Film

In a World...

Name: In a World...
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2013
Cast: Lake Bell, Fred Melamed, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, Demetri Martin

Comedy

Lake Bell's love letter to voice acting and Hollywood's absurdity. A comedy about a vocal coach fighting her father's shadow while crashing the all-male world of movie-trailer narration. Silly, heartfelt, and genuinely funny—it's for anyone who loves small-scale films about niche obsessions and found family.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like sharp, talky comedies about ambition and family rivalry, where the laughs come from characters who are sure of themselves and a little wrong about everything.

Skip it if you need big set pieces or a tidy plot, since this is a loose, dialogue-led comedy that wanders around its industry satire and sometimes lingers on its romance.

What it asks of you: Brisk at ninety-odd minutes, with dialogue arriving fast and gags landing in quick succession rather than slowly building through setups; keeping pace with the talk pays off.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Working Girl1988

Melanie Griffith climbs the corporate ladder with charm and determination. Like Bell's film, it's a bright comedy about ambition, mentorship, and proving yourself in a male-dominated industry without losing your spirit.

But The '80s satire can feel dated now, and the romantic subplot takes up more space than some viewers want it to.

Ghostbusters1984

Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Harold Ramis in a comedy that's both genuinely funny and genuinely about something—in this case, catching ghosts. That same balance of heart and humor, plus the ensemble warmth, mirrors what Bell achieves.

But It's now a cultural monument everyone's seen, which can make it feel less immediate than discovering something fresh.

Tootsie1982

Dustin Hoffman navigates identity, sexism, and performance in Hollywood. It's a comedy with real teeth about how women are treated in the industry—the same territory Bell explores, just from a different angle and with more edge.

But At two hours-plus, it sprawls; some modern viewers find the pacing slack compared to sharper comedies.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from In a World...

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The King's Speech2010

Both are about the voice as identity and power; both pit an underdog against a broken system while learning from an unlikely mentor.

Colin Firth as a royal struggling with his stammer, Geoffrey Rush as his voice coach. It's about learning to control your voice, finding confidence, and fighting against authority figures—the same emotional spine as Bell's film, but dressed as prestige drama rather than comedy.

But It's earnest to the point of solemnity, and it won Best Picture, which can make it feel heavy-handed if you go in expecting levity.

The Devil Wears Prada2006

Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in a comedy about mentorship, work, and finding your voice in a cutthroat industry. It has the same DNA—a younger woman learning from a complicated authority figure while staying true to herself.

But It leans heavily into fashion-world glamour, which might feel shallow if you're looking for something grittier.

Broadcast News1987

Holly Hunter, William Hurt, and Albert Brooks in a romantic comedy about TV news that's as much about professional ambition and integrity as it is about love. Smart, fast, genuinely moving, and obsessed with the mechanics of its world.

But The love-triangle plotting can overshadow the workplace commentary for some viewers, and the ending divides people.

Nine to Five1980

Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin take on sexism in the workplace with both fury and joy. It's a comedy that actually says something and doesn't apologize for it—same as Bell's film, but with higher stakes and broader humor.

But The fantasy sequences and some jokes feel very of their era; the politics can read as slightly quaint now.

Waitress2007

Keri Russell in a indie comedy-drama about a pie-maker with big dreams trapped by circumstance. It shares Bell's warmth, its passion for specificity (pie instead of voice-overs), and its refusal to be cynical about ambition.

But It's more dramatic than comedic by the final act, which might feel like a tonal shift if you came for laughs.

The Mary Tyler Moore Show1970

A sitcom about a single woman making it in journalism in a male-dominated field. It's the spiritual ancestor of what Bell's doing—funny, kind, about professional respect, and it genuinely changed television's idea of who could be the hero.

But It's a TV show from 1970; the pace and humor codes are very different from modern comedy, and it requires patience.

Mallrats1995

Kevin Smith's ensemble comedy about misfits finding community. It's messier and broader than Bell's film, but it has the same love of weird detail and found family, plus genuine affection for its characters' oddness.

But It's juvenile, sometimes mean, and hasn't aged brilliantly; if you need the humor to punch up rather than around, this will annoy you.

La Haine1995

Both films understand that voice and speech are acts of rebellion and self-creation, the way you claim space in a world that doesn't want you in it.

A French film about three men on the fringes of society, shot in black-and-white, focused on language, performance, and finding power through how you speak and carry yourself. It's urgent and alive in ways comedy rarely is; the dialogue is musicality.

But It's in French with subtitles, shot in a stark visual style, and deals with violence and systemic exclusion—the opposite of a cozy indie comedy in every way.