‘Daddy’s Little Girls’ sends moral message

Kam Williams

Julia (Gabrielle Union) is a very busy attorney pulling down a six-figure salary at the Atlanta law firm her father founded. She has a corner office and a pricey condo with a breathtaking view of the city. The only thing missing in this workaholic’s life is a mate to share all her success with, because, as she says, “It’s really hard to meet a nice black man.”

Her girlfriends Cynthia (Tracee Ellis Ross) and Brenda (Terri J. Vaughn) are intent on playing matchmaker, but all the blind dates they send her on turn out to be total disasters. An unemployed 40-year-old aspiring rapper who is “between jobs” and expects Julia to pick up the check compounds one debacle by making a scene in the restaurant, loudly complaining about how “all the white people have bread.” Another player seems like a nice guy until he and Julia are confronted on the street by his wife and young son, who screams, “Get away from my daddy, tramp!”

Just when Julia is ready to resign herself to a state of perpetual spinsterhood, Mr. Right appears in the form of Monty (Idris Elba). But she barely notices him, because their paths only cross when he’s moonlighting as a limo driver to supplement his salary as an auto mechanic.

Monty needs the extra income to support his three adorable little girls (Sierra, China and Lauryn McClain), and to wage his upcoming custody battle with his trashy ex-wife Jennifer (Tasha Smith). The wayward woman, who is shacking up with a drug dealer (Gary Anthony Sturgis), has already indicated that her outlaw sugar daddy is willing to underwrite her legal fees.

Not wanting his daughters to end up with their obviously unfit mother and a bad male role model, in a stroke of genius Monty impulsively asks the pretty, high-powered lawyer he’s chauffeuring around to handle his baby mama drama in the courtroom. Julia reluctantly agrees to take his case pro bono. After he senses some chemistry between them, Monty even summons up the courage to ask her for a date.

This daddy’s-little-rich-girl-meets-humble-poor-boy premise underpins “Daddy’s Little Girls,” the latest modern morality play from writer/director Tyler Perry.

Although Perry’s famous Madea character is out of the mix this time out, the film features plenty of his pictures’ trademarks, including an assortment of recognizable African American archetypes: the abuse victim, the trifling womanizer, the sassy sister and — in Monty — the gallant knight in shining armor that smashes the prevailing negative stereotype of the black male as a gangsterish thug.

Union exhibits never-before-seen emotional range in her role as an ice princess whose cold heart melts when offered an opportunity with a real man complete with a ready-made family. Elba is just as endearing as a too-good-to-be-true patriarch willing to do whatever it takes to protect his offspring. And the rest of the principal cast deserves kudos for giving their all in executing Perry’s timely script, which taps into his targeted demographic with another very positive message.

With recent high-quality productions including “Crash,” “Akeelah and the Bee” and Perry’s “Madea’s Family Reunion,” Lions Gate Films has quietly established itself as the industry leader when it comes to producing dignified African American-oriented fare.

“Daddy’s Little Girls” continues their string of scores, breathing enough fresh air into the arena of black film to clear the offending whiff of insulting garbage like “Norbit” and “Code Name: The Cleaner.”