Customer Reviews

Little Voice [VHS]

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Michael Caine, Brenda Blethyn, Ewan McGregor, and Jane Horrocks give absolutely stellar performances in this wonderfully quirky film. The title of the film refers to Jane Horrocks' character who is called "Little Voice" or LV, for short.

LV is a mousy, meek, painfully shy and reclusive little thing with an itty bitty speaking voice. She is totally overwhelmed by her brazen and common mother, Mari (Brenda Blethyn), who treats LV with scarcely concealed contempt. Part of that contempt is fueled by LV's devotion to her late father's memory and her fondness for old time musical stars. She has a collection of records by those long ago stars, that she plays over and over, a collection that she apparently inherited from her beloved father.

Her passion for this music drives her mother crazy, as it seems to remind Mari of her late husband, whom she apparently held in the same regard in which she holds LV. Only Billy (Ewan MCGregor), the local telephone repairman, a sensitive, young man who trains and raises pigeons as a hobby, seems to talk to LV as if she were a sentient being.

Mari begins dating Ray Say (Michael Caine), an over the hill, has been talent scout. Mari is pathetic, as she tries desperately to hang on to whatever vestiges of her youth remain. Ray, a sleazy opportunist, who thinks that he is God's gift to women, does not exactly reciprocate Mari's lavish affections. I cannot, however, think of two people who deserve each other more.

One day, LV is in her room singing, and Ray overhears her, but what he hears is "Judy Garland". It seems that LV can sing and sound exactly like those old time musical stars. Ray is in seventh heaven with his discovery. You can almost see the dollar signs in his eyes. He will do whatever it takes to get LV on stage, though his unctiousness towards her only serves to fuel Mari's jealousy of Ray's attention to her daughter.

Ultimately, Mari and Ray band together, however, as LV is their meal ticket to fame and fortune, if they can only get her to overcome her shyness and reclusiveness. They do not, however, understand why she sings. It is this lack of perception that that will, in the end, be their undoing.

Nonetheless, LV goes on to give one of the most show stopping performances ever to grace center stage. The transformation is incredible. Jane Horrocks gives a performance to be remembered! The only question is whether Ray and Mari can get LV to sing more than once. See the movie and find out for yourself. This is, without a doubt, an exceptional film.

I saw this movie on a whim. For those people, like myself, who haven't yet taken the big steps into 'indie' films, this movie is a good place to start.

It's about Little Voice (played by an amazingly talented Jane Horrocks, where did this girl come from?), a young woman with a voice that's barely above a whisper. And living with her mother (played by the enjoyable Brenda Blethyn), I can understand why. But LV has got something about her. When she wants to express herself she opens up her mouth and sings. What I was suprised to learn was that Ms.Horrocks does all of her own singing, which is amazing!

Needless to say, it's not long before people are discovering her, including sleazy agent Micheal Caine and sweet pidgeon messenger Ewan McGregor. I'm not going to say any more, I want everyone to see this movie, because it really is a fantastic one! It's too bad it's not more well known, because the performances are great, the acting is superb, and the whole feel of the movie is one that makes you want to get up and dance!

I wasn't expecting great things when I first sat down to watch "Little Voice". My God, was I blown away. What a movie! What a cast! And Jane Horrocks (Bubble from "Absolutely Fabulous") what a voice! A shy, young introvert (Horrocks) locks herself away in her room where she mimicks Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Shirley Bassey in an attempt to escape her over-bearing, loud, common mother (played to the hilt by the brilliant Blethyn). Enter a sleazy, slimy talent agent (Caine) who discovers her and tries to cash in on Little Voice's amazing talent. I won't say too much more except you MUST buy this movie to add to your DVD library! If only to hear Horrocks' voice. Yes, she actually sang all the numbers herself in this movie....AMAZING! Why didn't this movie win an Academy Award for something? Who votes in the winners? Are they blind as well as deaf? What's wrong with Hollywood today?

