mcguin71 Having seen Little Voice when it was comparatively new I decided it was about time it was revisited with one of its rare TV showings - I honestly didn't realise it had been so long!Undoubtedly many viewers, especially those from outside these shores, will find the acting and accents somewhat irksome, but don't let the decidedly downbeat, and grim vision of British Northerness put you off as you will be missing a a charming, perfectly acted movie.The headline is of course Jane Horricks as the titular Little Voice. She brings the character to life with not only the perfect mimicry of the singing greats, but also her portrayal of the clinically shy woman-child living in the shadow of her dead fathers music collection.The rest of the cast harness their talent to give equally great performances. Obviously most praise goes to Michael Caine's funny, manipulative and eventually quite slimy talent agent, or Brenda Blethyns foul mouthed mother, together with Jim Broadbent giving a solid portrayal as the nightclub owner where Caine trys to 'sell' LV.Across the many reviews often very little is said of the equally excellent supporting cast. The pre-Star Wars Ewen McGregor, ever solid Philip Jackson, and even a Pre-'Stenders Annette Badland, provide quiet depth or stoicness to their characters - literally in Badlands case who speaks very few lines.It's not a perfect movie with its less than flattering view of Scarborough, despite the rather nicer shots of the town at night. Also the background to the strained Mari/Laura (mother/LV) remains very much closed up until the very end, whereas I felt there was enough to warrant it being hinted at earlier.Overall though it's so very deserving of a mere 97 minutes of your life and most definitely shows that a handful of talent can trounce megabucks of CGI any day of the week. .... So just a few niggles and a well deserved and underplayed 8/10

romcombuff I've been on an indie film binge and have been discovering little gems through netflix. I love Netflix for that reason. I found Little Voice and after reading the description thought this would be a Pygmalion-like movie. Sure, it has elements of Pygmalion but it's much darker, quirkier with an ending that's as far from My Fair Lady as you can get. Jane Horrocks is magnificent in the title role, LV. Rather than merely being painfully shy, LV seems slightly abnormal actually - perhaps even slightly challenged. If the movie is released today, a psychologist might provide a more accurate assessment of LV's mental condition. I'm mentioning this point because the only critique I have for this film is the unrealistic relationship between Billy (Ewan McGregro) and LV. While McGregor is always wonderful, I wasn't sure why Billy would have such interest in this oddly immature, challenged LV - I think that part/relationship of the film could have been better developed. But this is still a minor critique of the film. It's a bizarrely sad story that's elegantly told. And...of course, I love British casting of movies. The interesting, worn faces of Michael Caine, Brenda Blethyn, Jim Broadbent add so much to each character. I highly recommend.

SusanHampson This film could be entitled the meek and the mild v the vulgar and wild.In one camp, you've got Little Voice (Jane Horrocks) and her 'friend', Billy, (Ewan McGregor), a thoroughly sweet pigeon breeder. Two shy characters who wouldn't say boo! to a goose. In the other camp - how do I put it? Well, if paint stripper could talk and sulphuric acid could walk, they would be Ray Say (Michael Caine) and Mari Hoff (Brenda Blethyn). Two contrasting camps and some very powerful performances.Brenda Blethyn is monstrously good in this. So much so, it's painful to watch. She is so nasty, my heart sank as I realised this over the top and brilliant performance was not going to spare me. The first scene was shocking as I took in the appearance and demeanour of her character. She is the true embodiment of vulgarity: Fag Ash Lil meets Motor Mouth.As her character develops, you realise there are no spiteful depths that she will not plummet to belittle and berate her daughter who is far more talented, beautiful and gentle than she could ever hope to be. Little Voice's talent awakens the envious beast that's inside her mother. It's no wonder LV doesn't speak a word.Enter Ray Say, the small-time music manager who's chunky jewellery, flash car and underworld contacts can't hide the fact that he's one of life's losers. He never quite hit the big time. He's Delboy but without a sense of humour. And that's tragic. Like Mari, he tries to cover up his desperation but it seeps through the cracks like mud through broken concrete.When Ray realises the range of talent that Little Voice casually displays, he can't contain his excitement. He soon realises that he'll have to put up with her mother if he's going to groom the star that's living under the same roof as her. But Mari doesn't take kindly to being second best to her daughter and the open display of vitriol that she unleashes on LV is nothing short of the vilest verbal abuse.So that's it in a northern nutshell. Will Ray pluck LV out of obscurity? How will he do it? How much longer will he put up with Mari, the acid-tongued witch? A tongue with a life all of its own - when it's not lunging for Ray's throat, it's creating mayhem - two beasts, one woman. That in itself is a dilemma.Caine's performance is nothing short of stunning. He makes sleazy look so easy. What can't he do? He is 'Red Hot Ray' with his tacky clothes and car. His expletive-ridden karaoke at the end of the film is raw and powerful and the most memorable part of the film: a goggle-eyed, seething, drunk desperado, the like I've never seen on film.Jane Horrocks is wonderful. She is clearly a fantastic mimic and is able to capture perfectly the voices of Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. Jim Broadbent is also fantastic (no surprises there) as the nightclub host. Ewan McGregor is the sweet shy love interest and plays it well. With a line up like this, it's hard for Little Voice to be anything other than brilliant. But, there's no question about it, no amount of perfect mimicry can outshine Blethyn and Caine in this film. It belongs to them. The casting director deserves a place in heaven for this pairing.

xredgarnetx Jane Horrocks is dazzling as LITTLE VOICE, about a small, shy gal who has one very powerful set of vocal cords. Michael Caine as a seedy impresario and Brenda Blethyn as Little Voice's overbearing mom try to push LV onto a cabaret stage where she can show off those impressive vocal cords -- and make them rich. The wonderful Jim Broadbent is on hand as the owner of th seedy cabaret where LV is to perform. LV has other ideas. All comes to a terrible end -- at least it does for Caine, Blethyn and Broadbent. Ewen McGregor is on hand as LV's aspiring beau. While there are some very funny moments, this is a dark, dark drama, and being a British film, it does not end up playing out like ROCKY, which the plot of LITTLE VOICE strongly resembles. LV may be an underdog, but she isn't interested in becoming what Blethyn and company want her to. The ending is romantic in its own way, but odd. And decidedly off. But then, this is not a Hollywood movie with a typical Hollywood ending. LITTLE VOICE is really a dressed-up art-house flick that is not going to satisfy mainstream American audiences. Horrocks, a great singer, does get to belt out several classic tunes about two-thirds of the way through, but it's not nearly enough.