Ronald Atkinson
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.
dgordon-1
I caught this movie the other night and really enjoyed it. When I was watching "ATL", I had this feeling of deja vu. Although, "ATL" is an enjoyable movie to watch, it shares the same formula as the 1979 rollerskating movie titled "Roller Boogie". In both movies, there is the "poor little rich girl" who wants to fit in, so she hangs out at the local roller rink. On the other side, there is the blue collar guy that is trying to get ahead, and keep afloat in life. The only difference in both movies, is that "ATL" focuses more on the interpersonal relationships of the main character's friends and family. In "Roller Boogie", the focus is more on the teens trying to save the local roller rink from being torn down, and thus threatening the cancellation of the big roller boogie competition...only in the '70s! For "ATL", I thought that T.I. did a great job, along with the other characters, in portraying kids trying to figure out what their next step will be in life, after high school. The roller segments and music just added to the movie. It was more of a drama. Even though roller skating is featured, it doesn't come off trying to cash in on a fad. It's more of a drama, with a nice soundtrack and skating thrown in. If you are a fan of dramas that are not too heavy, this is a great choice.
l9rae
I went in thinking this was another hood movie, when actually it's a very emotional and artistic coming of age story. It captures southern culture without fixating on the violence and poverty of it. T.I. was very impressive as Rashan, a strong silent type with much talent and dreams to boot. Evan Ross makes his debut as Ant the mouthy little brother, and has a surprising presence for a first timer. My favorites were Veda and Star the twins, totally straight from the block chicks down to the colored streaks in the hair to match every outfit. The story was well written by Antoine Fisher and the characters very entertaining and well developed. The skating very well filmed and great to watch. This movie is definitely worth seeing! I only gave it a 9 because I didn't want it to be over at the end. I hope there is an ATL 2.
njonny-1
I really don't understand the low user rating for this film - the number of "one" ratings is unnaturally high, suggesting that there was some sort of campaign to skew the rating lower. ATL is a very good movie, despite it's rather clichéd plot. It's made with energy and style and an obvious love for the characters. I was especially impressed by the movie's complex understanding of how these characters talk and interact with each other. I'm kind of a sucker for this kind of movie (I was also a fan of The Wood, a much lighter and brighter version of ATL), so I may have "over-rated" it slightly - but believe me, it does not deserve its current 3.7 rating.
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