An introverted young lady who cherishes her late father and keeps his memory alive through his beloved record collection is at the heart of "Little Voice," directed by Mark Herman. Jane Horrocks gives an amazing performance as Laura, the shy girl with, as it turns out, a very big voice and the uncanny ability to mimic Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe, among others, to perfection. She lives with her mother, Mari (Brenda Blethyn), a vociferous floozy, in an apartment above their small record store. Laura (whom Mari calls "L.V." because of her retiring manner and the fact that she rarely speaks above a whisper), spends an inordinate amount of time retreating from her mother to the sanctuary of her bedroom and her dad's records, where she immerses herself into the music, as well as the persona, of whichever artist she is listening to at the time. For the most part she is ignored by her mother, who also dismisses L.V.'s talent purely out of disregard. Enter Ray Say (Michael Caine), a sleazy, contemptuous, small time theatrical agent, who is picked up and dragged home one night by Mari. It isn't long, of course, before he discovers L.V. When he hears Judy Garland's voice coming from her bedroom, he thinks he's found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; this has The Big Time written all over it. All he has to do now is figure out how to get L.V., the veritable recluse, up in front of an audience. Adapted for the screen by Mark Herman, from Jim Cartwright's play "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice" (written originally to showcase Horrock's unique talents), the success of the movie is assured by a cast that delivers quality performances all around. Jane Horrocks does all of her own singing, and when she finally breaks loose it is truly a delight. And Herman must be given credit for not allowing it to be over done; he gives you just enough of L.V. to keep it exciting and leave you wanting more. Michael Caine gives an inspired performance that easily should have won him an Oscar. His Ray Say is so finely shaded that you know exactly who and what he is, yet he manages to overlay him with a smarmy, irresistible charm that keeps him accessible. His rendering of Roy Orbison's "It's Over" is an unforgettable cinematic moment. Brenda Blethyn is outstanding as well, making Mari just unlikable enough that you can still empathize with her when she finally gets her comeuppance. Ewan McGregor adds a subtle charm to the film as Billy, the telephone repairman who finds a kindred spirit in L.V, and Jim Broadbent gives a humorous turn as Mr. Boo, owner of the venue Ray engages for L.V.'s debut. Rounding out the supporting cast are Philip Jackson (George), Annette Badland (Sadie), Fred Feast (Arthur) and Graham Turner (L.V.'s father). Funny, and touching as well, "Little Voice" is solid entertainment well presented. It's one you're going to remember, even after, as Ray Say says, "It's over."

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

Jane Horrocks, who played numerous characters in the cult English sitcom "Absolutely Fabulous", shines here as a sorrowfully shy girl with a talent beyond belief.

After her father died, many years ago, she resigned herself to listening to his old records, and singing along with them. She soon became a virtuoso, capable of imitating Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and others. In equally brilliant performances, Michael Caine and Brenda Blethyn (Pride and Prejudice) the former wants to bring LV's talent to the world, certain that great riches are but a step away. Brenda (LV's mom) is at first completely oblivious to her daughters talent, as she is far too egocentric to notice anything or anyone but herself - unless it's a man. In that case, she's quite the player.

There is a somewhat interesting - although perhaps unnecessary - love interest between LV and Billy (Ewan McGregor). It seems to serve as helping LV to open up to the world, but there are so many things/occurrences that can happen to a person that incite change that I'm a little fed up with movies taking the easy way out with a love interest. AND, there was such an occurrence in the film itself. Still, Ewan plays his part well, and while his interest in LV is a bit difficult to understand, it's not entirely unbelievable.

What IS unbelievable is Jane Horrocks's amazing voice. You'd think that the filmmakers would have her lip synch while either a recording of Judy Garland, or someone who could imitate her, was singing. But they didn't need to do so. Horrocks did so herself. She imitated all of the artist's brilliantly, and nearly perfectly.

It was easy to see, after this performance, what a remarkably gifted actress she is. The characters she played on "AbFab" were hysterical and widely variant, though she is best known as the mentally challenged Bubble.

The most remarkable aspect of this movie is the great performance of all main actors: Jane Horrocks, Brenda Blethyn and Michael Caine, each one of them as impressive as possible and it is hard to say whose act is the best; is it the surprising wonderfully voiced Jane Horrocks, who makes this movie such a satisfying entertainment, Michael Caine who plays all nuances of the greedy agent (one who knows how to psychologically manipulate mother and daughter) or the great Brenda Blethyn whose every twist of face and body is an act of its own. Mari talks all the time, but in the few instances when she has no words - Brenda Blethyn's face says it all. I am not sure that Mari deserves all that she gets in this movie, but she is punished for all her doings in the unforgettable words she hears from both agent and daughter.
Throughout the movie I was expecting some sort of reconciliation between mother and daughter or some recognition from mother towards daughter, some kind words... appreciation...but none of this is here and there is no attempt to cover the real-life truth. This is even sharpened when one understands that yes, the mother is jealous of her daughter and no, the daughter is not just "naturally shy". All falls to place at the movie's climax moment and all is understood.
Although Mari's character is unpleasant, she is so wonderfully portrayed by Brenda Blethyn that I was unable to feel any contempt for her character because above all she is a human being to whom you feel a mixture of both anger and pity.
The second aspect of Little Voice is the music - Jane Horrocks honors the great singers (Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland) with her performance that tries to bring them as they were and not to glorify herself. This is quite a contradictory statement as the film was built around Jane Horrocks unique talent - but this is only "behind the scenes" knowledge and not what you feel when you see her on screen. Not a "big" movie and does not intend to be one. The splendid perfomrance makes it worth your time.

