Little Voice (1998)
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Duration: 97 minuten
Alternative title: The Rise and Fall of Little Voice
Country:
United Kingdom
Directed by: Mark Herman
Stars: Brenda Blethyn, Jane Horrocks and Ewan McGregor
IMDb score:
7,0 (17.905)
Releasedate: 5 November 1998
Little Voice plot
"Finding your own voice can be magic."
The extremely shy LV (Horrocks) has been living as a hermit in her attic room since her father's death, where she plays records and occasionally sings along (which she only does in the dark). Her antisocial, alcoholic mother is in a relationship with third-rate impresario Ray Say (Caine). When he hears her sing, he arranges for her to enter Mr. Boo can come and sing. The first time goes terribly wrong, but the second time LV blossoms into a world singer...
Actors and actresses
Mari Hoff
Ray Say
Billy
Mr. Boo
Sadie
George
Bouncer
Arthur
LV's Dad
Reviews & comments
K. V.
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- 4444 messages
- 3827 votes
I was actually quite pleasantly surprised by this film. The film is a successful comedy, especially in the beginning, which then transitions more into drama towards the end.
But it is a feel-good movie that certainly wasn't boring. The music selection was also good, from Tom Jones to Marilyn Monroe.
Translated from Dutch · View original
BBarbie
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- 12893 messages
- 7675 votes
Actually, I’m used to the British being able to weave humor and drama together in a subtle way. Here, however, it happens in a rather blunt manner, particularly in the character of mother Mari, who is excellently portrayed by Brenda Blethyn, by the way. Moreover, Michael Caine plays a crude caricature of himself. That is actually quite a shame, because it contrasts too sharply with the dramatic thread of the story. 
for Jane Horrocks and for the nice music. They ensure that I can ultimately still appreciate the film positively.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Collins
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- 7580 messages
- 4525 votes
Grieving intensely for her father, the quiet and shy Laura (Jane Horrocks) immerses herself in his record collection. She finds solace in the music of Shirley Bassey, Marlene Dietrich, and other greats. With a powerful and beautiful voice, she sings along to the songs. Besides comfort, her loud singing offers other solace. The music drowns out the boisterous excesses of her mother Mari (Brenda Blethyn), who brings a different man home every night while drunk. One of them is the dubious talent scout Ray Say (Michael Caine), who hears Laura sing and knows he has discovered a gold mine.
Little Voice is based on a musical and was adapted into a film by director and writer Mark Herman. He has created a film that evokes both emotion and hilarity by utilizing the contrasts between the characters. In the film, the quiet, the soft, and the tender must hold their own against the coarse and the vulgar. Horrocks (along with a somewhat timid supporting role by Ewan McGregor) is responsible for the tender part. The contrasts are portrayed by Blethyn and Caine. The acting is powerful and convincing. I immediately disliked Mother Mari and Scout Ray Say.
Music plays a major role. The repertoire didn't really appeal to me, but I can't deny that the songs Laura performs are sung by a particularly good voice. I was curious, though, who the singer would be. After the film, I read that Jane Horrocks didn't lip-sync at all but sang all the songs herself. Very impressive.
Narratively, it doesn't amount to much. The film plays with the contrasts between the characters and extracts the emotion from them. The characters make the film. The progression of the story is quite predictable and makes little impression. It is the characters that make it work. Impressive, every single one of them. So impressive that I was hardly bothered by the singing and the dramaturgical platitudes.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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