Upon first catching a glimpse of Little Voice, the seclusive and mousy character for which this charming and entertaining film is named, one would guess her to be near mute. After all, she rarely speaks, especially in the presence of her dominating and bombastic mother, and when she does, it's little more than a high-pitched squeak.
Soon, however, we learn that not only can she speak, but that at any given moment she can erupt into her own, one person stage show complete with such amazingly accurate impressions of famed singers that you'd think you were listening to recordings of Judy Garland and other such legendary performers.
That's how this adaption of Jim Cartwright's acclaimed London stage play, "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice" slowly unfolds. Part comedy, part drama and featuring some rousing musical numbers, the film may not be perfect, but it's very good and delivers an interesting and decidedly entertaining one hundred or so minutes away from the world.
The film manages to pull that off mainly due to its winning -- albeit not always likeable -- characters and the actors who inhabit them. For the demanding lead role, writer/director Mark Herman ("Brassed Off") wisely chose to stick with Jane Horrocks (TV's "Absolutely Fabulous") who reprises her character from the stage production.
Upon hearing and seeing the musical numbers, many probably think that Horrocks simply lip synchs to the classic recordings -- I was one of them -- but the closing credits clearly state otherwise. In fact, Cartwright, aware of Horrock's amazing mimicry, scripted the original stage show around her talent, and she reportedly shot this film's musical numbers live.
After playing the part for several years, the role of LV is clearly Horrocks' and she's nothing but believable as the character. While there's not much to playing the reclusive and mousey side of her -- although she's completely believable doing so -- the quick, on again, off again transition to show stopping stage performer is simultaneously amazing to behold, occasionally a bit spooky, and on a deeper, but more subtle note, also decidedly sad.
As the boisterously loud and selfish mother and her sleazy, two-bit hustler "boyfriend," Brenda Blethyn and Michael Caine are fabulous. Humorously playing her character way over the top, Blethyn is about as far from her Oscar nominated role in the film, "Secrets and Lies," as she can get, and the comedic change suits her well (and earned her yet another Oscar nomination).
It's Caine ("Educating Rita," "Hannah and Her Sisters") however, who steals the show. Having been recently relegated to less than stellar parts, Caine jumps into his character with full abandon and obviously has a fun time playing the talent agent scoundrel who smells and hopes to capitalize on potential success. Although the character's clearly not always likeable, that only adds to what Caine can bring to the part. It's a winning performance for Caine and it's a shame he didn't get an Oscar nomination for it.
Other supporting roles are also decently played, from Jim Broadbent ("The Borrowers") giving a funny performance as a bad and obnoxious emcee, to Ewan McGregor ("Trainspotting") who's okay while playing a decidedly more low key character than what he's done in his thespian past.
The whole subplot involving his phone repairman character, however, is severely undernourished. While it's clear that he's meant to be the romantic character and that his tending and care for caged carrier pigeons is symbolic of LV in her own emotional and physical cage, the material never fully pans out the way it should (and the way the audience hopes it will).
Although the moments between Billy and LV are nicely played, they just never take off like the rest of the film. Additionally, early signs of Billy's boss being attracted to Mari -- while she's interested in Ray -- never amount to anything as this possible source of humorous conflict is quickly abandoned.
Nonetheless, the film has its share of humorous, fun, and greatly entertaining moments. A scene where Mari and Ray "get down" to Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual" while LV plays Judy Garland from her attic record player -- with both parties continuously countering the other with more volume -- is quite funny.
The show stoppers, however, involve a wonderful montage of Caine preparing for LV's debut show while the strains of "Goldfinger" (the theme from the James Bond film of the same name) play, and of course, the cabaret style performance where LV goes through her medley of classic artists and songs.
Both are highly entertaining, and if your toes aren't tapping in the latter, you'll certainly be humming along with the tunes. We can't mention enough how remarkable Horrocks is in the role, for not only does she sound just like the original artists, but her ability to mimic the mannerisms and onstage performances of the likes of Garland, Monroe and others is simply amazing.
Although the film gets a little dark toward its conclusion, and nearly all of the romantic subplot featuring McGregor's character is squandered, for the most part the film is highly enjoyable and, more importantly, feels fresh and innovative.
Regarding the disc's qualities, while the picture is good but not outstanding, the audio track sounds great. While the story doesn't warrant a great deal of supplemental material, there's absolutely nothing extra provided on this disc. An isolated audio score featuring just the songs would have seemed appropriate.
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