Daddy's Little Girls

There's no secret to Tyler Perry's success. His formula is simple, and people who go see his films know what to expect: Broad comedy, gut-wrenching drama and gospel-soaked happy endings.
His latest film, Daddy's Little Girls, is no different.
Idris Elba, best known for his role as Stringer Bell in The Wire, plays Monte, a mechanic struggling to fulfill his dreams and raise his three daughters.
It's not long before his path crosses that of Julia, played by the oh-so fine Gabrielle Union, who is a high-powered, ambitious attorney. She works hard and is frustrated with the fact that she can't seem to find a good man.
Monte becomes her driver, and their relationship, as typical in most romantic comedies, has a really rough beginning. But soon, Julia finds herself pulled into Monte's increasing drama with Jennifer, his children's mother, an unbelievably cruel witch played by Tasha Smith. And before you know, Monte is in family court fighting for custody with Julia as his pro-bono attorney.
Jennifer wants full custody of the children with her drug-dealer boyfriend, Joseph.
In Tyler Perry's world, the good people are really good and the bad people are really, truly evil. But Perry isn't necessarily interested in sophisticated art. He wants to entertain.
And in that, he is a true genius.
Union and Elba have a nice chemistry and bring depth to characters that might have been tired cliches with less-talented actors. Louis Gossett Jr. also elevates often trite material as Willie, the owner of the auto shop where Monte works.
The performances are so good you almost can look past the many script problems the film has. Only after you leave the theater do you start poking the large plot holes in the script. Here's just one example: Julia finds out a secret about Monte's past that proves critical in the custody battle. Yet, if Julia is Monte's attorney, surely, she would have done enough homework on Monte's past that she wouldn't get blindsided in court.
And the happy ending, the one where Monte and Julia are reunited and Monte gets his kids back, just doesn't wash.
Yet, the movie works because it has heart and the message that Perry is trying to send is a good one. It's about taking back one's community; it's about having faith when things seem bleak; it's about changing the negative perceptions of black men.
It's about celebrating parents who do their very best to raise their children.
Perry does what he does best -- he makes you laugh and makes you think at the same time.