Two men look set to change all that: There's the shy telephone engineer who notices LV and wants to get to know her better. There is also her mother's latest boyfriend who happens to be a small time promoter. After an accident with the electrical system, Ray notices the talent LV has and realises the money he could make if he could get the shy girl to sing on stage.

At the end of the day, the film is a coming of age drama which shows LV as she grows out of her shell. The characters are well drawn and believable. The setting, working class Northern England, adds to the feeling of bleakness in LV's life.

I confess that I'm not that big a fan of the coming of age genre. Having the main part given to someone who is clearly not an adolescent (even though she lives in the past) at the start is refreshing. I found the film compelling whilst watching it but, after it finished, was slightly disappointed.

A Gem of a Movie!
Review date: 2003-10-04 Rating: 10 out of 10

My oh My!!! This is a gem of a movie! I first saw it last year and loved it. Now it is thankfully, available on DVD, you cannot really afford to miss this movie. The lovely Jane Horrocks plays LV (Little Voice) a painfully shy girl who lives her life through the great singers of yesteryear. (Garland; Monroe; Dietrich; and in our own time Bassey etc.) Michael Caine (who should have gained an oscar for his part) discovers her talent quite by accident when he develops a relationship with LV's mother Brenda Blythen (who is very funny by the way). LV performs in a night club (after seeing the spirit of her dead father in the audience) and seems bound for stardom. However, it doesnt quite work out that way. I cannot say too much about this film because it needs to be seen and appreciated. ( The scene where Michael Caine tries to sing Roy Orbison' Its Over is hilarious!) This film has just about everything. Great singing; great acting; comedy; and sadness. One cannot fail to be entertained. Go and buy it, you wont be disappointed. Picture and sound on DVD are very good.

Amazing voice, terrific story
Review date: 2003-07-12 Rating: 10 out of 10

Aussies who have seen Malcolm, the story of the socially inept inventor, will find strong similarities with the LV character in this film, and the background music is also similar and used in a similar way. It brought back happy memories of cars dividing in two, and boys who talk non-stop to their girlfriends about boring technical stuff.

But the highlight of the film is the terrific vocal impersonations of great singers by Jane Horrocks.

I thought the plot was well thought out and ended in a most satisfying way. A great DVD to watch several times, I think.

If, like me, you are one of those people who think that characters can be shown to be rough without them having to be given copious amounts of gutter language to use, then be warned there is a lot of this stuff in the film, but other than that, it is terrific.

Highly recommended.

This movie is okay but Jane Horrocks is Absolutely Fabulous
Review date: 2003-01-25 Rating: 8 out of 10

"Little Voice" is a strange little film. It is based on the play "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice" which was written by Jim Cartwright specifically and most deservedly for the talented voice of actress Jane Horrocks. However, given what I have seen in this movie there must be some significant changes with the last act of the story from what appeared on stage. The story basically falls into three stages, which can aptly be described as the discovery, rise, and fall of Little Voice. This is the nickname of LV (Horrocks), the painfully shy daughter of human hurricane Mari (Brenda Blethyn), who takes refuge in her room upstairs listening to her father's record albums. On the few occasions when she actually utters words it is indeed in the littlest of voices and we are genuinely surprised when she actually makes eye contact with another human being. Trying to do more than that is young Billy (Ewan McGregor), who is smitten with the shy young woman. Meanwhile, Ray Say (Michael Caine), a seedy third-rate manager of fourth rate talent in the entertainment biz blows into town to have some good times with Mari and he proves to be more than her equal in terms of having a very good time.

Then, in one of those scenes that delightfully catches us by surprise, both Ray and the audience learn that LV might not talk, but she can sing. More to the point, she can sing like the singers on the records she listens to, which means we are talking Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey, Billie Holiday, and other music icons. Ray has dollar signs in his eyes that blind him to the obvious amorous affections of Mari as the big question becomes how to get the timid LV upon on the stage at the club of Mr. Boo (Jim Broadhurst).

The rise part of the story is the most enjoyable as our anticipation builds for the moment when LV is going to let loose with all those voices she keeps bottled up inside. Of course, once that happens there is nowhere to go but down. Ray coaxes LV into the big moment through dishonest means, which is a portent of what is to come. Caine's performance is marvelous from start until the final act of this film, at which point his character throws away all of the good grace he has developed over the course of the film. Our sympathy is totally with LV, who is always singing in her mind's eye to her long departed father (special mention to Graham Turner for the perfectly wonderful smile on his face), although young Billy's earnestness wins our admiration as well. By the end of the film LV's career and a whole lot of other things are in ashes. The ending of "Little Voice" is rather unsatisfying, but to paraphrase the Bard, I am not sure what satisfaction it could provide us from where it begins.

Blethyn got a supporting actress nomination for her performance in this film and Caine's performance is what of his better efforts, but the reason to watch this film is Horrocks. In the end your biggest complaint with this film is going to be that Horrocks does not do a lot more singing. I understand the importance of the key line that LV finally gets to delivery to her mother, but I cannot help but feel that there should have been an equally important moment from the musical perspective. "Little Voice" is worth the watching, but if you find yourself only rewatching the middle section, do not be tremendously surprised.

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