2007 movie written and directed by Tyler Perry. Monty James, a mechanic, (Idris Elba) enlists the help of a successful-but-lonely attorney, Julia (Gabrielle Union) while trying to wrest custody of his three daughters China, Lauryn and Sierra from his treacherous ex-wife Jennifer and her larcenous boyfriend. Along the way, the working relationship between the blue collar dad and his uptown attorney grows into something more.
This film provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Jennifer's boyfriend beats the kids and it is implied Jennifer either wants the oldest to sell drugs or become a prostitute. The oldest is 12.
- And Starring: Louis Gossett, Jr.
- The Cameo: Craig Robinson as Byron the rapper.
- Career Versus Man: Julia has this problem. She's struggling with her thoughts on how she will tackle dating a man who works "beneath" her and who has three girls from a previous relationship.
- Deconstructed Trope: The movie eventually deconstructs the Uptown Girl trope with Julia. When Julia begins to fall in love with Monty, her friends object to this because they felt that Julia was too good for Monty. After going through some well-needed Character Development, Julia defies her friend's complaints by staying with Monty until the end since he was a Nice Guy who treated her right.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Julia comes off as very stuck up in the beginning. She becomes much sweeter when she falls in love with Monty.
- Double Standard: So Julia's friends have no problem with setting her up on a blind date with a 40-year-old unemployed wannabe rapper who shouts across the restaurant for "skrimps" (and can't even rap), but they frown on her dating a kind-hearted mechanic who wants to be a good father and own his own auto repair shop. Sure. That's fair.
- Eating the Eye Candy: In the scene after Julia meets the girls, she and Monty are getting to know each other. At one point, he takes his shirt off, and Julia is staring HARD...before he looks at her and she turns away as fast as she can.
- Evil Matriarch: Jennifer. You know she's evil when her own kids are afraid of her. She also tries to recruit her oldest daughter into prostitution and she harshly disciplines the youngest.
- Gangbangers: Jennifer's boyfriend runs a drug-trafficking ring.
- Good Parents:
- Despite his mistakes, Monty is a very loving father towards his girls. He even went through hell and back just to get his girls back. It's saying something that the girls felt it was worth it to walk from their mother's house to their dad's three hours after midnight, disregarding the court orders, because they would have rather been cared for by their loving father than their abusive mother.
- It's greatly implied that Jennifer used to be this towards the girls until she changed into a terrible person who no longer cared about her daughters.
- He Knows Too Much: Discussed Trope, the main reason the neighborhood residents refuse to report Joseph, because they are afraid he will kill them if they do.
- High-School Sweethearts: Monty admits that he and Jennifer used to be this until Jennifer's attitude changed for the worst.
- Hypocrite: Julia's friends get on her for dating Monty (who was her driver and mechanic), but they had no issue with setting her up on a blind date with men who were the following: a failed unemployed rapper (someone who cant even rap) and a man who was married.
- Miscarriage of Justice: Monty was falsely accused of raping a white girl who he hooked up with at a party.
- Mouthy Kids: Monty's girls are like this to him at first.
- Nice Guy: Monty is a nice guy who is a loving father to his kids and treats everyone with respect.
- Noodle Incident: Why Monty went to jail is kind of hinted at in bits and pieces until the last 30 minutes of the movie.
- Never Trust a Trailer: Commercials for the film make it seem as if its going to be the typical "comedy" scenario of children pulling pranks on the person who's dating their divorced parent.
- Oner: There's a long Steadicam tracking shot during the scene when Monty brings Julia home. The shot lasts for several minutes.
- Papa Wolf: Monty, who beats the living hell out of Jennifer's boyfriend when he finds out about what he did to Monty's kids.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: When Monty finds out his kids are being beaten, he hops in his car, finds Jennifer's car, slams into them, gets out, drags Joseph out, and proceeds to deliver a complete and utter ass beating to him.
- Selective Obliviousness: Monty purposely hits Jennifer and her boyfriend Joseph's car and then opens the door and beats up a dizzy Joseph. At Joseph's trial, the entire neighborhood willingly testifies against him for the drug charges, but keeps their mouth shut when Monty is accused of assaulting him. This is actually pretty justified, as the neighborhood wanted Joseph gone for always terrorizing them.
- Useless Bystander Parent: Deliberately done with Jennifer when her boyfriend beats China because she wouldn't stop crying.
- Where da White Women At?: Discussed, this is the reason Monty was falsely arrested for raping a white girl.
- Would Hurt a Child: Poor China is on the receiving end of this with Jennifer's boyfriend.
