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ATL

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ATL (2006)

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Reviews Counted:85

Fresh:53

Rotten:32

Average Rating:5.9/10

Consensus: Strong lead performances and catchy musical interludes rescue this coming-of-age story from its formulaic script and uneven direction.

Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins

Genre: Dramas

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.

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for ATL

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Tom Meek
Tom Meek
Boston Phoenix

Amateur camera work and conspicuous plotting reduce the film's regional sensibilities to sleep-inducing pap.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
04/20/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

A tip of the cap to Tip Harris and Lauren London for it is their chemistry and charm which allows one to believe in their tenderhearted romance in an atmosphere where women are regarded as objects and affectionately called 'bitches' and 'hos.'

Full Review Source: AALBC.com | comment Comment
02/20/07
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
AALBC.com

A well-meaning and good-hearted urban melodrama -- that doesn't really seem to have anything new to say.

Full Review Source: DVD Clinic | comment Comment
07/25/06
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
DVD Clinic

I liked ATL for its music and for its all-around good intentions and general amiability. But....

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
07/20/06
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

A contradictory approach ultimately muddles the film despite some heartfelt and evocative moments about youngsters growing up on the streets of Atlanta.

Full Review Source: Denton Record Chronicle (TX) | comment Comment
06/12/06
Todd Jorgenson
Todd Jorgenson
Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

The film that proves that all life's problems can be solved with a montage.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
06/03/06
Peter Sobczynski
Peter Sobczynski
eFilmCritic.com

... a surprisingly strong coming-of-age movie with a great young cast. It pops with color and humor and pays attention to the details that situate it in a real location ...

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
05/15/06
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Director Chris Robinson maintains a light touch, giving the colorful, energetic skating scenes the benefit of his music-video roots, but he doesn’t neglect character, drawing sincere performances from his young cast.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
05/12/06
Jim Lane
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review

A light urban coming-of-age dramedy where the veneer may be darkly intriguing, but the finish is pure homily, of the sort where lessons are learned and dreams do come true.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
05/06/06
Tim Cogshell
Tim Cogshell
Boxoffice Magazine

having solidly entertained for most of its running time, goes out in a blaze of cliche

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
04/29/06
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
Los Angeles CityBeat

As clich?mount, realism and make-believe jostle against one another more discordantly.

Full Review Source: Style Weekly (Richmond, VA) | comment Comment
04/14/06
Thomas Peyser
Thomas Peyser
Style Weekly (Richmond, VA)

ATL is a likable film with an affirmative and hopeful message about the fate of its main players.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/13/06
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

One cannot ignore or discount that Robinson is not only trying to tell a conventional tale unconventionally, but he is also attempting to put Atlanta on the map of cinematic city characters.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
04/11/06
Stina Chyn
Stina Chyn
Film Threat

Robinson's film is a cut above the rest, seeming simultaneously wise beyond its years and electrically, youthfully playful.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
04/08/06
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

Accentuates the positive

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
04/06/06
Jackie K. Cooper
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com

...a relief from the cynical, slickly packaged teen movies that have been flooding the market.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
04/05/06
Daniel Eagan
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International

...refreshing without going all goody two-shoe, its four friends and their ties to Atlanta not unlike the bunch of guys in Barry Levinson's Baltimore Diner.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
04/03/06
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Too predictable.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
04/03/06
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

Here's the kind of movie that filmmakers should develop more often: It's an urban movie about teen-agers FOR teen-agers. And I hope that teen-agers and adults from all walks of life see "ATL," because it's both gritty and good-hearted.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
04/03/06
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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