Rating: 
Summary: An emotional masterpiece!
Review: Astounding performances lift this movie and make it soar! Michael Caine portrays perhaps the most vile character of his career with a range of nuance and expression that would challenge even the most adept actors. It might well be his best work ever! But his sleazy Ray Say would be just another manipulative has-been were it not for the work of Jane Horrocks' Little Voice. Ms. Horrocks doesn't just recreate the voices of Judy Garland, Marlilyn Monroe and numerous other singers, she practically channels them in one of the most unique performances I've ever seen.Little Voice or LV for short is a severely withdrawn young woman whose response to an earlier trauma has rendered her mute but for an ability to sing in the voice of past stars. Her mother, Brenda Blethyn, is accepting of this until linking up with Caine's struggling agent, Ray. The two seek to exploit LV, albeit for differing reasons; Mom wants her to succeed at something, while Ray sees nothing but profit in a client with more potential than his current stable of strippers and hack comics. Ewan McGregor appears as an equally shy telephone repair man, with Jim Broadbent as a club owner that is every bit as low brow as his clientele. Beyond the marvelous characterizations, the film's setting in a northern England city makes for a setting of pathos and futility that has you rooting for LV to escape not only her emotional prison but the physical one of her family and environment. Horrocks will have your heart within the first five minutes and she never lets go.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing voice, terrific story.
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: part comedy, part tragedy, part horror film
Review: This unusual film is difficult to characterize -- the characters are so well-developed, so unique, so interesting. Michael Caine is wonderful, but I thought that LV's mother & her tagalong friend, silent Sadie, stole the show. LV's mother is a loud, middle-aged floozy who wears pushup bras, micromini skirts, towering heels & lace tightsn and prattles on nonstop in a barely decipherable accent and odd syntax (I kept the subtitles on during the entire film -- a big help.) Her best friend Sadie is a chubby, funny-faced follower who never speaks -- the mother babbles nonstop & no one else has a chance to get a word in edgewise. LV is her mother's opposite -- a plain-jane, retiring type, silent, expressing herself only through the voices and words of the divas on her treasured record albums, finding solace in the framed portrait of her deceased father. The plot keeps you on edge, but all is resolved positively in the end. As an added bonus, Jane Horrocks (LV) is, in fact, an incredible performer, able to mimic everyone from Judy Garland in Wizard Oz to Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday."
Rating:
Summary: Little Voice...cute movie
Review: LITTLE VOICE. There is some really great talent in this film. Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge, Iris) and Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge, Star Wars, Black Hawk Down etc) especially.
Rating:
Summary: Michael Caine's performance dominates this film
Review: Jane Horrocks demonstrates amazing Liza-in-her-prime-like talent here. And Brenda Blethyn turns in her usual strong performance (although using the subtitle feature on the DVD might be a smart way to penetrate that often unintelligible accent). However, this movie revolves around Michael Caine's spectacular performance as talent scout / manager Ray Say. I just watched Caine's latest film, "The Quiet American." Put these three recent films together - Little Voice, Cider House Rules, The Quiet American and you've got three tremendous performances in *completely* different roles. To me, the Ray Say role is far and away the best of the lot, yet it was the only one not nominated for an Academy Award. At least the BAFTAs were paying attention.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing and Endearing
Review: I am lover of British films, and this is one of my favorites. Jane Horrocks blew me away with her amazing talent, otherwise Brenda Blethen would have stolen the show. However, every character in this film is compelling. The story is a little sad, but very funny in a subdued way. The ending is quite uplifting. Not a movie for kids, due to Blethen's character's antics (wherein much of the humor lies), but very much a movie adults can enjoy, and savor over and over again. I know I do!
Rating:
Summary: This movie is okay but Jane Horrocks is Absolutely Fabulous
Review: "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.
Rating:
Summary: Cool!
Review: I wasn't looking forward to this movie very much, and it seemed to have a pretty slow start...and then suddenly I was drawn in. I loved the plot and felt so sorry for LV, while at the same sympathising with Mari and Ray...and the ending was so tension-filled I was bouncing up and down screaming at the TV. Normally I find Horrocks rather annoying but she, like the rest of the cast, was brilliant in this and I was most impressed by her singing. The only thing is that I felt the film ended a bit abruptly. Like you never found out how LV sorted things out with her mother. It was a good ending but it just had some blanks to it.
I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes slightly grim social-reality movies, who is interested in singing, or is shy. Check it out!
Rating:
Summary: An all-around fantastic film
Review: Exploring the life of a small community of individuals, we see everything -- the tawdry, the stomach-turning, the silly, the "every day", the moving, and the truly magic. Ms. Horrocks delivers one of the best performances I've seen, full-stop -- not only for her spot-on impressions, but for the nuances of her characterization throughout the film. It's hard to say, at the end, if Elvie should be on the path to fame, should be simply left alone, or should be institutionalized... Brenda Blethyn and Michael Caine give great performances as wonderfully over-the-top, if at times a bit disturbing, individuals, and Ewan MacGregor deftly handles his role in the most internalized and understated performance I've seen from him. I can't recommend this film highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: Jane Horrocks is a wonder
Review: I was already a fan of Jane Horrocks for her comic portrayal of Bubble, the personal assistant, on "Absolutely Fabulous." Here,s eh stretches her wings as LV (short for Little Voice), an adult woman muted by life. Her father has passed away, her mother is boisterous and loud, drowning her out. But LV actually has a very big voice when it comes to singing. She has an uncanny knack for imitating Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Shirley Bassey. Her mother's newest and sleaziest boyfriend (played by Michael Caine) sees -- or rather, hears -- a goldmine in LV and convinces the painfully shy woman to perform at his nightclub for one night. LV meantime has met a pigeon-loving boy-next-door (Ewan MacGregor) and is figuring out what she wants in life too, and if she will ever get it. Horrocks performs all her own songs in this flick and she is a wonder! Rent or buy it today!
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