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| Photo courtesy of Image After |
Thumbs Up for Perry’s Film “Daddy’s Little Girls”
By Simisola Komolafe, 03.01.07
Debuting at No. 5 in the box office, African-American film maker Tyler Perry’s latest installment “Daddy’s Little Girls” is a heartwarming, faith-filled drama.
Perry (“Diary of a Mad Black Woman” and “Medea’s Family Reunion”) has toned down his normally outlandish characters in favor of down to earth people dealing with every day issues.
However, the film stays true to Tyler Perry fashion as it interlaces comedy with African-American themes of faith, family and community.
In a neighborhood where fathers are known to neglect their children, single-parent Monty (Idris Elba) fights to gain custody of his three young daughters from their drug-dealing, alcoholic mother. In the process, Monty’s broken past comes to haunt him as he struggles to create a balance between fulfilling his career dreams, being a father and learning to fall in love again. The film refreshingly portrays an African-American, single father in a positive light while building tension and conflict throughout.
The film does a great job developing a secondary storyline between Monty and his love interest, Mrs. Rosemore (Gabrielle Union) as well. Though both are African-Americans, they are cut from two very different cloths. Monty is from the streets and Mrs. Rosemore is an Ivy League educated partner in a prestigious law firm.
Facing the fight of his life Monty reaches out for God.
“Lord how am I gonna do this?” he prays.
Encouragement comes from well-known, black pastor Eddie Long.
“Do not get weary in doing good,” Long says. “It’s not time to throw in the towel.”
“Daddy’s Little Girls” is an uplifting movie about a father’s love perservering through the bad times. His determination to fight for his children is best summed up when Monty says, “Parents - sometimes they gotta give up their dreams so their kids can have one.”
