Little Voice (1998)

The pathetically shy LV lives the life of a recluse listening to her late father's old records in her room and in the process driving her abusive, loud-mouthed mother, Mari Hoff, to ... See full summary »

Director:

Mark Herman

Writers:

Jim Cartwright (play), Mark Herman (screenplay)

Stars:

Brenda Blethyn, Jane Horrocks, Ewan McGregor

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brenda Blethyn	...	Mari Hoff
Jane Horrocks	...	LV
Ewan McGregor	...	Billy
Philip Jackson	...	George
Annette Badland	...	Sadie
Michael Caine	...	Ray Say
Jim Broadbent	...	Mr. Boo
Adam Fogerty	...	Bouncer
James Welsh	...	Bouncer
Karen Gregory	...	Stripper
Fred Feast	...	Arthur
Graham Turner	...	LV's Dad
George Oliver	...	Pawnbroker
Virgil Tracy	...	Loan Advisor
Dick Van Winkle	...	Money Lender

Storyline

The pathetically shy LV lives the life of a recluse listening to her late father's old records in her room and in the process driving her abusive, loud-mouthed mother, Mari Hoff, to distraction. At night, however, when her father's ghost visits, LV sings the songs of the great divas such as Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Shirley Bassey. One evening LV is overheard by one of her mother's loathsome boyfriends, the disastrous dead-end talent scout Ray Say, who recognizes her innate talent and realizes this is his last big chance for the glittering prizes. Gambling everything Ray Say forces LV to appear at a local run-down, seedy night club run by Mr. Boo. As preparations for the big event proceed apace LV meets the equally shy Billy, a pigeon-racing telephone engineer and they form a tentative, gentle friendship. The big night finally arrives and everything is in readiness, the band, the club and even a big agent from London, but what about LV?

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Plot Keywords:

talent | mother | singer | shy | ghost | 

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Taglines:

A Comedy That Breaks the Records.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 December 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cordes sensibles

Filming Locations:

Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£761,094 (UK) (8 January 1999)

Gross:

$4,595,000 (USA) (26 March 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Scala Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mike Reid turned down a role.

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Goofs

Quote from Mari Hoff: "What's up with you lots, never had a shag in a Chevy?" Ray Say's car is a 1972 Delta 88 Oldsmobile Convertible

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Quotes

LV: He never spoke up to you because you'd never listen. I never spoke up to you because I could never get a word in!

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Crazy Credits

Special Thanks to ... Jason Wheeler and Team, ... Staff at St. Nicholas Hotel, Wreahead Hotel and East Ayton Lodge, ... The People of Scarborough ... North Yorkshire Police (Scarborough Department), Scarborough Borough Council, South Bay Traders Association, Haven Holidays (Cayton Bay), Stephen Joseph Theatre.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Message in a Bottle/My Favorite Martian/Children of Heaven/Blast from the Past/God Said, 'Ha!' (1999)

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Soundtracks

"It's Not Unusual"
(1965)
Music and Lyrics by Gordon Mills and Les Reed
Used by kind permission of Valley Music Ltd'
Performed by Tom Jones
Recording courtesy of the Decca Record Company Ltd.
Licensed by kind permission of Polygram Commercial Marketing Division

User Reviews

Extremely Touching

At the risk of sounding overly sentimental, this is perhaps one of the most touching films I have ever seen, and also one of the most surprising.

Jane Horrocks, Michael Caine and Ewan McGregor all turn in superb performances, with Brenda Blethyn being a tad melodramatic but remaining within the bounds of believability. It's a real pleasure to see Michael Caine in particular, in a role of a shoddy, second-rate agent who believes he's found his passport to 'the big time' in LV. That man is such a great actor.

Bypassing Jane Horrocks' astounding ability to mimic people, it's also a pleasure to see her on the big screen again: she does a heck of a lot of voice work, but to be honest I haven't seen her in a major role since 'Life Is Sweet'. She's a real star and can play demented, disordered, deranged or simply different people with such style...

As for 'Little Voice', the story is a fairly standard setup: unbearably shy LV has a talent, is discovered by the local agent, the road to riches and stardom opens... but love is in the offing, so which will she choose? That summary, however, is where the similarity to virtually any other 'standard' setup stops: LV does not want stardom. She doesn't even really know she has her talent, which is completely passive. Her choice is not between stardom or love.

Virtually nothing beyond the basic storyline is 'standard' here. There's no "*gasp* Wow!" surprises, but events turn in quite unexpected directions at all times. Many folks even complain at the end because "it isn't an end" or "it isn't what we want". That's another reason to love the film: it doesn't give the viewer a Hollywood (yawn) ending. It doesn't tie up all the loose strings.

It's like life: there's no tidy endings. Look past the obvious images and look at what's underneath. See the film for what it is, and enjoy.