| "Little Voice"
By Andrew Curry
The Miami Herald
Weekend section, November
13, 1998
Offbeat charm
is one of Britain's most successful film exports these days. And "Little
Voice," a touching comedy that combines slapstick showmanship and intelligent
acting with an amazing musical performance, engages with the quirky appeal
of "The Full Monty." Jane Horrocks, in her first major film role, plays
L.V. Hoff, a painfully shy young woman living with her mother in an English
seaside town. L.V. -- or Little Voice, a nickname she earned for her mouse-sized
speaking voice -- is trapped in the past. Her room is both cage and refuge,
one she fills with the songs of Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey and Billie
Holiday.
L.V.'s obsession
with her records has turned her into an emotional cripple, afraid of human
contact, content to be alone with her music and the memory of her father.
The solace she seeks is constantly disrupted by her shrewish mother, Mari,
played with manic intensity and a rough comedic sense by "Secrets and Lies"
star Brenda Blethyn.
When Mari brings
home two-bit talent agent Ray Say (Michael Caine), he discovers L.V.'s
secret: a remarkable singing voice. Convinced that putting L.V. onstage
is his ticket to success, Say coaxes her to perform at a local club, courting
disaster.
Blethyn and
Caine turn in strong performances, as does a supporting cast that includes
the versatile Ewan McGregor as a
shy, sensitive local boy
who tries to befriend L.V.
But it's Horrocks
who gives the film life. Singing every note of L.V.'s
part, she flawlessly covers
everything from throaty Billie Holiday ballads to Over the Rainbow . And
her acting makes watching L.V. emerge into the real world as captivating
as listening to her sing.
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