ATL (2006) Poster

(2006)

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6/10
Gemstones
averygrasse9 September 2019
Who's here after watching The Righteous Gemstones?
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7/10
Good movie, underrated in my opinion
Floated219 July 2010
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
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7/10
A real good movie
dre_slimm13 September 2006
This movie hit home for me. I went through a lot of the things that was captured, as well as the people around me. I'm tired of these critics downplaying movies like these. For most of the people in this movie, no acting was required, and the movie still came out great.Big ups to TI and Big Boi. That's what it is!!!

And for you so called "Critics," do me, and the rest of the hood, a favor... Go down to the ATL, or any hood that might be close to you. Listen to the way we talk, watch how we walk, just take a real good look at how we function. Then judge movies like this. True, this will never win an Oscar, but the hood loves it.
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ATL is a great movie
Papasmurf432521 July 2006
ATL is a great movie for all involved in it i think that it is very underrated movie. They thought that it was going to be a movie in the vein of boys in the hood with it's social commentary about the state of black people in todays world, but it just ain't that movie. ATL dosen't have long speeches about African American culture from people drinking 40's and playing dominos. ATL dosen't subscribe to HOOD stereyotypes in fact no one in this movie is ever shown Drinking Beer or Smoking weed, sure ANT deals drugs but you don't see people ever smoke it. it's a movie that isn't about images but about the problems that the characters face that are real to life. the people have problems like what to do after high school and looking out for your family and friends. The actors in this moie are well cast the actors seem to really know their characters, and most of all TI is perfect in this movie he has a great energy that helps fits the movie to a T
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7/10
ATL Movie Review
Johniie13 October 2006
This is a great movie to watch because it entertains and also informs what life is like in Atlanta. At first i only wanted to watch the movie because of Tip Harris 'T.I' Harris, but after watching it i enjoyed it for other reasons. If you are thinking about watching this movie then i would say watch it. Its a great movie. I also liked the soundtrack which contains songs such as Lil Scrappy's 'Money in the Bank' and T.I's 'What You Know'. To my surprise the actors in the movie were not too bad. I enjoyed watching Ant's character and also Brooklyn's. Over all its a good movie but then again different people have different interests. I would recommend this movie.
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7/10
Average movie, better than IMDb rating shows though
PersianPlaya40826 July 2008
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 to an extent was pulled off here. T.I. has got a lot of work ahead of him to become a decent actor, however it was not a bad start, and i have defeintely seen worse from first-time actors, and the fact that he is a rapper, we have to give him some more leeway haha. 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. This movie is similar to the likes of In the mix in my opinion, and is average. IMDb Rating: 4.5 My Rating: 7/10
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7/10
Not a bad movie at all
swiftandabundant19 May 2007
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.
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4/10
Very deceiving previews, but was O.K
clpiii200021 April 2006
The previews made the movie seem as though it's some kind of gangster movie, but except some of the drug content that was talked about in the movie, it was pretty much a fair one. The whole crew (T.I, Ross, Weaver, Daniels, and Long) played good roles, Weaver was the comic relief of the movie between all five of them. The girls (London, Khadijah, Veda, and others) played their roles pretty well. The twins were funny as far as the girls go. And also the veteran actors (David, Williams) were very good. It was predictable and the dialog between the actors were a little too childish. Yet it was funny and turned out to be a feel-good movie which would be great for young people.
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10/10
Is it just me, or is this film horribly underrated?
squarefanatic9 October 2006
Wow - this is a surprise. Watch it because it's proof that a lot of IMDBers are really full of crap pawns that care more about peoples' opinions of their opinions than they do about whether or not the movie is actually any good. Stupid sheep. This was very emotional, GREAT characterization, awesome photography, and extremely convincing dialogues. I'm from the ATL, trust me this is pretty accurate. This flick really does a fabulous job portraying what some folks struggle with overcoming stereotypes, growing up, and finding their place in their world. If you appreciate an honest review then go see this sucker - otherwise you probably didn't even read this far.
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7/10
Too predictable but still cute
vmccoy3 April 2006
This movie was so predictable it was borderline boring. However, if you're into Southern culture and hip-hop, it's a must-see. T.I. was fantastic as Rashad, although at certain points he looked so much older then the other characters it was a little disturbing to see him making out with a girl that could easily pass for a high school student and him being damn near 30! What I didn't expect out of this movie was some of the hilarious one-liners and scenes. There is a scene where Ant is in the car of a VERY southern man about to make a sale and the man is speaking pure ATL and there's actually subtitles for what he's saying. That was hilarious to me because like most "Northerners", I know how it can be damn near impossible to understand what most deep Southerners are saying half the time.

