In terms of direction, this is the sharpest film Perry has made. It moves at a deft pace, and the comedic sequences continually score. He also knows how to create a mood.
Daddy's Little Girls (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:51
Fresh:13
Rotten:38
Average Rating:4.8/10
Consensus: Daddy's Little Girls boasts fine performances and a poignant message, but is ultimately let down by amateurish filmmaking.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for thematic material, drug and sexual content, some violence and language
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Feb 14, 2007 Wide
Box Office: $31,339,647
Synopsis: Written and directed by Tyler Perry, DADDY'S LITTLE GIRLS follows single father and mechanic Monty (Idris Elba) as he struggles to support his three daughters and fight for full custody from their... Written and directed by Tyler Perry, DADDY'S LITTLE GIRLS follows single father and mechanic Monty (Idris Elba) as he struggles to support his three daughters and fight for full custody from their unfit mother. In need of extra funds, Monty takes on a fateful second job as a limo driver for hot-shot lawyer Julia (Gabrielle Union), granting him the legal leverage he needs as she volunteers to help him in court. His ex-wife (Tasha Smith) has shacked up with her dangerous boyfriend (Gary Anthony Sturgis), the neighborhood drug lord, and not only does he supply plenty of crime to the streets but he also instills fear into Monty's daughters' lives While Monty does everything he can to protect his kids, and to save enough money to eventually run his own garage, Julia is desperate to try to find a good man who can measure up to her well-bred, upper-class standards. Despite their financial differences, and drastically contrasting backgrounds, Monty and Julia can't hide their attraction for one another. But will their past heartbreaks keep them strictly as client and counsel? With fantastic performances and real-life issues, DADDY'S LITTLE GIRLS is a heartfelt, emotional story of the single-parent experience, and of discovering and preserving unconditional love. Idris Elba (THE WIRE) conveys an abundance of warmth and strength as the heroic father and community leader who is just trying to catch a break as well as some much-needed redemption for doing right by his kids. Gabrielle Union (BAD BOYS II, THE HONEYMOONERS) provides ample doses of comic relief as the uptight career-obsessed lawyer plagued with a string of bad dates. The three real-life McClain sisters that star as Monty's daughters: China, Lauren and, Sierra (they have the same names in the movie) are bona fide scene stealers, thanks to their charming precociousness, which manifests itself in their emotional pleas to be rescued. [More]
Starring: Gabrielle Union, Idris Elba, Louis Gossett, Tracee Ellis Ross
Starring: Gabrielle Union, Idris Elba, Louis Gossett, Tracee Ellis Ross, Terri J. Vaughn, Gary Anthony Sturgis, China Anne Mclain, Lauren Alisa Mclain, Sierra Aylina Mclain
Director: Tyler Perry
Director: Tyler Perry
Producer: Reuben Cannon
Studio: Lions Gate Films
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Reviews for Daddy's Little Girls
I entered this moviegoing experience ready for a lot of wincing and eye-rolling. But dammit if this movie didn’t make me laugh and cry.
While its look at interclass romance among African-Americans and the struggles of a working-class single father is fresh and vital, the heavy-handed execution isn't.
[Union and Elba] are such expressive, extremely thoughtful performers. They have chemistry and they have class. What they don't have is a filmmaker who knows yet how to use either to make real movie magic. I'm rooting for him to figure it out.
The movie reaches the heights of melodrama with narrative cliches that border on the surreal.
Dismissed by critics but embraced by African-American audiences, Tyler Perry now opens his pictures without press previews, but on the basis of this expert melodrama he might want to reconsider.
Don't let the brightly colored poster with the cute little girls on it fool you -- this isn't a comedy, either, but is meant to be a drama with a message. Daddy's Little Girls has its funny moments, but overall it's fairly somber from the start.
Perry's habit of reducing drama to verbal sermons is the main thing keeping his movies within the realm of daytime TV.
Cottage-industry independent filmmaker Tyler Perry fumbles with this family drama about Monty (Idris Elba), a salt-of-the-earth car mechanic and father of three girls trying to win a custody battle with his lowlife ex-wife.
There'll always be a place for Perry in a world where there are moviegoers who find Spike Lee's films too challenging.
The cast is likable, and Perry makes good use of the Atlanta locations.
Daddy’s Little Girls is [Perry's] best-looking film to date. Is it asking too much for a script to match?
...this is easily Perry's best film, which is to say it's serviceably mediocre rather than godawful.
Gabrielle Union has never before exhibited as much of an emotional range as seen in this role as an ice princess whose cold heart melts when offered an opportunity with a real man who comes with a ready-made family.
Latest News for Daddy's Little Girls
October 18, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: 30 Days of Night Gets Halloween Started Early
Competition, or a lack of it, will be the deciding factor at the North American box office this weekend for the half-dozen new releases that studios are packing into already... More...
October 11, 2007:
Box Office Guru Preview: Wide Open Race For #1 Spot This Weekend
Five new films push their way into nationwide release on Friday hoping to challenge two-time champ The Rock making for what should be a free-for-all at the North American box... More...
April 27, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
More...
March 05, 2007:
Box Office Guru Wrapup: Audiences Ride with Wild Hogs at #1
Moviegoers rallied behind the star-driven comedy "Wild Hogs," which raced to number one at the North American box office, zooming past all expectations from Disney.... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 90% 90% | District 9 |
| 86% 86% | 500 Days of Summer |
| 63% 63% | Extract |
| 06% 06% | All About Steve |
| 78% 78% | It Might Get Loud |
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