Daddy's Little Girls

Dismissed by critics but embraced by African-American audiences, Tyler Perry now opens his pictures without press previews, but on the basis of this expert melodrama he might want to reconsider.

Love can transcend class lines; in Tyler Perry's universe, it also defies all rules of the legal system -- and logic.

I entered this moviegoing experience ready for a lot of wincing and eye-rolling. But dammit if this movie didn't make me laugh and cry.

It makes you happy to receive the Word of Perry.

Come back, Madea, and bring your chainsaw.

The movie reaches the heights of melodrama with narrative cliches that border on the surreal.

Infinitely more captivating for its outrageous ungainliness than a great many more proficient filmmakers have ever been able to manage.

The cast is likable, and Perry makes good use of the Atlanta locations.

Perry's habit of reducing drama to verbal sermons is the main thing keeping his movies within the realm of daytime TV.

Yes, it's true that Tyler Perry's movies are mostly formualaic. Yes, it's true that Tyler Perry isn't the finest director in the world. But it's also true that Tyler Perry is getting better.