Another funny scene was the morning after scene with Rashad, Ant and their Uncle. I'm not going to ruin it for everybody, but let's just say it was so true to life, especially for high school males, that it was another really funny aspect to the film.

And that attribute right there is what makes this film enjoyable, despite it's extremely predictability, it's true-to-life quality. The characters are relatable, their actions, trials and tribulations very common and overall, whether you're from the south or not, you can easily relate to these character's high school era issues.

Pay attention too for all the little sarcastic cameos. Bone Crusher makes a quick appearance but his one line is LMAO funny. Monica's in it too.
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2/10
Expected a LOT better
khunt31 April 2006
In having some sweet hookups, I was fortunate enough to attend the official premiere of this movie last week. I was unfortunate enough to have sat through this entire movie.

Being born and raised here in Atlanta, I've been psyched to see this movie ever since I first saw advertisements for it on television. What a let down. At first the movie seemed promising, capturing southern charm and portraying local famous spots of the city (the fox theater, the waffle house, etc). Then the movie turned sour. I felt as if it made Atlanta seem like a trap and made the people of the city seem ghetto (and annoying!). Being from a town 5 miles west of Mechanicsville (where this movie takes place) I was offended. It turned out to be one of those typical "black man trying to make it out of the hood" movies....sick of it already!

The only good part about me seeing this movie was that it was for free. If I had wasted my hard earned cash on this flick, I would've been angry.
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10/10
"Where it all began"
Newsense2 December 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Im not the least bit surprised that this movie has a low rating. Think about it. Have you ever seen any black movie that made the Top 250? Then why should you care what these pompous, smarmy, egotistical snobs think? If every movie was like those low-budget brainless hood flicks that come out every month then Black cinema would be a distant memory. Not every movie should be like Boyz N The Hood and Menace II Society. I love both of those films but I don't want every film to come out of Black cinema to be like those films. If you were expecting something along the lines of Get Rich Or Die Trying or 8 Mile then shame on you. This movie is surprisingly good and is a breath of fresh air in comparison to the stupid hood flick of the month that has been coming out recently.

Written by Antwoine Fisher(yes, the one the movie with Derek Luke is named after), ATL chronicles the life of four men(Rashad-T.I., Esquire-Jason Long, Teddy-Jason Weaver and Brooklyn-Albert Daniels) at the crossroads of their lives. Rashad is trying to raise his brother "Ant"(Evan Ross)and is trying to keep him out of trouble. Things get bad when he end up working for the local drug dealer(Big Boi of Outkast). Rashad has other problems. His girl "New New"(Lauren London) is loaded and is ashamed of admitting it to him especially after Esquire finds out.

T.I. does a pretty good job as well as the rest of the cast and I must say that T.I and Lauren London make a good looking couple on screen. Mykelti Williamson is good also as Uncle George. Nobody insanely overacts and there are no buck wild stereotyping abound in this movie. People actually talk to each other with respect. They crack jokes that are funny and have conversations without pulling out guns. Big Boi was better here than he was in Who's Your Caddy. Nothing seems forced in this movie and ATL has heart. We like Rashad and his crew. Hell, we even like New New even though her being ashamed of being rich is kind of bizarre. Its better than John Singleton's 2001 chittlin circuit disasterpiece(no names needed... you know which movie Im talking about). Ill watch this one any day over that monstrosity. I feel at ease when watching ATL because Im not bombarded with wacky stereotypes and people acting like rottweilers on heroin. If you think that that is what constitutes a good black movie then you need to crawl back under that rock you came from and I hope it bashes you on the head on the way down. ATL doesn't cover issues of race or politics but its not on the other side of the fence where the ignorance and the stupidity roam either. More or less it is a tale of people that are trying to deal with the situations they've been given. I'd recommend to anybody that wants a break from the Boyz N The Hood and Menace II Society knockoffs that keep popping up every month like kudzu on the highway. Two thumbs up and here's to much more.