How did the Academy Awards miss this rich film? Little Voice is yet another one of those quiet British gems with incredible performances and stunning writing. Jane Horrocks is spellbinding as Laura "L V" Hoff, who, since the death of her father, has been in a world of her own, where the only way she can truly communicate is through impeccable impersonations of the female singers on her father's old records. With the help of LV's mother (the impressive Brenda Blethyn), agent Ray Say, played by Michael Caine, tries to turn her daughter's talent into showbiz fame and fortune. Don't miss this incredible movie!

I picked this up primarily because I remembered Horrocks' hysterical character "Bubble" in the Britcom "Absolutely Fabulous". And I'm glad I got it: what a great movie! The acting is fabulous (was the Academy asleep when this movie came out?...where are all the awards! ), and the story is interesting (despite what I think is one very minor flaw in the story). But what really blew me away is the accurate dead-on portrayal of what sloth, greed and selfishness do to people. What a revealing and interesting picture of human nature! You can't help but feel sorry for LV when you see what surrounds her. It's well worth renting, and definitely worth buying. This one's a keeper that you'll enjoy owning. Horrock's musical performances are astounding and all songs were sung by her: there's no trick dubbing in this movie.

Laura Hoff (Jane Horrocks) is a horribly timid and soft-spoken young lady, hence her pet name Little Voice. So fearful and introverted is the gentle creature that she rarely ventures out of her house and into the world outside. Instead, she counts on the voices of such enchantresses as Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and Shirley Bassey as a sounding board for the pain she suffers form having lost her father. Living in the sleepy seaside town of Scarborough, England with a repressive, pseudo-socialite mother, Little Voice's grandest ability is to communicate by using her melodic and unparalleled gift for singing, and finds refuge within her music as well as her father's ever-present spirit.

The day comes when a sleazy tavern act promoter, a role that is splendidly delivered by one of England's foremost actors, Michael Caine, suddenly discovers LV. In an act of fervent courage, Little Voice comes out of her shell and sweeps an audience off their feet with her incredible stage presence, and her even more surprising knack for flawlessly emulating the voices of her favorite sirens.

Nevertheless, this film has an even more profound agenda. Not only is LV finally vanquishing her constrained sense of self, but also she has finally begun to trust the another person other than her father's ghost, a local boy who likes to look after his pigeons. Ewan McGregor fills the shoes of the small role, but he is one of the characters who has a more profound effect on Laura "Little Voice" Hoff. Furthermore, the relationship between LV and her mother comes to its zenith when a fire destroys their home. The flare up is a momentous allegory for how LV's rage will cause her to shed her old self and take on the life she was meant to experience.

This picture is one of tumultuous family battles and the struggle to become self-actualized. What I feel audiences will take away from this film is the fact that the process of letting go is just as important as that of grabbing on to the one thing which makes us feel alive.

Let me also bring to the foreground that all songs were completely undubbed and no lip-synching was involved. In plain English, Jane Horrocks genuinely performed and emulated all vocals that were crooned in this film. All the more reason to feel the force and craft behind this zestful and rousing piece of work.

Jane Horrocks is a British comedian who amongst her many talents is a great mimic of female vocal artists. This film was originally a stage play based around her.

The plot of the film is simple. Jane plays Little Voice a young woman who lacks self confidence and whose life has been destroyed by an overbearing and grotesque mother. The mother continually belittles her daughter who is so lacking in any social sills that she sits in her room each night playing old 50's and 60's records owned by her father. It would seem that the father was also destroyed by the mother. She sings along to these records and is able to mimic such greats as Billie Holiday, Judy Garland and Marilyn Munro. (Okay Marilyn Munro was not a great but you know what I mean)

Michael Caine plays a seedy music entrepreneur who is limping along in obscurity heading career wise somewhere worse than obscurity. He has a brief drunken fling with Little Voice's mother and hears her voice coming from her room. He immediately sees her as an unexploited talent that might just bring him back into the game.

The film centres on a concert organised by Caine and its aftermath. Broadly the film is a morality tale in which the mother and Caine get what is coming to them and Little Voice is able to achieve something more than fame and that is normality.

The film is both good and bad. Horrocks at its centre is brilliant and it is her talent that is responsible for everything good about it. Her performance scenes are breathtaking made more remarkable by the use of her own voice. It is the other characters and the rest of the film that is the drag. The morality tale is rather telescoped and the character of the mother a repellent and grotesque rather than being real. The end a little bit of an anti-climax. One would imagine that this stems from the difficulty of converting the play to a film.

Never the less the performance of Horrocks is so strong and the premise so clever that the film is worth looking at despite its faults.