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Daddy's Little Girls
Lionsgate

Daddy's Little Girls reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 49 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
5.7 out of 10
based on 17 reviews
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based on 17 votes
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MPAA RATING: PG-13 for thematic material, drug and sexual content, some violence and language

Starring Gabrielle Union, Idris Elba, Louis Gossett Jr., Tasha Smith, Tracee Ellis Ross, Malinda Williams, Terri J. Vaughn, and China Anne McClain

A romantic drama about family, community and love against the odds. (Lionsgate)


GENRE(S): Comedy  |  Romance  
WRITTEN BY: Tyler Perry  
DIRECTED BY: Tyler Perry  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: June 12, 2007 
Theatrical: February 14, 2007 
RUNNING TIME: 95 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

Also known as "Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls"

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
This latest market-savvy bit of circuit preaching is less cartoonish than Perry's previous big-tent revival meetings.
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70
Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
Subtlety is not his strong suit--all the characters here are either adorable or loathsome--yet Perry has toned down the pandering materialism, evangelism, and black empowerment of "Madea's Family Reunion" and "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," letting his heart-tugging story tell itself.
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67
Austin Chronicle Toddy Burton
Unflinchingly addressing issues of class and race, Perry juggles multiple plot lines and the result emerges as (dare I say?) a surprising mix of Frank Capra and Douglas Sirk.
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63
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
Happily, Perry's strength as a filmmaker is that he genuinely loves his actors, and they love him back. What his movies lack in exposition they make up for in performances.
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60
Variety Peter Debruge
Chockfull of cathartic moments, Perry's storytelling is best when it defies convention. Like the black man's Frank Capra, Perry tells stories in which every conflict is a test of faith and every victory a testament to the American underdog. Instead of following the proven formulas of screenwriting books, he earnestly shepherds his own messy structure.
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50
Los Angeles Times Mark Olsen
More surprising is Perry's inability to write back-and-forth dialogue with any real wit or verve. He is at his best when writing speeches, and some of the film's best moments come when Union is given snappy monologues on the state of contemporary relationships and African American maleness.
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50
LA Weekly Chuck Wilson
Perry has great casting instincts, and in Elba and Union he's matched two gifted, equally gorgeous actors, both of whom seem ready to make sparks fly. If only their director would let them.
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50
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
There are fewer laughs and more lectures -- but there's plenty of sass and soul in between.
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50
The Onion (A.V. Club) Nathan Rabin
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.
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50
New York Post Kyle Smith
Billed as a comedy about a single dad with three girls, the movie is essentially another sudser about the plight of upscale black women in Atlanta.
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50
The New York Times Matt Zoller Seitz
As a director, Mr. Perry has his strong points, including a genuine interest in showing the resilience of African-American life and traditions (including church sermons and blues music, which are accorded equal significance here). But those aspects get lost in this turgid and ungainly film.
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50
Boston Globe Wesley Morris
Perry shelves his crowd-pleasing Madea character and aspires for the impossible mix of 1950s social melodrama, gospel-inflected public service announcement, soap opera, R&B video, girl-centric sitcom on the CW, and any episode of "Good Times," featuring Janet Jackson's oft-affronted Penny. Were Perry a visual director or a logical, patient screenwriter, that hybrid would count as a feat of singular ambition. Instead, it seems like the product of an abbreviated attention span.
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50
San Francisco Chronicle Ruthe Stein
Given his built-in appeal, Perry has the opportunity to broaden the subject matter of so-called black movies. He takes a stab at it in "Girls," but he could do so much better.
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50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Jason Anderson
Whether because of Madea's on-screen absence or the abilities of the two lead actors, Daddy's Little Girls is still a step up for Perry, boasting moments of charm that transcend the usual mess.
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50
The Hollywood Reporter Luke Sader
Daddy's Little Girls may be heavy-handed and drearily predictable, but it also should connect with its core audience as solidly as Perry's previous efforts did, even if the drama is frequently just as over the top as its predecessors.
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40
Village Voice Jim Ridley
Perry's indifferent direction flattens everything out: You might fall asleep if his heavy-mitted music cues didn't keep cattle-prodding your ass.
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38
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
Subtlety has never been Perry's strength, but his previous films balanced the sermonizing with good humor and sincerity. Perhaps next time, he'll ease up on the lectures, and bring back the love.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 5.7 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Susan H. gave it a6:
It got carried away with the bad guys in it but all in all it was an enjoyable movie that brought a tear to my eye.

Reid F. gave it a6:
A good message movie for young adults.

T. Perry Fan gave it an8:
This movie showed that Tyler Perry can go beyond the silliness of the Medea films. Not to knock them, there were excellent films with a message and humor. But this one puts the plight of a strong black man in the forefront. Yes it maybe a repeative theme, but it works and the uplifting message is always a plus.

Sc C. gave it a2:
Movie was not well scripted. Too predictable, not enough details to back up story. Very bad acting from most of the characters.

Thelma J. gave it an8:
This movie was so different from Perry's usual style that I was thoroughly impressed. Elba and Union were just terrific. However, I really wish that the movie would have included how 'Julia's' friends dealt with her decision to go with her heart and not her socioeconomic status.

Spongeee gave it a6:
Without Gabrielle Union and Idris Elba, this movie would have been a 5 or lower. That said, the movie plays out like a tv sitcom that has pretty decent scenes that do not come together as a whole. There is no real sense of true progression or continuity through the whole film. There is a deeper level (iGabrielle Union and Idris Elba. .e. the messages and themes) that Perry doesnt dig into - that if done corrrectly, would make this film GREAT. But Perry has a niche market and I'm sure he rather play it safe rather then alienate his audience. Still worth a look though, just to see Union and Elba.

Sheila E. gave it a5:
The movie was mediocre at best...Tyler's in yo face theater screen antics, and melodramatic, exaggerated characters sometime gets embarassing. The poor dialogue and sloppy scene transition loses and bores you into looking for other good points about the movie. It's your average black cliche movie about a down and out black person rising above adversity with sermons and speeches exploiting black people short comings. Nothing was unpredictable abourt this feel good movie.

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