PS: You reviewers out there shouldn't be ashamed to say you liked this movie. Stop worrying about what you friends think for once and be yourself!
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6/10
Nice
david-fantauzzi31 March 2006
This movie was better then expected. T.I. and Big Boi's performance was surprisingly good, considering they are both still just rookies in their acting career. The story line, though not incredible, fulfills it's purpose. The soundtrack was ill. An area that could possibly be improved on was the pace of the ending; I thought it was a bit rushed. Even though the story line is kind of shaky it is still entertaining to watch. Don't expect a lot going in because its not how you will expect the movie to turn out, which is a good thing, if u like surprises like the booty shots. It's definitely worth seeing, and I plan to buy the movie when it comes out on DVD. I give this movie a 7/10 in my scale (and in comparison to movies like this one) but a 6/10 on IMDb's scale (in comparison to all movies).
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1/10
Totally stupid
Fusetr2 April 2006
Hip hop/rap is not ATL and this movie is not Atlanta. This movie is just an abomination and a total waste of celluloid.

I only went to a screening because I'm originally from Atlanta, but even for free, I'm sorry I wasted the gas.

The characters aren't even the slightest bit sympathetic, they're just jerks played by bad actors and actresses.

If you visit Atlanta thinking that it's the cool hip place shown in this film, you're wasting your time. Atlanta is nothing remotely like the ATL in the movie. It's a fun place to live, but not like the ATL.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! How does Hollywood come up with this worthless, totally unredeeming crap?
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U will be surprised
Oatmeal-n-Bisquick7731 March 2006
Let me first off by saying I am a African-American male in his late twenties who is not impressed by the current state of hip hop today. With the exception of Common, Mos Def, Kanye West, and some Jay z. I don't care too much for hip hop today. I like everyone who thinks like me was skeptical about the Movie but after last night of advanced screening this movie I have to say I was truly truly impressed and will most definitely see it again. This movie is a wonderful movie to take family members too. Yes thats right its a good family flick in my opinion. The acting was crisp and Well done. Ti really surprised me he did a wonderful job acting. His character is not to far from his personality but I can see the man has a stage presence much like Tyrese. What I love about the movie the most is the mixture of 80's and 90's and present time. What I mean by that i, it has a mixture of all of those eras but its realistic cause that is how it is now. This movie has it all hot girls, humor, realism, and again very very safe to take the kids to see. So trust me when I say this movie will and should do well at the box office. Worth the price of admission. Well Matinée price anyway.
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6/10
Similar in style to "Roll Bounce"
phoenixlau4 April 2006
From the official trailer to "ATL", I got the impression that this would be a gangster movie about dealing drugs in the ghetto. Actually, this is really misleading; the drug dealer aspect of the film was only a minor subplot. In fact, if they had removed the drug subplot entirely, I think the movie would have been much better, because that storyline just didn't work for me.

The main focus of "ATL" is more along the lines of "Roll Bounce", i.e. a heartwarming story about a bunch of kids growing up in school, dealing with parents and boy/girlfriends, and just having fun hanging out at the local skating rink.

T.I. can't really act, as he spends the entire movie with the exact same expression on his face (his head cocked to the side with a semi-scowl). However, the supporting cast does a good job of picking up the slack, especially the guys that play his friends, who constantly crack jokes about each other.

Not an amazing movie, but definitely entertaining and a lot better than I expected. If you want to see this movie done better, though, go rent "Roll Bounce".
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7/10
Pleasantly Surprised
tayman1041 April 2006
I didn't have high expectations for ATL when I went to see it on it's opening day. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. The script was obviously very well written with very different, colorful, lively characters. Tip "T.I." Harris and "Big Boi", rappers turned actors, weren't unbearable to watch. Newcomer, Evan Ross Naess, also portrayed his character well.

ATL's story line was a bit questionable in some parts with subplots that might have been a little unnecessary, like Rashad's ex-girlfriend in the movie. The middle of the movie let itself fall down a little bit, but it quickly regained itself. The scenes inside the skating rink lasted a little too long in some parts and the scene towards the end was a bit flawed. However-- enough with the nit-picky stuff. ATL was humorous at some points, sad in others, and maybe even a little moving.

Bottom Line: Go on and give this one a try.
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6/10
Surprised and Disappointed...
drrumbero18 April 2006
I was surprised and disappointed when I saw this film. First of all I imagined a film with a twisted plot that depicted the difficulty of urban kids to make it out of the hood. Also I expected more violence/drama/plot to go into this film. However Big Boi and T.I both did tremendous playing their characters, T.I specially who I never expected would do such a great job at playing his character. I personally thought this movie would have done better to follow other hip hop artiest' films genre as in "Hustle and Flow", "Get Rich or Die Trying", and even "8 mile". The movie had some light humor in it which made for a couple of light laughs but had the film been more thought out and not centered around roller skating it could've been one of the best movies this year.
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2/10
Awful movie
dninc796 June 2010
Movie was just horribly bad, they kinda lied in the previews when this movie was on its way to the movie theater, a lot of people walked out, they didn't expect a ghetto version of Xanadu, thats exactly what this was.

