Little Voice

Impersonation

Little Voice is written around a woman who possesses the ability to sound and move extraordinarily like several famous songstresses. Jane Horrocks plays the title character beautifully. Of course, if you know the part was written specifically for her, that's a no-brainer. Regardless, watching and hearing her sing (and it really is her singing) in the styles of so many greats is fantastic, and it would be just as entertaining to have an hour and a half of just that. One of the wonders of the movie is that the joy doesn't stop there. The characters are richly written and acted and given a plot that never feels contrived.

Anger

Director Mark Herman was known before this for Brassed Off, a comedy of sorts that had a dark, political undercurrent. There, characters were frustrated miners that could do little to stop the destruction of their way of life as England converted to nuclear power. The final contest of the sports formula was a victory, but it did nothing to stop the closing of the pit. The anger in the characters, which was brought to the screen perhaps too well, made for some chilling and unpleasant scenes that felt out of place in a comedy.

Herman repeats himself somewhat here. The opening is very sunny and humorous and hints nothing of the genuine emotional strife to come. Again, a bunch of seemingly nice folks are brought to emotional climaxes that are quite dramatic. Fortunately, Little Voice ends victoriously where Brassed Off closed with sadness. It's not the obvious victory, for which I am thankful, but it's entertaining.