces.  And more talented ones, to boot.

"In A World" might not be for everybody.  You need to pay attention and the ultra-quirkiness does get a little extreme from time to time.  But, it's still better than anything else playing at the garbage dumps that also sell buttered popcorn and Raisinets.  It's another glorious reminder that there might be some folks in Hollywood who realize that smart and non-explosive films can find an audience.

"In a world where a few hundred people actually fight to make theaters a better place for all..."

LEN'S RATING:  Three stars.

Dinner last night:  Chicken McNuggets at McDonald's.