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Review #398 of 365
Movie Review of Daddy's Little Girls (2007) [PG-13] 95 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $9.75
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 14 February 2007
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Directed by: Tyler Perry (Madea's Family Reunion)
Written by: Tyler Perry (Madea's Family Reunion)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Gabrielle Union (Running with Scissors) • Idris Elba ("The Wire") • Louis Gossett Jr. ("Stargate SG-1") • Tasha Smith (You, Me and Dupree) • Tracee Ellis Ross ("Girlfriends") • Malinda Williams (Idlewild) • Terri J. Vaughn (Stick It) • China Anne McClain (The Gospel) • Gary Anthony Sturgis (Diary of a Mad Black Woman) • Cassi Davis (Madea's Family Reunion) • Lauryn Alisa McClain (The Gospel) • Sierra Aylina McClain (The Gospel)
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Last February, Tyler Perry treated the world to Madea's Family Reunion, a comedy film extension of one of his stand-up comedy characters. The film introduced both Mr. Perry and his talents to a national audience. A year later, he presents an edgier, more dramatic film, Daddy's Little Girls featuring Idris Elba as the daddy Monty and Gabrielle Union as the object of his affection. From the very start, unfortunately, everything about the film seems contrived to prove points rather than just being real. Mr. Perry has worked very hard to break down racial barriers in the film and entertainment industry, and for that he is to be applauded. Likewise, he has demonstrated both in his personal life story and in the stories he has previously told in his comedy acts, videos, and on film, that life is what we choose to make it ourselves. We can rise above societal boundaries. And that message is one he touts again in Daddy's Little Girls. Monty (Idris Elba), a garage mechanic, learns that his mother-in-law is dying of lung cancer, and she needs him to take back the responsibility for the daily care of his three daughters: Lauryn (Lauryn Alisa McClain), Sierra (Sierra Aylina McClain), and China (China Anne McClain). He does so willingly despite initially negative reactions and doubt in own ability to handle them. One thing he does not want is for his three daughters to return to the care of their mother, Jennifer (Tasha Smith) who has taken up residence with the neighborhood's most notorious drug lord, Joseph (Gary Anthony Sturgis), who has everyone living in fear of his retaliation. Despite having been brought up on charges of possession of drugs and coercion numerous times, Joseph and Jennifer are never formally charged due to a lack of evidence or the appearance of any witnesses to their crimes. Even with this, a judge puts the girls in their mother's care after one of the girls sets a small fire in their apartment while Monty is at work at a new job, serving as a chauffer for a well-to-do lawyer, Julia (Gabrielle Union). Julia has her own problems as well. She's so uptight her best friends Cynthia (Tracee Ellis Ross) and Brenda (Terri J. Vaugh) worry she might explode. They fix her up with cliché boyfriend after cliché pretty much turning her off to men. Even the perfect catch turns out to be married with mini-van load of kids. Things start to turn around for both Monty and Julia when Monty, at the advice of his neighbor Maya (Malinda Williams) who just happens to be Julia's assistant, asks Julia to represent him in the trial to get custody back from his wife. The two get all cozy the night of her birthday when Monty takes her to a joint in his neighborhood, helps her get drunk on the house special known as swamp water, and then takes her home where he hopes things will get even cozier—alas, she's too drunk and sick to her stomach to want to become more involved. This key scene exemplifies an edge and lack of moral responsibility that causes question as to the type of man Monty really is. Would he really take advantage of a seriously intoxicated woman whom he knows is not in control of her faculties? It seems like that is his intention until she insists he go home. At the trial it comes out that Monty has a prior conviction for rape surprising his counsel and girlfriend, Julia, which causes the judge to award permanent custody to Jennifer and Joseph. Of course, Julia is so flabbergasted by the pronouncement she ignores Monty's explanation, and flees. Later, the girls show up on Mondy's doorstep claiming that China has been repeatedly beaten by Joseph and wanting never to return to their mother's care. They fail to mention that she's been teaching them how to become drug dealers and prostitutes so they are never "broke a day in their lives" along with many other unbelievable things she does and says to them. This so enrages Monty he gets in the car and searched them out finally broad-siding them in the middle of an intersection.
"…everything about the film seems contrived to prove points rather than just being real."
While the acting in the film is quite good, the story, dialogue, and ancillary messages are all problematic. Once again, it seems like everything has been contrived to prove some point. There is a complete corruption of justice from the do nothing police that fail to intervene and clean up the Joseph's lock on the neighborhood to the judges that make wild rulings based on sketchy information. Monty is the constant victim of remarks about his poverty and lower class upbringing by Julia's friends who claim she would ruin her life and reputation if her partners in the law firm discovered she was dating the hired help. Louis Gossett, Jr. plays Monty's boss, the owner of Willy's Garage, and serve up platitudes about the history of Black people in this country pulling together while simultaneously allowing Monty to lie around on his sofa in a muscle t-shirt and accept the fact that he's not good enough to hold down a chauffeur's job which would pay a lot more and keep in better range of convincing a judge to let him have his daughters back. This type of incongruity is rampant in the film. The school principal catches Lauryn in possession of marijuana at school. When questioned, she claims her mother's boyfriend gave it to her and said she had to sell it or he would kill her father. When the boyfriend and mother arrive, Monty goes after Joseph for doing this to his child, and the principal does nothing but call security. This incident never reaches the custody judge's ears. Monty is constantly portrayed as a character that immediately resorts to violence any time the going gets tough. Whether justifiable or not, his actions often do not represent those of a kind and gentle father figure. Things finally turn around for him and the neighborhood in the end, but only after Monty turns vigilante and takes justice into his own hands. The ending is a bit shallow leaving without ensuring there will be a future for Julia's and Monty's relationship. Rather, it is a homecoming to the neighborhood for Monty, now the owner of Willy's Garage. Too contrived, too uncertain, the film doesn't seem to know really what it's trying to say. It is odd conceptually, and from the over zealous background soundtrack to the Cinderella's step sister approach to Julia's friends who think Monty's not good enough for her but a jobless, 40-year old wanna be rapper is, just leave one constantly wondering what Tyler Perry was thinking this time around.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Daddy's Little Girls (2007)
Cast Members
Gabrielle Union
• Idris Elba • Louis Gossett Jr.Tasha Smith
• Tracee Ellis Ross • Malinda WilliamsTerri J. Vaughn
• China Anne McClain • Gary Anthony SturgisCassi Davis
• Lauryn Alisa McClain • Sierra Aylina McClainWriter / Director
Tyler Perry
| CD Soundtrack | DVD | VHS |
Daddy's Little Girls (2007) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Last February, Tyler Perry treated the world to Madea's Family Reunion, a comedy film extension of one of his stand-up comedy characters. The film introduced both Mr. Perry and his talents to a national audience. A year later, he presents an edgier, more dramatic film, Daddy's Little Girls featuring Idris Elba as the daddy Monty and Gabrielle Union as the object of his affection. From the very start, unfortunately, everything about the film seems conceived to prove points rather than just being real. While the acting in the film is quite good, the story, dialogue, and ancillary messages are all problematic. Too contrived, too uncertain, the film doesn't seem to know really what it's trying to say. It is odd conceptually, leaving one constantly wondering what Tyler Perry was thinking this time around
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