Daddy's Little Girls
Lionsgate | Release Date: February 14, 2007 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
49
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
4
Mixed:
12
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
This latest market-savvy bit of circuit preaching is less cartoonish than Perry's previous big-tent revival meetings. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.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. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleToddy 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. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie 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. Read full review
60
VarietyPeter 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. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterLuke 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. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesMark 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. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyChuck 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. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
There are fewer laughs and more lectures -- but there's plenty of sass and soul in between. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubNathan 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. Read full review
50
New York PostKyle 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. Read full review
50
The New York TimesMatt 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. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley 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. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe 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. Read full review
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. Read full review
40
Village VoiceJim 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. Read full review
38
New York Daily NewsElizabeth 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. Read full review
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