49
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 60VarietyVarietyChockfull 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.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterLuke SaderThe Hollywood ReporterLuke SaderDaddy'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.
- 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.
- 50L.A. WeeklyChuck WilsonL.A. WeeklyChuck WilsonPerry 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.
- 50TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghThere are fewer laughs and more lectures -- but there's plenty of sass and soul in between.
- 50The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinWhile 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.
- 50New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithBilled 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.
- 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.
- 50Boston GlobeWesley MorrisBoston GlobeWesley MorrisPerry 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.
- 38New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanSubtlety 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.