Daddy's Little Girls (2007)

User Rating:

3.8/10   

Director:

Tyler Perry

Writer:

Tyler Perry (written by)

Release Date:

14 February 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

give life. teach love.

Plot:

A mechanic (Elba) enlists the help of a successful-but-lonely attorney (Union) while trying to wrest...

Plot Keywords:

Single Father | Taunting | Rapper | Bully Comeuppance | Father Daughter Relationship

Cast

Gabrielle Union	...	Julia
Idris Elba	...	Monty
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Willie
Tasha Smith	...	Jennifer
Tracee Ellis Ross	...	Cynthia
Malinda Williams	...	Maya
Terri J. Vaughn	...	Brenda
Gary Anthony Sturgis	...	Joseph (as Gary Sturgis)
Cassi Davis	...	Rita
Sierra Aylina McClain	...	Sierra (as Sierra McClain)
China Anne McClain	...	China (as China McClain)
Lauryn Alisa McClain	...	Lauryn (as Lauryn McClain)
Juanita Jennings	...	Katheryn
Maria Howell	...	Wife
Rochelle Dewberry	...	Miss Rochelle

Also Known As:

Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, drug and sexual content, some violence and language.

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

The passage the priest reads is Galatians 6:9.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Monty and Julia arrive at the club, they appear to be driving down (and parking on) on a one-way street, as the cars are all parked in the same direction that Monty's car was traveling. However, the four-lane road they are on has a double-yellow line in the middle, indicating a two-way street. Also, in the wide shot as the car comes to a stop, there are signal lights and street identification signs placed in a manner where the flow of traffic on this "one-way street" would not be able to see them unless they were traveling in the opposite direction.

Movie Connections:

References The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006)

Soundtrack:

Family First

Some fine performances and heartwarming moments aren't enough to make the film above average

Monty (Idris Elba) is a mechanic trying to keep his ex-wife Jennifer (Tasha Smith) from gaining custody of their three little girls since she's been involved with a powerful local drug dealer. When he convinces the smart and beautiful attorney Julia (Gabrielle Union) to assist him, sparks begin to fly.

I wish I could say that Daddy's Little Girls was a good film but it barely ranks as an average one. I blame Tyler Perry for the film's failure because he created the inconsistent direction and messy script. Instead of developing a realistic situation with relatable characters, he created everything as very improbable and the film was kind of emotionally distant. The screenplay was messy because of all the poorly written characters. All of the "bad guys" were so over the top and all of their actions were ridiculous. We never get a real reason as to why Jennifer wants her kids back. Once the character is introduced, it becomes hard to believe that the judge would even consider giving her the kids since her behavior is pretty vile. It wasn't just her but all of the characters. Perry made sure that the viewer knew who the bad guys were and who the good guys were.

Behind the camera, things weren't much better. I didn't like how Perry focused more on the relationship between Monty and Julia than on the relationship between Monty and his kids. I thought it just defeated the whole purpose of the film. Also, the kids were so rude to Julia when they first met her and for no reason either. She was trying to help and they weren't giving her a chance. It just made so sense for them to act that way. Another thing, the tone was inconsistent. In one scene, Perry would be shown having a great time with Julia and then in the next scene, the three girls were suffering while living with their mother. The ending was a bit cartoon-ish but still it was decent and a little heartwarming.

Despite the weak material, there were actually a few good performances. Gabrielle Union was pretty good as Julia. Sure, her character was pretty annoying but she still did a fine job in the role. Idris Elba also gave a pretty good performance. It was easy to feel for his character and he also had great chemistry with Union. Tasha Smith was very unconvincing and annoyingly over the top. Overall, the film wasn't as good as I was hoping it to be. There were a few heartwarming moments and fine performances but other than that, the movie didn't really do anything for me. Rating 5/10