Little Voice
Miramax Films | Release Date: December 4, 1998 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Critic Reviews
Positive:
19
Mixed:
5
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
New Times (L.A.)Jean Oppenheimer
This terrific movie manages to invest kitchen-sink realism with the soul of a fairy tale. Read full review
90
Film.comPeter Brunette
Little Voice is that rarity, a filmed adaptation of a stage play that actually works.
90
Washington PostStephen Hunter
The trick of this movie is that it's so changeable: You think you've got it nailed and it slithers away to become some other new, fabulous thing. Read full review
88
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
By offering opportunities to laugh, cry, and cheer, Little Voice satisfies in a big way. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderLisa Alspector
Many of the elements in this story about a woman who's nearly eclipsed by her overbearing mother are all too familiar, yet the combination is utterly charming. Read full review
80
Village VoiceAmy Taubin
The show that Horrocks puts on when she finally takes to the stage is more than worth the wait. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJanet Maslin
Horrocks's phenomenal mimicry of musical grande dames...makes a splendid centerpiece for the otherwise more ordinary film built around it. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
British actress Jane Horrocks plays Little Voice, and it is a transfixing, tour de force performance. Read full review
80
VarietyDerek Elley
A small picture with a big heart. Read full review
80
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Little Voice may be more of a confection than a square meal, but it's proof of how good a dish can be when the ingredients are of the highest order. Read full review
80
Rolling StoneArthur Borman
Taking it's framework from classic fairly-tale characters like Cinderella, the British story of Little Voice is one of compassion, humor and music. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The movie is often as raucous and seedy as its less-attractive characters, but it gains power from inventive acting and poignant touches. Read full review
75
USA TodaySusan Wloszczyna
Engagingly offbeat. [4 December 1998, Life, p.13E]
75
Chicago TribuneGene Siskel
A slightly more light-hearted version of the "Shine" story. [4 December 1998, Friday, p.A]
75
San Francisco ExaminerG. Allen Johnson
The drawbacks to Little Voice might sink a lesser movie, but not this one. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Little Voice is unthinkable without the special and unexpected talent of its star. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
They're great, every one of them, but the real joy of Little Voice is Horrocks: her impeccable evocation of a timid soul and that eerie voice that sounds so surprising coming out of her. Read full review
70
SalonCharles Taylor
Jane Horrocks saves the annoyingly noisy Little Voice. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Ultimately, Little Voice comes to us from an indeterminate place that is no longer the theatre but not quite the movies. Let's call it music videoland -- best just to sit back and enjoy golden-oldie tunes belted out by a quicksilver mimic. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Actress Jane Horrocks is so good in this drama that you'll hardly notice -- or care -- that the rest of the film isn't quite up to snuff. Read full review
60
Film ThreatIlana Lindsey
The screenplay has a strong sense of fun but after establishing its concept and characters it doesn't know where to take them. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyStaff(not credited)
The movie adaptation suffers the symptoms of so many stage-to-screen transplants: What seemed thrillingly big and bold in live performance comes across shrunken and hemmed in when "opened up" to fill a feature film. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubJoshua Klein
Though it's got some funny one-liners, sight gags, and Blethyn's over-the-top histrionics, Little Voice is often painfully dramatic, right down to its final mother-daughter confrontation. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleSteve Davis
The decibel level in Little Voice ranges from a delicate whisper to seismic bellowing; aurally speaking, it traverses the spectrum of human sounds. Read full review
20
L.A. WeeklyManohla Dargis
As mean-spirited toward its working-class characters, especially its women, as it is profoundly unfunny. Read full review
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