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List Price: $14.99 | | Label: Miramax
Salesrank: 16176
Released: July 13, 1999 |
| Our Price: $8.11 |
| Used Price: $4.75 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
World-class stars Michael Caine (HANNAH AND HER SISTERS), Brenda Blethyn (SECRETS AND LIES), and Ewan McGregor (STAR WARS: EPISODE I, BLACK HAWK DOWN) deliver acclaimed performances in an inspirational story about a painfully shy young woman and how the power of music leads her to an amazing transformation! A hopeless introvert, "Little Voice," (Jane Horrocks, TV's ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS) can only manage to express herself by singing in the timeless voices of Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and others. But once her eccentric mother's (Blethyn) new boyfriend -- a sleazy talent scout (Caine) overhears Little Voice's incredible crooning, he'll do anything to drag the recluse into the spotlight and make her a star! Cheered by critics everywhere -- don't miss your chance to enjoy this truly exceptional motion picture!
Description of Little Voice:
Michael Caine was robbed of an Oscar. He gives his finest performance in a decade as big-talking small-time agent Ray Say, a paunchy, pale life of the party hiding his desperation under gold chains and cool bravura. When he hears the almost magical voice of Jane Horrocks's meek little LV (short for Little Voice) fill her bedroom with the rich voice of Judy Garland, he sees his ticket to the big time. Little Voice is ostensibly LV's story, and in fact the original play was written for Horrocks, whose amazing vocal impressions of Garland, Shirley Bassey, and Marilyn Monroe (among others) form the centerpiece performance of the film. But as directed by Mark Herman (Brassed Off), the story of this mousy girl who shuts herself in from a bellowing world is just as overwhelmed by the bombastic characters as LV herself. Brenda Blethyn babbles a blue streak as LV's overbearing mother, Mari, an aging widow who escapes her unhappiness in carousing and becomes almost pathologically jealous when Ray's attentions turn from her to LV. As Ray puts his dreams on the line for LV's showcase, he reveals his true self: a venal man who spits and barks out his bottled-up anger in an astoundingly bile-filled delivery of Roy Orbison's "It's Over." The showstopping moment once again overwhelms LV's tale, but Caine's performance is so astounding it seems a fair trade. --Sean Axmaker
Little Voice Reviews:
Unusual and Surprising Film 
2009-12-08 - I had recently seen the play "Rise and Fall Of Little Voice" on stage in London and really enjoyed it so I couldn't resist seeing the film version with Michael Caine to compare. The film exceeded my expectations. The story of an introverted girl who mimics famous vocalists and her boozy loud and obnoxious Mom is incredibly well written and the actors in the film version are all terrific. This is a sad tale of desperation and family strife with some elements of dark comedy provided by Caine and the small time show biz type he represents. The surprise is the musical performance of Jane Horracks in the title role. She is fantastic. If I had to say which was better the film or stage version- I'm not sure I could pick. They were both great.
Glass Menagerie meets The Entertainer 
2009-11-17 - I actually enjoyed the film when I watched it; it was only after reading some of the more critical reviews here that I started to think about it and realize that it didn't entirely work for me.
(Maybe the moral is not to think about films too much, if you just want to enjoy them.)
I think that problem with the film is that it was conceived as a showcase for Jane Horrock's vocal impersonations. A stage show was built around them, with a story that, according to people who saw it, was much deeper in character development. Apparently the film's version cut out much of the mother's character, which would make the film more meaningful and believable.
Besides that,I think that the main problem I had with the film was that I didn't much care for the much lauded performance. I did laugh out loud at her "Marlene Dietrich" but her "Judy Garland" was sort of creepy and her "Marilyn Monroe" was pathetic.
So this whole story was constructed around this performance and, at the end of it I had to say "Much to do about Nothing."
We find out, at the end, that "Little Voice's" real name is "Laura," hence my reference to "Laura Wingfield", another pathologically shy heroine with an overbearing cruel mother, in "The Glass Menagerie." Tennesse Williams did it much better! Laurence Olivier did a star turn as "Archie" someone, another down-on-his luck British entertainer, in the film, "The Entertainer."
Here Michael Caine gives another terrific performance of the same kind of guy. He almost makes the film worth seeing.
The character of Little Voice is not very believable. She goes from practically catatonic, rarely speaks, never leaves the house, doesn't make eye contact, etc. to a vibrant happy person helping her new love train his pigeons. It's a nice thought but really strains credibility.
However, if you just want a feel good film that doesn't make you think too much, this may be just the thing.
Enjoyed this movie!!
2009-11-16 - I enjoyed this movie. I was told about it by a friend and decided to buy it, as it wasn't in the video store that i frequent. I'm glad to have it in my collection. The fact that she actually sings her songs in the movie is fascinating to me. I enjoyed her in Absolutely Fabulous, but had no idea she was a dramatic actress with such vocal skills.
Little Voice
2009-07-06 - Fabulous sleeper of a movie. Brenda Blethyn and Michael Caine were terrific and Jane Horrocks' singing a revelation. Ewan McGregor was a nice surprise as Little Voice's beau.
(3 1/2 stars) Caine and Horrocks are fantastic
2009-01-04 - Just rented this from Netflix. You can read many of the other reviews for a plot summary.
Three stars -- "it's OK", Four Stars -- "I like it". Well I didn't like *all* of it, so three and a half but round up to four because of a couple of things.
The first is obvious. Jane Horrock's singing was a wonder to behold.
The second is Michael Caine's performance. He has been a favorite of mine for a long time (Alfie, Ipcress File) and I am still amazed by his abilities. From comedy (see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) to drama (most of his work) to a mix (see The Man Who Would Be King) he really puts life into a character. In Little Voice he once again does a fine job, but the highlight for me was his rendition of Roy Orbison's "It's Over". Although from a technical perspective not as skillful as Horrock's singing it was equally, or more, effective in expressing his character's emotions. It was this performance that prompted me to go to the trouble of writing this review.
In a review of The Man Who Would Be King, someone said of Caine (and also of Sean Connery) "movie stars who are also great actors -- of which there ain't many." (And then there is George Hamilton who, when asked how it felt to be a famous actor, replied in a huff "I'm not an actor -- I'm a movie star!" But I digress.)
Michael Caine trivia: A quote from IMDB: "First of all, I choose the great roles, and if none of these come, I choose the mediocre ones, and if they don't come, I choose the ones that pay the rent." I had a glimpse of this in 1978 on the Johnny Carson show. Caine was on to push his latest movie, The Swarm (a lousy 3.8 on IMDB's "User Rating"). When Carson threw Caine a softball question to allow him to start hyping the movie, Caine's response was that no one should bother seeing it; it was a terrible movie and he only did it because he needed the money for a down payment on a house. (I always wondered what Warner Brothers reaction was to this.) Maybe that honesty helps make him a great actor suitable for the great roles. At the least, it shows respect for his fans.
