LITTLE VOICE (1998) Rating = *** out of ****** http://www.reviewfilm.com
In a drab English seaside town, Mari Hoff (Brenda Blethyn) whiles away her middle-aged widowhood in her chaotic home (a closed up record shop) in the local pub. However, she is the last to admit that age is overtaking her, as she totters about in high heels, gaudy make-up and low-cut, tight-fitting tops. She blatantly flirts with the two phone engineers who install her phone, making fun of the shy younger Billy (Ewan McGregor) and his hobby (he keeps homing pigeons). She also screams constantly at her painfully shy daughter, LV (Jane Horrocks). LV (which stands for Little Voice because she is so shy) spends every day in her bedroom which is the only neat room in an otherwise slovenly house. There, she listens to records by Edith Piaf, Shirley Bassey, Judy Garland and others, that her dead father had given to her.
One night, when Mari lurches home from the pub with a washed-up showbiz promoter called Ray Say (Michael Caine) for a bit of slap and tickle, LV breaks into song. She can imitate any of the singers whose records she has listened to for years. Ray sees her as a way of establishing his showbiz credentials and a means of escape from the grotty venues and third-rate acts that he normally peddles. He cajoles her into performing in public (by persuading her that her dead father would approve), and begins to plot her (and his future) career. Meanwhile, Billy (who glimpsed her while installing her mother's phone) tries to meet with her again - since both of them are so shy, the relationship develops very slowly indeed.
The screenplay by Jim Cartwright is based on his own play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, which also starred Jane Horrocks. The leitmotif of a caged bird is firmly established and relentlessly re-affirmed throughout the movie. Both LV and Billy are too shy to fly free of their shackles - Billy's pigeons are an obvious reminder of their straitened circumstances. However, the film itself never flutters free from its stage origins. Cartwright and director (and co-writer) Mark Herman don't make use of the extra possibilities by transferring the story from stage to screen. The result is that some of the performances are a little too theatrical - dialogue delivered to a live audience requires a more subtle touch for cinema. Brenda Blethyn's performance garnered her a Golden Globe nomination and an Academy Award nomination for a performance which teeters between overwrought and over-the-top, and lapses into parody on several occasions. It's a pity because the character is well written. Michael Caine fares better as the down-at-heel impresario, and deserves his Golden Globe award. Ewan McGregor is quietly effective as a minor character, but it is Jane Horrocks that grabs the attention.
Jane Horrocks has had a varied acting career - she captured headlines for a hard-hitting version of Macbeth (which involved her character urinating on stage nightly) but is probably best known as Bubbles, the airhead assistant in Absolutely Fabulous. She performs all the singing in Little Voice, and she is an excellent mimic as well as singer. However, there isn't much singing in the film. There is, however, a lot of screaming and shouting, courtesy of Blethyn, and as the movie progresses, the story becomes ever more predictable. It is also surprisingly grim, though there are nice flashes of comedy. Unfortunately, there are not enough of them, and the story is not sufficiently plausible or strong to work as a straight drama. Herman's previous directorial effort was Brassed Off, which shares many of the bittersweet, small-scale sensibilities of Little Voice (as well as Ewan McGregor). However, despite his best efforts, Little Voice never really escapes from its stage origins, and the film never really hits the high notes that Horrocks' talent could have delivered.
(c) Review of Film, Stockholm Film Review 1999
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