Too predictable.
ATL (2006)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:28
Fresh:17
Rotten:11
Average Rating:5.7/10
Consensus: Strong lead performances and catchy musical interludes rescue this coming-of-age story from its formulaic script and uneven direction.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for drug content, language, sexual material and some violence.
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Mar 31, 2006 Wide
Box Office: $21,160,089
Synopsis: 17-year-old Rashad (TIP HARRIS) was forced to become the man of the house earlier than most. Since the death of his parents, he's carried the responsibility for himself and his little brother Ant... 17-year-old Rashad (TIP HARRIS) was forced to become the man of the house earlier than most. Since the death of his parents, he's carried the responsibility for himself and his little brother Ant (EVAN ROSS) squarely on his shoulders. While he does his best to keep Ant in school and out of the trouble that's always lurking just around the corner in their South Atlanta neighborhood, sometimes it seems like a losing battle - Rashad can't be everywhere at once, and Ant is dangerously close to falling under the spell of a blinged-out local dealer who promises fast money and the respect Ant dreams of getting. A talented artist, Rashad doesn't see any future for himself beyond assisting his Uncle George (MYKELTI WILLIAMSON) as a janitor after school. The thing is, "assisting" George actually means doing all the work and seeing none of the cash. Lately it seems the only bright spot in Rashad's life is New-New (LAUREN LONDON). She sees something special in him, something more than he sees. When the two get together, everything begins to change, and Rashad's future starts to open up for the first time. But New-New has a secret that's getting harder and harder to keep. Behind her ghetto-fabulous front, New-New is actually Erin, a rich girl from the right side of the tracks who's drawn to the music and vibrant life she sees in Rashad's neighborhood. Her father, successful CEO John Garnett (KEITH DAVID), grew up on the south side of town, but once he left he never looked back. Garnett doesn't want his daughter slumming on the southside, and forbids her from setting foot anywhere near his old neighborhood. So every weekend she leaves Erin behind, lying to her parents so that she can become New-New, the person she thinks she needs to be to find acceptance in Rashad's world. Besides New-New, there aren't many people Rashad can count on. His best friend Esquire (JACKIE LONG) is an ambitious student who dreams of attending an Ivy League college, and is willing to do anything to make that dream come true. When Esquire runs into New-New while cozying up to her influential father for a letter of recommendation, he has to make a decision whether or not to blow her cover. When Rashad finds out New-New's real story, he doesn't know who to trust anymore - it seems everyone in his life is lying to him, even the people he loves the most. As Ant gets pulled deeper into the life of a dealer and Rashad's dreams for him begin to fade, Rashad is going to have to make tough choices about what he wants and where he's going. --© Warner Bros. [More]
Starring: Tip Harris, Lauren London, Antwan Andre Patton, Mykelti Williamson
Starring: Tip Harris, Lauren London, Antwan Andre Patton, Mykelti Williamson, Keith David, Lonette McKee, T.I., Jason Weaver, 10001447-tasha_smith, Jazze Pha, Vanessa Petrosky, Evan Ross Naess, Markice Moore, Lauren Leah Mitchell, Khadijah , April Clark, Malika
Director: Chris Robinson
Director: Chris Robinson
Screenwriter: Tina Gordon Chism
Story: Antwone Fisher
Composer: Aaron Zigman
Studio: Warner Bros.
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Reviews for ATL
It's something akin to the earlier films of Spike Lee -- She's Gotta Have It and Crooklyn come to mind -- in that the characters are cherished for their human qualities, not for how well they swagger onto the screen.
Warner Bros.' low-budget stab at capturing an urban niche audience is higher on stylistic dazzle than originality or coherence, making it an unlikely candidate to bust out of the box office ghetto.
The film's special appeal is that while the boys are poor and black, their stories transcend race and socio-economic matters.
Making his feature-film debut, music-video director Chris Robinson expertly choreographs the skating sequences, which are exhilarating fun.
Really, ATL -- like last year's Roll Bounce -- is about roller skating.
A good message isn't enough to justify a $10 ticket. You also need a good movie.
A thoroughly convincing portrait of black teens in Atlanta, ATL has the same broad range of laughs and fears as Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
It feels like a real window on the lives of disenfranchised youths -- these are in South Atlanta -- as they make their way in a society that doesn't cut them any breaks.
A mellow and engrossing coming-of-age film about a young crew on the south side of Atlanta.
The movie is directed by a prominent video director, Chris Robinson (Jay-Z, Alicia Keys) and, no surprise, it feels less like a conventional movie than a video compilation of flashy scenes, montages and sound-track opportunities.
ATL starts out somewhat fresh, but then turns slowly stale as its story of African-American kids in Atlanta takes on more and more of the standard elements of growing up in the hood movies.
ATL may fail to wow on the skate floor, but it still makes decent melodrama.
ATL may not have much appeal outside a youth audience, but it deserves credit for looking beyond contests toward the looming difficulties of adulthood.
ATL has more room for nuance than most films unfairly lumped under the black-movie label.
ATL is one of those filmic byproducts (in this case, a promotional vehicle for the rapper Tip Harris, a.k.a. T.I.) that somehow manage to emerge from the mill of commerce with their modesty preserved.
Several good ideas for a movie rumble around inside ATL, but they never coalesce.
Despite an occasional whiff of cheese, it's mostly a fresh, funny, coming-of-age story that feels authentic.
Notwithstanding the melodrama and the often ham-handed directing, ATL somehow works.
No, ATL isn't a drug movie, and it doesn't send its characters on a harrowing journey into danger. It's a film about growing up and working, about falling in love, about planning for your future, and about the importance of friends.
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