A 1998 British musical written and directed by Mark Herman follows a shy reclusive (Jane Horrocks) being convinced by an entity to sing and soon finds herself having her talent being show-cased on stage.
The movie also stars Brenda Blethyn, Michael Caine, Ewan McGregor, Jim Broadbent, Annette Badland, and Philip Jackson.
It was released on December 4, 1998.
Tropes for the film:
- Abusive Parents : Mari verbally abuses her daughter.
- Birds of a Feather : LV and Billy. Both are shy, quiet and have their own hobbies.
- Calling the Old Woman Out : LV confronts her mother accusing her of her father's death and blaming her for her shyness.
- Greater-Scope Villain: The Big Bad is Ray Say, a Smug Snake talent agent who plots to turn the young shy Laura into a star, whether she wants to be or not. It's ultimately revealed that he's so fixated on doing this because he's deeply in debt to the mob, and the royalties from discovering and promoting an "overnight sensation" are his only hope of appeasing their wrath. He does not succeed, and a trio of gangsters arrives to "collect'' him at the end of the film.
- Holding the Floor: Subverted, where the title character, a shy, shut-in recluse with the ability to perfectly imitate any singer she's heard, refuses to repeat her show-stopping performance at a local nightclub, so Ray Say (a seedy manager of third-rate acts) goes on stage to try to stall for time while her mother tries to talk her into performing again. It doesn't work; Little Voice persists in her refusal to perform, and Ray Say ends up humiliated when the audience, tired of waiting, finally walks out on him.
- Punctuality Is for Peasants: Played with. The young reclusive Little Voice has an amazing singing voice, and agrees to perform one concert, which is a roaring success. However, the producer, Ray Say arranges a second concert without her consent, and LV flatly refuses to get out of bed, leaving Ray to arrange a string of supporting acts to pacify the eager audience.
- Voice Changeling: Shrinking Violet Laura, aka Little Voice, develops the ability to mimic famous singers' voices from all her time spent listening to records which her greedy mother and boyfriend try to exploit to get rich.
