It’s somewhat fitting that Lake Bell has spent at least a portion of the press tour for her feature directorial debut, In a World…, frankly discussing the the condescending attitude she’s encounter from some quarters. Specifically, Bell talked about the amazed praise she received, telling her how cute it was that her movie looked like it was made by a “real director.” That may have been inspired in part by the fact that she was first known as an actor, but I doubt that, say, Ben Affleck endured similar “Oh, sweetie” kind of exchanges when he made the rounds for The Town, even though he actually had less experience with that piece of the filmmaking puzzle then Bell does coming this film. It’s fitting because In a World… actually deals with that exact issue head on, as the lead character Bell plays, Carol, is trying to break the glass ceiling in the field of voicework, particularly when it come to movie trailers. In Bell’s script, outdated perceptions of the viability of female voice in pitching a product impact ever part of her character’s progression, but the filmmaker also astutely allows that a variation on that sexism can undergird the triumphs too.

Bell’s film is hardly revolutionary, but it certainly has its charms. It’s infused with a sort of gentle cynicism, surveying its landscape with just the right worldweary amusement and little flickers of schlumpy indignation. Bell is an endearing presence, and she assembles a nice cast–including Nick Offerman and her Children’s Hospital cohorts Rob Corddry and Ken Marino–and largely lets them settle into the roles with unfussy ease. And yet despite the casual feel, Bell has a nice feel for structure. The movie flows nicely, at least up until an ending that is both glib and abrupt enough that I was wrongly certain there was going to be some sort of button wrapping things up more effectively during the closing credits. Better than that, she avoid the first-timer’s disease of opting for overly playful, show-off shots that smack of desperation, either to get attention or out of fear that there’s not going to be another chance to get behind the camera again. Instead, Bell is admirably focused and consistently demonstrates a concentrated storytelling skill that is still loose enough to imply the general messiness of life.

Perhaps the most interesting element of In a World… is Bell’s attempt to balance different, sometimes divergent pieces. The main plot can feel like a somewhat straightforward (albeit more intelligent than the norm) tale of a heroine coming into her own, familiar from a fleet of romantic comedies, but there’s a subplot involving the damaged marriage of Carol’s sister (Michaela Watkins) and brother-in-law (Corddry). Some of these scenes are so pointed that they unsteady the ship, and Bell honestly doesn’t always master the shifting tone. What’s more, the potency of the storyline–and a couple of the scenes are built to be pretty bruising–can sometimes swamp out the comparatively light-hearted fare that’s supposed to represent the film’s main reason for being. It’s as if Bell set out to make an indie comedy and a domestic drama kept elbowing its way in. Of course, in the long run that brand of ambition may be exactly the thing that prevents any future confusion over Bell’s viability as a filmmaker. If she builds on the best of what she delivers with In a World…, no one’s going be confused about whether or not she’s the real deal.