It was so bad, and ATL has nothing really to offer, it's a Transient city, you move there if you want to either go to school or seek a job, when that dries up people leave and don't think twice about it, so i don't understand why a movie was even needed, there's no culture other than it's a over crowded over developed predominately black city with lots of crime with a cookie cut skyline.
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8/10
ATL is A Tale of Life
wrlang2 August 2006
A story about young people struggling to overcome the darker side of the neighborhood. Rashad Swann (Tip Harris) comes of age and takes responsibility for himself and his brother Antwone (Ross) to move toward getting out of the hood. Rashad meets a great girl named New New (London) with a secret that almost costs them their relationship. Antwone gets involved in dealing and suffers from a boss that isn't very understanding. Rashad and his skating buddies spend their time at the Cascade roller rink competing in skating events in preparation for the annual skating tournament that they've won several times. The main characters are all pretty likable and the dialog was a good compromise between reality and prime time TV. They even had an old timer speaking some Jive. You won't find an abundance of emotion from the righteous characters, but it is well worth seeing. Even with all the daily troubles, it doesn't leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.
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6/10
Good until the end
jblakely8831 March 2006
I am much more impressed than I thought I would be after watching this movie. Judging from the previews, it looked like T.I. would be awful and the movie would just be "Boyz in the Hood" meets "Roll Bounce". T.I. actually did pretty well to just be an amateur. Big Boi stole the show with his portrayal of a drug dealer.

The only bad thing about movies like this is the fantasy they portray. There needs to be one of these movies that has a bad ending. The message in this movie would have been so much stronger if someone meaningful to the story were killed. I know that sounds harsh, but when young men watch this and think they can sell drugs and quit whenever they want and live to tell the story, we do them the greatest inconvenience we could possibly give.
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1/10
A new, poorly done, crappy, out of shape, vulgar, stupid, gangster crazed, 'American Story'
gothicgoblin133422 April 2006
I was forced to watch this crap when my friends dragged me to see, and I can not believe I wasted my money for this "American" load of garbage. Who really thought of Big BOI being an actor anyway? The film is messed up in a really horrible way. Every gangster in the 'hood' wants to see this film when they don't really even know what it's about. I can't think of any other words to describe it other than 'bad' (or the title of my review). I never wanted to see this film anyway, like I said, I was FORCED to watch. Yet that is not the only reason why I hated this film. Some people just tried to make a gangster film which tells this fictional story which they say COULD HAPPEN! when really they don't know what they're talking about. If you're going to make a COULD-HAPPEN-film then don't bother making films at all. This film thought it was smarter than anyone else, and although I hate to say it but even the gangsters in the hood are smarter than this crap.
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9/10
This movie saved my marriage
cooperanimation22 October 2019
After a fun weekend, my friends and I got up to some.... sinning. My wife read my emails, and luckily this movie existed to cover for my actions. I only ask that the film makers make more movies like this to cover for my weekend trips away. Suggestions for movie titles are "ATM", "the redness is getting spreading", "How do you know if you're gay?" and "The Sound of Music 2".

Thank you in advance.

p.s. took away one star because I wasn't emotionally connected to Rashad's character.
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7/10
A Nice Movie
barberoux17 April 2006
"ATL" was a nice movie. The story will be very familiar to fans of the John Hughes teenage movies in the 1980's like "Pretty in Pink". Except this movie is a John Hughes movie as if it was directed by Spike Lee. The whole demographic was shifted from the white California suburbs to a black Atlanta neighborhood. The story is typical where a poor teenager gets involved with someone from the rich side of the tracks and the clash of classes is examined. The portrayal of a social class other than white Californian suburb was refreshing. The performances were good and I was entertained throughout. I think "ATL" is a good move and is worth a watch.
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4/10
Nothing like it!
Lumizm15 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
After reading comments here I truly believed there was a mistake with the IMDb rating system, people claimed this movie should be listed on one of the 'good' ghetto movies. Big no no. The message that this movie 'tries' to deliver has been delivered a thousand times. The characters were weak, boring plot; the acting was...quite poor…but overall a bad movie. Yak...a complete waste of time.

That entire skating was just stupid(no, as in really stupid).

As for T.I. fans out there this should be considered as an extended video clip/ Teen ghetto movie. T.I. did okay. But still a film to watch on maybe Sundays.
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