right at the very beginning when checking the oil dipstick fixed the car.This was horrible. It was filled to the brim with distressing stereotypes and equally poor dialogue. And it was made that much worse because I watched this after seeing Idris Elba in Luther and as Nelson Mandela - both of which were great. I know that there are some people in the black community who are not good parents or role models, and maybe I am out of line having an opinion because I am not black, but this movie went so over the top with that theme that it was embarrassing. The only redeeming part of this whole movie was Anthony Hamilton's twenty second contribution. Not even Tasha Smith and Idris Elba could save this movie.

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 stumbled on this movie. Expecting a saccharine fairytale, I was delightfully surprised by its substance.Yes, it's still fairytale-ish. That's the genre. This notwithstanding, I loved the performances by Idris Elba and Gabrielle Union. Very convincing. Lots of depth.Further, the film realistically portrayed many social realities in a thought-provoking way.One upgrade is that the falling-into-play and falling-in-love segments occurred a little too quickly. OK, this is Hollywood, so one might expect such. Still, this element could have gotten a better treatment. That said, all-in-all, a stirring film.

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...