The agreeable romantic drama Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls (Lionsgate) is so full of earnest sentimentality and unabashed good will that only a cynic would holds its flaws against it.
Idris Elba plays Monty, a hard-luck Atlanta mechanic and devoted single father battling to get custody of his three daughters (Sierra Aylina McClain, Lauryn Alisa McClain and China Anne McClain) from his abusive ex-wife, Jennifer (Tasha Smith), who's now living with her thuggish boyfriend, Joseph (Gary Sturgis), the neighborhood drug lord.
Gabrielle Union is Julia, a successful attorney Monty chauffeurs to make some extra cash — and who winds up representing him in his legal fight after she witnesses a heated hospital blowup between Monty and Jennifer.
As you might guess, while preparing for the court hearing, the uptight Julia — who has sworn off men after getting burned by a past relationship — falls for the decent, hardworking Monty, even as she worries how her snooty peers will react.
Written and directed by Christian filmmaker Tyler Perry (who plays the pistol-packing matriarch in the popular Madea movies), the sweet story is not without some formulaic elements, but the honest performances and strong affirmations of faith, family and community — as well as its positive depiction of African-American fatherhood expressed by its tagline "Give life. Teach love." — outshine the shortcomings.
The film contains sexual humor, including a brief crude sight gag, some violence, drug references, an implied sexual encounter, a false accusation of rape and some crude expressions. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
