Daddy's Little Girls (2007)

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

I was disappointed when my family didn't see this in theaters when it first came out in 2007. However, we saw it on DVD, and I loved what I saw. When I look at it today, I realize that it's good, but not as good as the previous Tyler Perry movies. The characters are fascinating, the situations are great, it causes a lot of great conflict and drama, and yet knows when to add humor.I love the stories that are set up here: a mechanic living in a poor neighborhood, Monty, is trying to raise 3 daughters, which is no easy task because he doesn't have much. It gets harder though when he has to fight to gain full custody of his daughters before their mother, Jennifer, takes them. Jennifer is the girlfriend of Jo, the biggest drug dealer in the area. Jo has the entire community afraid of him, so, naturally, Monty doesn't want his daughters growing up around this. Our subplot enters when Monty hires a lawyer, Julia, whose life is the exact opposite of Monty's. She works in corporate America and lives very well. As they begin working together, they actually form a romance and fall in love with each other. There are a couple more plots, like a delve into Monty's past and a situation with the community coming together and standing up to Jo and his thugs.By the sound of all of that, you'd think that this movie is a bit complicated. Actually, it's not as complicated as you may think; that's not what's wrong with the movie. The problem is that it's not very focused. The movie is called "Daddy's Little Girls," it's advertised to be about a father getting his girls. It's supposed to honor the unacknowledged single fathers who take care of their kids. And it does...sort of. For a while, the movie focuses on the romance between Monty and Julia. It's a nice story, it really could've been it's own movie; or if it is going to be a subplot in the movie, let it exist in the background where the subplot is supposed to be. But when the romance becomes more important than the daughters (when the subplot becomes more important than the main plot), the movie loses focus. To be honest, the movie doesn't really need this romance. It could've spent that time focuses more on the struggle of the community or Monty's past. Those subplots work a lot better, I think. Had the movie stayed consistent with its story about the daughters, it would've been better.Now, while the romance is distracting, that's not to say this is a bad movie. It's a very good movie. Like I said, the plots about Monty's past and the community are very great. I actually wish they got more focus. I enjoy the story about the daughters from all angles. This is the first time I've seen a movie honor single fathers. Normally films look at single mothers or couples or the father who doesn't want to be a father at first, but then realizes the joy of having children. I like the drama with Jennifer and Jo. Jennifer is a despicable mother, and we've never seen a drug dealer like Jo in film before. The girls themselves are likable and real. And though this is a dramatic movie, the comedic moments are very funny. One of the things I actually like about Julia's story is her blind date with the infamous 40 P! That scene is hilarious! Craig Robinson is just a ham! Could you imagine if a song like that actually existed? I don't really listen to rap music or like explicit lyrics, but I would listen to that song all day just for a good laugh! Watch the full, deleted scene version of that scene. You'll love it! As I said, this movie is good, but I just think it could have used some more focus. Take a look at it, and judge for yourself. BOOYIKA!

I'll admit, I didn't think I was going to like this movie too much but I found it well worth my time. I thought it was going to be another "obnoxious/ghetto meets wealthy/elegance" type of movie I've come to expect from many of TP's movies along with many other "Black" movies but I feel that it really brought joy to my soul. While the movie overall lacked many things that, like many other TP movies, made it lack the true quality of a well-crafted film, the overall plot brings a sense of happiness.I think the cast was one of the strong points of the movie, especially Gabby who did a really good job of shining some light on the "smart, sexy, successful black woman who just can't find a decent man" phenomenon that I've come to find was becoming more and more common based on some research. I WILL say that her character (Julia) kind of reminds me of another girl named Eva played by someone else. If only I could remember who. Idris delivers a good performance we've come to expect from seeing The Wire and Luther. However, you kind of get tired of his character's being cornered into "The Damsel in Distress". The performance from Tasha Smith was also something worth pointing out. Alike her character from Meet the Browns, this movie does a better job of exposing her talent. Watching the movie, I couldn't help but think "Is she acting or is she just really a b****"? Gary Sturgis also delivered a performance worth recognizing. Unfortunately, I think the PG-13 rating really hindered his ability to expose his character for who he really was.With all that said, I think there were a few loopholes in the film. First, there was a scene where Julia discovers Monty's past which included him being incarcerated for rape. It later turns out he was "wrongfully accused" which, in that case, would've been useless in court. Julia asks Monty about it without looking for a thorough explanation. When Monty fails to give her the proper answer, she storms off calling him a liar. How could he possibly let her leave without a detailed explanation and why did she call him a liar if when she asked him, he was about to reveal something but was interrupted by a phone call she had to take? In other words, he never said he was hiding anything. Also, how is it possible that Monty doesn't originally receive custody if, again, he was found not guilty of rape while the judge later asks the kid's mom and her boyfriend (Jennifer and Joseph) what they do for work. They couldn't answer the question. Why would a judge miss this earlier in the movie?I think fixing the loopholes would've made this movie much more recognizable to the public. There were scenes I couldn't help but notice was real including the scene after Monty discovers his daughter's wound. Good flick but easily could've been better

I'm being generous and biased in this review. This a Tyler Perry film, who has one of the only film companies based in Atlanta at the time, with Rainforest Films being the other.This is Tyler Perry's first non-adapted film, which really showed. He did a great job on dialog. It was funny and well directed (the dialog, not the movie). Problem with most of his scripts are the black and white characters - they're either just so horrible, or really great people. There's no in between. He's also preaching to the choir on his social commentaries, based on the crowd at the movie theater.Other problems - continuity. Big time. Like, untucked shirt on closeups, nice and tucked in for the far shots. Lying down for closeups, sitting up for long shots. It was pretty distracting. Tyler, you got the cash, rent another camera and get those all knocked out at once.If the movie were didn't have the technical issues and writing style (like a play), it would have been a higher rated films, but despite that it was pretty enjoyable. Good to see buildings and roads I recognize.

Aside from the fairy-tale ending, this movie had many realistic moments, especially those concerning a successful lawyer dating a down-on-his-luck neighborhood mechanic with a criminal record. Naturally all her friends looked down on her new boyfriend because he was not a professional, even though they tried to set her up with a series of losers -- who were overplayed as such to make a point.All that said, many of the characters and situations in the movie held the ring of truth, and the acting was solid. OK, it ended up with the bad guys going down and the good guys winning, but even so it was a fun and fairly realistic ride. The protagonists were likable and the settings believable. If you think feel-good movies are sappy, don't watch this one -- but it's hard not to feel good to see a father win his three little girls back from his pathetic ex-wife and her drug dealer boyfriend...