ATL (2006)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

What I believe drew me to this film, is the fact that ATL was like one of those classic African-American films that captures what truly goes on in a predominantly African- American community without having it to include violence. Yes, there is a scene where Ant gets shot, but it's not like something you would see in Boyz In Da Hood, Menace to Society, etc... Each character comes from different backgrounds, and you can tell by that based on Rashad's description of each scene. The film portrays Atlanta showing both rich and poor, but not racially stereotyping and segregating. This film tells one of those positive stories that are always forgotten in African-American portrayals of cinema and television. This is relivable because this story was also similar to my high school days.

ATL tells the story of four best friends about to graduate and shows their life stories as they grow up and hang out with each other. Despite this movie not being one that you would take too seriously, i thought the story about 4 friends moving on after high school and resolving issues at the local skate ring they always hung out at was a decent idea, and the acting was actually pretty good. T.I. as the lead character was pretty good. This is not a movie to be taken very seriously, but for what it is, it does a decent job capturing Atlanta's hip hop scene and a lot of the drama that is involved with the kids out there. It shows the real hood part of Atlanta and i guess it demonstrates it well. Also many people don't know that "skating" is actually a trend in some hip-hop parts. Many critics I've read from said the skating was really weird or other negative things. The story is good and it kinda seems like a true story. I also found Big Boi to be funny in this, along with the other group of friends. In my opinion the IMDb rating is underlooked and underrated, comparing this rating to rottentomatoes- there is a difference

I have to admit when ATL first came out I didn't even bother to give it a chance. Roller skating? No thanks.Turns out I was dead wrong. It came on HBO a few summers back and I thought 'what the hell, why not?' and gave it a shot.What I got was an engaging, entertaining and plain fun coming of age movie with flecks of the south and an interesting perspective of black culture in terms of class. It's part John Hughes and part Spike Lee (minus the annoying sermonizing Lee often infuses in his movies). Sounds like a damn good combo to me.I think almost anyone who spent their late high school years bumming around with friends, talking trash, working on your swagger, hanging out and wondering what happens next can appreciate this.While I wouldn't take ATL too seriously, I would definitely watch it again. Especially on a hot day with a big ol' glass of iced tea.8/10

This movie is much better than I thought it would be. It was very sweet and sincere. It tried to honestly portray real people with both comedy and drama. It both played on stereotypes and also shattered them. I think this movie did poorly because it was not easily categorized. People probably thought it would be a gangster movie and when it didn't fall into that category, people got confused. I think the poor ratings on this movie prove that most critics go into movies with a preconceived notion about whether they are going to like the movie or not and don't give most movies a fair shake. The acting in this movie is very straight forward and sincere. Not a lot is put on top of this movie and maybe that is why some people don't like it. Its pretty straight forward and sincere. I found it refreshing.