ATL (2006)
Directed by Chris Robinson
Written by Tina Gordon Chism
Starring Tip T.I Harris, Lauren London, Big Boi
Release Date March 31st, 2006
Published April 2nd, 2006
Rapper Tip "T.I" Harris's rise to the top of the charts has been a long arduous journey. Harris's career is reminiscent of the career charted in the hip hop drama Hustle and Flow, sans the pimping. After several years of basement recordings and getting by on the skin of his teeth, Harris finally got his tape in the hands of people in the business and what they heard was a true diamond in the rough.
On the heels of his film debut ATL, released in theaters back in January '06, T.I's album King went straight to the top of the charts. The same could not be said for the films box office run but now that the film is hitting video stores Harris's newfound status as a true hip hop star may help the film reach a wider and more receptive audience.
In ATL T.I stars as Rashad a seventeen year old forced to raise his fourteen year old brother Ant (Evan Roth) after their parents are killed. Sure, their uncle George (Mykelti Williamson) is around but with his casual drinking and pot smoking he is not ideally suited to be either guardian or mentor. Rashad is still in school but he spends most of his time working and saving money to get Ant out of the ghetto.
Rashad's only real comfort comes on the weekends when he gathers with his pals Esquire (Jackie Long), Brooklyn (Albert Daniels) and Teddy (Jason Weaver) at the local roller rink called Cascades. There, the four friends perform choreographed skating routines to the delight of an amassed crowd. They aren't alone, the cascades is home to a number of talented teams all aiming toward a season ending skating competition.
It is at cascades that Rashad meets New (Lauren London), a beautiful girl with a secret. Rashad and New New take an instant liking to one another but when her secret life is revealed it threatens to destroy the burgeoning romance.
Combine a sprinkle of the 2005 comedy Roll Bounce with a dash of inner city coming of age drama and you get ATL. Director Chris Robinson, working from a story by Antwone Fisher, someone who knows a little something about the coming age drama having won praise for writing his own life story on film, and a script by Tina Gordon Chism, manages a few original moments here and there but for the most part delivers the rote story from script to screen as if merely transcribing words to images.
What little innovation Robinson brings to ATL comes in the film's look which is gritty with just a hint of music video flourish. The cinematography by music video vet Karsten Gopinath is experimental and lively and at the very least, more memorable than the plot of ATL.
Also strong is the film's soundtrack where star T.I Harris lays down some fierce radio friendly beats with his song "Ride With Me". Harris proves himself to be a very talented hip hop artist and not a bad skater either. However, when slowed down to reading and delivering the films forgettable dialogue Harris can barely rise over a mumbled few words. He does project a strong presence and manage some sexual chemistry with Lauren London but it is clear that Harris's true talents lie behind a microphone.
Not all that dramatic or comic, ATL relies on classic inner city cliches, drugs, guns and gangs to create its plot and that can't help but get dull and repetitive quickly. On the bright side, ATL gives its audience much visual and auditory pleasures. The actors and actresses are attractive and good natured and the music is some of the best hip hop of the year. It's no wonder why T.I's album King went straight to number one early in 2006.
ATL holds other minor pleasures, including a strong pair of performances from veteran character actors. Mykelti Williamson, best known as Forrest Gump's pal Bubba, delivers a painfully realistic portrayal of a man tasked with responsibilities beyond his capabilities. An arrested development, having spent his entire life slacking and working as a janitor, Williamson's Uncle George is not uncaring or unfeeling, just tired and disillusioned.
Keith David delivers a solid performance as a successful businessman who built his empire from nothing but has no interest in sharing his success with those on the wrong side of the tracks. As businessman John Garnett, whom Esquire turns to for help with a college recommendation, David is at first self effacing and helpful. However, when he finds his daughter interested in one of the so-called hoodlums from the roller rink, David shows Garnett's true self loathing nature in a pair of well acted scenes.
And finally there is a scene in ATL that is almost good enough to make me recommend the film. As young Ant is losing his virginity in the back of a friends car his struggles with intimacy range from comic to poignant and back in just mere moments. The scene is a rare moment of truth in an otherwise prepackaged genre picture.
ATL is far too typical to be truly compelling but it is professionally crafted with a likable if not all that remarkable cast. Not for audiences looking for anything really challenging, the draw of ATL is T.I for his big screen debut. This is something his fans will want to watch and keep in their collections next to copies of his number one album King and what I'm sure will be few more number one albums in the future.
Consider ATL a collectible for fans of a rising star in the world of hip hop.
