Little Voice

REVIEW
Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe and Shirley Bassey all come to miraculous life in the person of a pint-sized impersonator named Little Voice, superbly played by Horrocks. Unfortunately, this uneven adaptation of Jim Cartwright's hit London play spotlights L.V. in the first half, leaving the story nowhere to go but down. A way-over-the-top Blethyn plays Mari, L.V.'s mussy mother whose current beau, Ray (Caine), is a down-on-his-heels talent agent. When he hears L.V. singing one night, he begins seeing dollar signs. Only one drawback: L.V. is painfully shy and has no desire to be a star. The story then follows Ray's efforts to get L.V. to the show on time, where she wows a sold-out audience. Once L.V. has performed, however, the film loses its momentum; how could it possibly sustain that kind of energy level. It gave its finale at intermission. The rest of the film is loud, obnoxious people behaving badly. The ensemble saves the film from tedium: Horrocks is amazing in her many voices, Caine oozes slime, Blethyn snaps her one-liners with slingshot precision, and McGregor nicely underplays his shy boy bit.