Little Voice tells the story of a timid, girl who suffers from social anxiety disorders, but has the remarkable talent of being able to mimic the voices she hears on her record collection.
LV(Jane Horrocks), as she is known, spends most her of her days in her room listening to her deceased father's record collection. She loves Judy, Marilyn, Edith and Shirley, her dad's favorites. As she listens she sings along in pitch perfect imitation of the superstars.
LV's mom Mari (Brenda Blythen) is a bitter, angry widow who drinks too much and spends most of her days seducing men. She is a miserable housekeeper and the house is old and dilapidated. The fridge is filled with rancid food and the electrical system constantly overloads. LV and Mari live in mutual loathing of each other. Mari only hears annoying noise when LV plays her records and sings.
Two events happen simultaneously to bring about big change in Mari and LV's life. They have a phone installed and the young technician Billy (Ewan McGregor) becomes smitten with LV. And Mari brings home Ray Say (Micheal Caine), a washed up, drunken talent agent, for a shag. After a fuse blows and singing still emanates from LV's room, Ray realizes that LV has a great talent that he can promote and use to re-energize his career.
With much cajoling Ray gets LV to perform at the local night club. The first time is a disaster, but the second time, when LV imagines her dad sitting in the audience, is a smashing success. LV comes alive in a series of show stopping numbers imitating the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland and Shirley Bassey.
Up till this point the film has been on a steady, forward momentum that climaxes with this wonderful performance of music that makes the movie audience want to applaud. You are happy for LV's triumph over her fears and the music fills you with joy.
But then then the tone of the film changes suddenly. LV refuses to perform again. Ray's dreams of show casing her in front of a talent scout are smashed. He turns hateful towards Mari who is crushed by his words. Mari takes her anger out on her best friend Sadie. And Little Voice, pushed beyond her limits, seems to crack, reciting words and lyrics from her favorite movies and songs as she screams at Ray to leaver her alone.
In his haste to leave, Ray accidentally causes a short in some faulty wiring and a fire starts. LV is alone in her room, with her records, as the house burns down around her. She survives through the ingenuity of her new friend Billy who rescues her in more ways than one.
The film closes with a final confrontation between LV and Mari where LV lets loose with all the anger she has been holding back for so many years. She reunites with Billy and seems to be set free from her fears.
This is the second time I watched Little Voice, the first was in a theatre back in 1998. The film leaves me with mixed emotions. The performance by Jane Horrocks is superb and the music is wonderful. Blythen as the bitter Mari is so unpleasant that you can't stand watching her, which is a tribute to Blythen's excellent acting skills. Micheal Caine is superb as usual and McGregor, just one year away from super stardom in Star Wars, shines with the boyish quality that makes him so watchable.
But it's the dark shift in tone that bothers me. The movie takes you to an emotional high during LV's performance and than quickly plunges you into this bitter, dark place. The Micheal Caine character who has been funny, charming and a bit smarmy suddenly turns mean and angry for no apparent reason. Everything that happens after the climactic performance feels forced and distracting and takes away from the movies triumph, the singing performance by LV. The third act of this film feels hurried and tacked on to provide further confrontation.
Instead of feeling good after the movie ends you feel as if you just survived an extended family brawl at Thanksgiving Dinner. It makes me wonder what director and writer Mark Herman was trying to say with this film.
Little Voice is a film that lives up to it's promise and then takes it away. I give it a recommend with reservations.
At The Movie House rating **1/2 stars
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