Jane Horrocks delivers a terrific performance as LV, the reclusive daughter of a loud-mouth, drunken widow in an English sea-side town. LV (and Horrocks, for whom the role was created) has the uncanny ability to channel the voices of crooners like Judy Garland and Shirley Bassey. The girl's talent attracts the interest of her mother's sleazy boyfriend, Ray Say, marvelously overplayed by Michael Caine. Sparks fly, literally, when LV resists Ray's showbiz machinations. The excellent cast includes Brenda Blethyn, Ewan McGregor, and Jim Broadbent.

Tony Peltier