Little Voice (1998)

Director:

Mark Herman

Writers:

Jim Cartwright (play)
Mark Herman (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 December 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Music

Tagline:

Finding your own voice can be magic.

Plot:

The pathetically shy LV lives the life of a recluse listening to her late fathers old records in her room and in the process driving her abusive...

Plot Keywords:

Singing | Singer | Telephone Repairman | Fire | Ghost

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 22 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (UK) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (DeLuxe)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:MG6 | Iceland:L | Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:12 (video rating) | USA:R (certificate #35929) | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England, UK

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes directed the original London stage version of the play, entitled "The Rise and Fall of Little Voice" which was written especially for Jane Horrocks.

Quotes:

Mari Hoff: Ah, your not the famous phone bill, are ya?

Movie Connections:

Features "The Judy Garland Show" (1963)

Soundtrack:

Over the Rainbow

I Never Thought I`d Enjoy This

To be blunt the only reason I watched LITTLE VOICE was because there was absolutely nothing else on and I was expecting some sort of substandard Mike Leigh film . And I wasn`t expecting my opinion to be swayed either as the opening credits rolled , based on a stage play and full of actors with " Eee by gum " northern accents and with a foul mouthed mother bullying her painfully introverted daughter this had all the hallmarks of a tedious 90 minutes , but the more the film went on the more I became engrossed . I`ve never seen Jim Cartwright`s play so I can`t comment if Mark Herman`s script is an improvement but what a great script it is , something that touches your heart and makes you smile . The scene with LV singing a medley is uplifting while the scenes with " Take Fat " and Trigger Smith - Knife thrower will make you laugh outloud . This is a great feel good movie with a great cast , Michael Caine and Jim Broadbent are very good ( Well they do have three Oscars between them ) , Ewan McGregor gives one of his better performances and Brenda Blethyn deserved her Oscar nod , but standing head and shoulders above the entire cast is Jane Horrocks as LV . The fact that she wasn`t Oscar nominated in the title role is one of the biggest travesties in recent academy award history

Just to sum up this is a great film . British cinema experienced an upturn in the 1990s with the likes of THE CRYING GAME , FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL , and THE FULL MONTY , but these films are as overrated as much as LITTLE VOICE is underrated . LITTLE VOICE is one of the best Brit flicks from the most recent golden age of British cinema