Inclubabu Plot so thin, it es unnoticed.

Manthast Absolutely amazing

Billie Morin This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

mcguin71 Having seen Little Voice when it was comparatively new I decided it was about time it was revisited with one of its rare TV showings - I honestly didn't realise it had been so long!Undoubtedly many viewers, especially those from outside these shores, will find the acting and accents somewhat irksome, but don't let the decidedly downbeat, and grim vision of British Northerness put you off as you will be missing a a charming, perfectly acted movie.The headline is of course Jane Horricks as the titular Little Voice. She brings the character to life with not only the perfect mimicry of the singing greats, but also her portrayal of the clinically shy woman-child living in the shadow of her dead fathers music collection.The rest of the cast harness their talent to give equally great performances. Obviously most praise goes to Michael Caine's funny, manipulative and eventually quite slimy talent agent, or Brenda Blethyns foul mouthed mother, together with Jim Broadbent giving a solid portrayal as the nightclub owner where Caine trys to 'sell' LV.Across the many reviews often very little is said of the equally excellent ing cast. The pre-Star Wars Ewen McGregor, ever solid Philip Jackson, and even a Pre-'Stenders Annette Badland, provide quiet depth or stoicness to their characters - literally in Badlands case who speaks very few lines.It's not a perfect movie with its less than flattering view of Scarborough, despite the rather nicer shots of the town at night. Also the background to the strained Mari/Laura (mother/LV) remains very much closed up until the very end, whereas I felt there was enough to warrant it being hinted at earlier.Overall though it's so very deserving of a mere 97 minutes of your life and most definitely shows that a handful of talent can trounce megabucks of CGI any day of the week. .... So just a few niggles and a well deserved and underplayed 8/10

TheLittleSongbird I was surprised at how much I liked Little Voice. It looks beautiful, with the photography striking and the scenery, lighting, costumes and locations equally so. The script has its funny and touching moments, and I liked how the story had sweet and subtle Cinderella-like undertones. The pace is also just fine, and Herman's direction compliments the film's strengths very well.In fact, my only complaints with Little Voice are its length, I feel it is too short, and sometimes in the film the working-class life is depicted a little too crudely.The acting is the film's biggest pro. Jane Horrocks is simply brilliant in the lead role, and she gets fantastic from Brenda Blethyn, Jim Broadbent and especially Michael Caine. Ewan McGregor is also very good and charming.In conclusion, an impressive little film made especially watchable by the big talent on show. 8/10 Bethany Cox

SusanHampson This film could be entitled the meek and the mild v the vulgar and wild.In one camp, you've got Little Voice (Jane Horrocks) and her 'friend', Billy, (Ewan McGregor), a thoroughly sweet pigeon breeder. Two shy characters who wouldn't say boo! to a goose. In the other camp - how do I put it? Well, if paint stripper could talk and sulphuric acid could walk, they would be Ray Say (Michael Caine) and Mari Hoff (Brenda Blethyn). Two contrasting camps and some very powerful performances.Brenda Blethyn is monstrously good in this. So much so, it's painful to watch. She is so nasty, my heart sank as I realised this over the top and brilliant performance was not going to spare me. The first scene was shocking as I took in the appearance and demeanour of her character. She is the true embodiment of vulgarity: Fag Ash Lil meets Motor Mouth.As her character develops, you realise there are no spiteful depths that she will not plummet to belittle and berate her daughter who is far more talented, beautiful and gentle than she could ever hope to be. Little Voice's talent awakens the envious beast that's inside her mother. It's no wonder LV doesn't speak a word.Enter Ray Say, the small-time music manager who's chunky jewellery, flash car and underworld s can't hide the fact that he's one of life's losers. He never quite hit the big time. He's Delboy but without a sense of humour. And that's tragic. Like Mari, he tries to cover up his desperation but it seeps through the cracks like mud through broken concrete.When Ray realises the range of talent that Little Voice casually displays, he can't contain his excitement. He soon realises that he'll have to put up with her mother if he's going to groom the star that's living under the same roof as her. But Mari doesn't take kindly to being second best to her daughter and the open display of vitriol that she unleashes on LV is nothing short of the vilest verbal abuse.So that's it in a northern nutshell. Will Ray pluck LV out of obscurity? How will he do it? How much longer will he put up with Mari, the acid-tongued witch? A tongue with a life all of its own - when it's not lunging for Ray's throat, it's creating mayhem - two beasts, one woman. That in itself is a dilemma.Caine's performance is nothing short of stunning. He makes sleazy look so easy. What can't he do? He is 'Red Hot Ray' with his tacky clothes and car. His expletive-ridden karaoke at the end of the film is raw and powerful and the most memorable part of the film: a goggle-eyed, seething, drunk desperado, the like I've never seen on film.Jane Horrocks is wonderful. She is clearly a fantastic mimic and is able to capture perfectly the voices of Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. Jim Broadbent is also fantastic (no surprises there) as the nightclub host. Ewan McGregor is the sweet shy love interest and plays it well. With a line up like this, it's hard for Little Voice to be anything other than brilliant. But, there's no question about it, no amount of perfect mimicry can outshine Blethyn and Caine in this film. It belongs to them. The casting director deserves a place in heaven for this pairing.

MrMuffinMan I didn't really want to see this film in the first place - that's why it's taken 8 years . You need to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate many films, otherwise they just don't "click". But it was quid pro quo for the crappy sci-fi and horror and offbeat "arty-type" films I like to watch occasionally. From all I'd heard about the singing, I thought this film was going to be a musical. So when I realised this wasn't a musical, had Jane Horrocks, Michael Cane and Jim Broadbent in it, I thought it couldn't be all bad. The film seems to have been accepted as a real peach. Sadly it's not, but instead more of a curates egg - good in parts. The singing is good - but not exceptional enough to carry the film on it's own. Michael Cane puts in a very classy performance, and Jane Horrocks certainly does a job with the lines she was given. Jim Broadbent has a marginal, but significant role. Ewan McGregor, does OK with his 5 minutes but his character's involvement after the first 10 minutes seems to be a bit of an afterthought. Annette Badland, is a really excellent actress with a wide range(Archers and Dr Who fans will know this), and was wasted on this part, though she plays it well. Brenda Blethyn must have been told "play an actress who is hamming up a performance as a busty irritating Hilda Ogden on speed". If so, she did a very good job. Somehow it just felt as if they had rehearsed their roles separately, and the director has then taken the first cut on every shoot to get it over with as quickly as possible. Even though I wasn't expecting much from this, it feels like this film could have been so much better than it turned out to be. All in all not a bad film, but somehow it's much less good than the sum of the performances - frustratingly disappointing.