Livestonth I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Michelle Ridley The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

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

zetes One of those little Miramax trifles from Britain that dominated the art-house back in the mid-to-late '90s. It stars Jane Horrocks as the title character, a painfully shy young woman who barely speaks at all, but has an outrageously good singing voice. Michael Caine plays a man from the music business who accidentally discovers her while he's visiting her abusive, skanky mother (Brenda Blethyn). Caine's attentions turn wholly to Horrocks, and Blethyn becomes even more wicked to her. Ewan MacGregor co-stars as Horrocks' pigeon-raising love interest and Jim Broadbent appears as Caine's friend, a night club owner. Brenda Blethyn received an Oscar nomination for her work, but she probably didn't deserve it. It's like she reprises her Secrets & Lies character and cranks up her obnoxiousness to 11. Horrocks is the entire show here, really (though I did like Caine's work). She's quite adorable in her shy mode, and when she does sing, man, does she nail it. The original play (directed by Sam Mendes) was written specifically for her to showcase her talents. I'd probably give the film a passing grade, but, really, there's only one sequence where Horrocks gets to show off in full force. It's exquisite, but I really wanted more. A lot more.

S.R. Dipaling Waif-like LV(Jane Horrocks,a revelation!) is child-like,reclusive and almost catatonic,living under the thumb of her blustery,selfish and more-than-a-bit whorish mother(Brenda Blythyn,sucking up as much air as humanly possible). While mum is romancing(more like shagging)the local small-time promoter about town(Michael Caine,able to slip into yet another character with little effort),LV's rich,uncannily strong and facile voice catches his attention,and he sets about to use her talents to hit the big time. One who observes LV--a painfully shy girl who quietly,slowly mourns the death/absence of her father--knows that this course of action is going to be more ruinous than profitable somewhere down the line.Based on a somewhat obscure play written by Jim Cartwright--and penned with Horrocks and her brilliant vocal range in mind!--this movie,directed by Mark Herman,is a quiet little gem,not quite perfect,but packing enough charm to carry it easily. Ewan MacGreggor as LV's almost equally shy would-be-lover,Annette Badland as the near-mute hairstylist friend of LV's Mum and Jim Broadbent as an easily cowed local club owner add the right amount of plain,unforced depth that a charming,character-driven story needs. I saw this the first time as a free vid rent(love the perks of working in a video store!)eight years ago and decided to see this again and was charmed almost equally. Horrocks in particular is quite the find,both mousy and yet powerful,her prevalence over her problems,both internal and external are as rewarding as the talent she exhibits,watching this "litle" voice grow much bigger. A good movie that has become a GREAT cheap rent.

lastliberal This film by Mark Herman has enough interesting characters that it really keeps your interest.Brenda Blethyn received an Oscar nomination for her performance, and she deserved it. As the brassy mom who yelled and philandered her husband into an early grave, she is hilarious.I have to say that this is one of the best performances I have seen from Michael Caine as a loser who sees all his dreams go up in smoke.Jim Broadbent was also good as Mr. Boo, a failed comic and nightclub owner.Jane Horrocks was mesmerizing when she sang, especially doing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Ewan McGregor was great as a perfect match for her.The music was beautiful nostalgia and there performances were first rate.