Chances are if you’ve seen a movie trailer before you’ll be familiar with those big booming voice-overs and the phrase “In a world…” made famous by the great Don LaFontaine, the king of movie trailer voice-overs who passed away in 2008. His legendary status is actually the kicking off point for In A World…, with archive footage of the man himself mixed in with fictional fellow voice-over actors talking about his influence.

One of those is Sam (Fred Melamed), one of the top tier movie trailer guys and father to voice-coach and hopeful female voice-over artist Carol (played by Lake Bell, who also writes and directs here). The plot follows Carol as she tries to make it in the male-dominated business, much to the chagrin of her old school father, as well as dealing with family dysfunction, her sister’s marriage troubles and possible newfound love.

The title of the film not only refers to that famous trailer phrase but is also invites you into a world you probably won’t have seen on film before. In that way it has an edge over other similarly independent films and it has fun with the cliches of the movie trailer voices but never relies too heavily on scene after scene of characters doing voices in a sound recording booth. It’s much too savvy for that.

The film is peppered with brilliantly observed situations and well-rounded characters that somehow fit moulds often found in these types of indie comedies without feeling tiresome. In fact they’re quite the opposite, a joy to be around, to laugh either with or at (depending on the character), all helped by some well pitched performances from the likes of Michaela Watkins and Rob Corddry (playing Carol’s sister and brother-in-law), Fred Melamed as Carol’s overbearing and casually misogynistic father and, of course, Bell herself who manages that difficult balance of being quirky without being annoying.

Bell finds a way to weave the drama into the overall behind-the-scenes Hollywood world rather brilliantly, with character subplots and developments feeling like a natural part of the world rather than a separate state of affairs tacked on. For instance, there’s a lovely subplot involving Carol and Louis (Demetri Martin), a colleague who has a crush on her. Their pensive interactions make for some of the film’s most charming and funniest scenes as they capture the awkwardness of two people who are not quite sure what the other person’s level of interest is and how, then, to act around each other.

There’s also some dramatic weight added to the proceedings in the form of a subplot involving Bell’s sister and her husband that might seem peripheral at first but actually adds a lot to the drama as it develops. And the film has some interesting things to say about parental responsibility, handing down a legacy and the stubborn mentality of the industry it presents. “Let’s face it, the industry does not crave a female sound. I’m not being sexist, that’s just the truth,” says Carol’s father. She’ll see about that…

It’s not exactly revelatory or even all that surprising with how all these threads are tied up in the end but it’s played out with such heart and charm that it hardly matters. The joy of the film is not in how it ends but in its journey along the way. Having said that, it crucially all works very much as a whole piece rather than separate vignettes stringed together.

In A World… is an assured and accomplished debut from Bell, who effortlessly captures both the quirkiness and nostalgic charm of the world of movie trailer voice-overs. Some clever and often hilarious pop (or more specifically film) culture references change this from an idiosyncratic diversion into must-see for cinema fans but there’s enough heart and soul, not to mention some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, for it to appeal to anyone not quite as in the know. It’s got all the ingredients of an indie comedy we’ve seen a thousand times before but is well written, acted and charming enough for it to rise above the norm. The fact that it’s set “in a world” we don’t often see on film is merely a bonus.

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In A World… is released in UK cinemas on September 13th.