2/4/99
This is a lovely story, for the most part very well told, about a withdrawn young woman whose only happiness in life is singing old show tunes to visions of her beloved, and deceased, father. She takes on the mannerisms as well as the singing style of the performers on her father's records, which she listens to alone in her room. Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe, among others, become her alternate, or substitute, personalities. Jane Horrocks plays the title character, whose real name we do not learn until the end of the movie, and she is marvelous. Her LV is both pitiable and enormously talented, and has a great deal of inner strength despite her neuroses. It's a tour de force performance which is set off in the picture by three rather flamboyant, if not over-the-top, characters played by Michael Caine, Brenda Blethyn, and Jim Broadbent. Horrocks dwarfs all of them.
Giving the picture some balance is Ewan McGregor, who proves his versatility in a subdued role. He's a bit withdrawn himself, being far better at communicating with his pigeons than with people. He and LV make a nice couple.
My only real complaint about Little Voice is that the ending felt a little pat, maybe even a little hurried and underwritten. It's not enough, however, to spoil a most enjoyable movie.