The cast is headed up by the woman who wrote, directed, produced, and stars in this movie. That's not usually a good sign. When an actor starts splitting his or her duties up like this, it all gets messy. If Leonard Nimoy had a problem doing it, how can Lake Bell stand a chance? She has directing credits for a couple of short films and four TV episodes. This is her first directorial attempt at a feature-length film.
Somehow, she pulls this off. This movie is categorized as a comedy, but there are only a couple of chuckles at best. I wouldn't say it's a hard drama, either, but it is more than just a comedy. She plays the quirky daughter of a legendary voice actor and a vocal and dialect coach. She does a masterful job, and it is shocking that she also spit her time doing all of the other things she did in this movie. To have all this talent and good looks to boot, I kind of hate her.
Fred Melamed plays her father, and he does a great job as well. I could do without him taking his shirt off so much, and I don't think I've seen a movie where fat guys hang around in steam rooms so much. But his voice is great, and his character is shallow and vain. He plays it up very well, and you might almost believe that he isn't even acting.
There is loads of talent in this acting pool. Rob Corddry and Alexandra Holden play Lake's sister and brother-in-law, Nick Offerman shows up as a sound mixer without a mustache. Repeat - Nick Offermen shows up without a mustache - and it is just plain off-putting. Imagine Hitler without his mustache; you can't, can you? It would be weird without it, right? Demetri Martin even shows up as the would-be suitor and karaoke partner.
The movie was a surprising delight. As I said, I wouldn't call it a comedy, but it was funny enough in spots. I wouldn't call it a drama, but the interaction between sisters and between daughter and father might have been put in one without much tweaking. It was an entertaining movie, and I recommend it.
Directing was very good
Acting was exceptional
Writing was very good
Cinematography was good
4.25/5