Happy birthday, Lake Bell! Today, we’re celebrating this writer, director, and actor on her special day.
Lake Bell is probably best known for her on-screen roles, of which there have been many. Lake has starred in several TV series, including Surface, Children’s Hospital, and Bless This Mess, the latter of which she was also a co-creator for.
Bless This Mess, described by FF2 Contributor Georgiana Presecky as a “a funny, refreshing alternative to the recycled network TV comedy genre,” is about a young couple (the wife played by Lake) who move from their home in New York to an inherited farm in Nebraska which they decide to run. In her tribute to Lake Bell, Georgiana Presecky also states: “like most of Bell’s work, Bless This Mess shows married couples who are actually interesting.”
Along with television, Lake has also appeared in several movies, including It’s Complicated (2009), No Strings Attached (2011), and Man Up (2015). Of Man Up, FF2 Contributor Brigid Presecky says, “This sweet, fun story by Tess Morris hits all the right notes and manages to keep you laughing for the entire hour and a half.”
Though Lake is well-known as an actor, she has also written and directed some wonderful films. Lake wrote, directed and starred in her first feature film, In A World… (2013). In A World… is about a 30-year old voice coach (played by Lake), who lives in the shadows of her highly successful father, who is a voiceover actor.
According to Georgiana Presecky, In A World… “examines gender inequality in the voiceover industry, but in a satirical, biting, extremely funny way.” Georgiana also says that the romantic plotline in the film “is so sweet, underplayed and realistic – mostly because the main character has other things to figure out in her life, just as important as who she’s dating.”
Lake’s next feature film was I Do… Until I Don’t (2017). Lake also wrote, directed, and starred in this film, which is about a filmmaker who, fresh from a breakup, travels to Florida to create a documentary about couples who are on the verge of splitting up themselves. I Do… Until I Don’t, as FF2 Contributor Lindsy Bissonnette describes in a review, “explores the many emotions of being in a relationship, and the pieces of ourselves we give up in order to be a part of a pair.”
Lake Bell lights up the screen, not only with her charming and heartwarming performances, but also with her witty dialogue and messy but entertaining characters and stories. All this being said, today seems like the perfect day for a Lake Bell movie marathon.
© Julia Lasker (3/24/23) FF2 Media
LEARN MORE/DO MORE
Read Georgiana Presecky’s tribute to Lake Bell here.
Ready Brigid Presecky’s review of Man Up here.
Read Jan Lisa Huttner’s review of In A World… here.
Read Lindsy Bissonnette’s review of I Do… Until I Don’t here.
CREDITS & PERMISSIONS
Featured photo: “Lake Bell” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
