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''ATL'' is a 2006 American
coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
film, and the feature film directorial debut of music video director Chris Robinson. The screenplay was written by Tina Gordon Chism from an original story by Antwone Fisher, and is loosely based on the experiences of the film's producers
Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, and film producer from Columbus, Georgia. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfir ...
and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins growing up in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, Georgia (ATL). Retrieved on 2008-10-12. The film is a
coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
tale concerning Rashad, played by Atlanta native and hip hop artist T.I. (credited as Tip Harris) in his film debut, and his friends in their final year in high school and on the verge of adulthood. The film also stars Antwan Andre Patton, more commonly known as
Big Boi Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), known professionally as Big Boi, is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Atlanta, he was one half of the Southern hip-hop duo Outkast along with rapper ...
of the hip hop group
OutKast Outkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip-hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin, formerly known as Dré). Widely regarded as one of the greatest an ...
; Evan Ross; Jackie Long; Jason Weaver;
Lauren London Lauren Nicole London (born December 5, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films and televisions shows including ''ATL (film), ATL'' (2006), This Christmas (2007 film), ''This Christmas'' (2007), ''Madea's Big Happy Fami ...
; and Mykelti Williamson. ''ATL'' was the first
feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...
for its director and the majority of its cast. Filmed in Atlanta, Georgia in summer 2005, many celebrities from the city make cameo appearances, including Bone Crusher,
Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...
, Killer Mike, and Monica. ''ATL'' received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances and soundtrack, but criticized the direction and formulaic script. The film grossed $21 million worldwide against a production budget of $7 million and has since become a
cult film A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase, which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage in repeated ...
among the rap community.


Plot

Rashad is a teen living in
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, with his Uncle, George and his little brother Ant. He and his brother were raised by George since their parents died in a car accident, and they work with him as part of his custodial company. When not working or finishing his last semester of high school, Rashad spends most of his time with his friends. Rashad is a talented artist but does not see much of a future in that field as he has become accustomed to working the family business. Esquire, Rashad's best friend, goes to a prep school on the opposite side of town from where they live, and is trying to attend an Ivy League college after senior year. However, he finds out that he will need a letter of recommendation from someone of high stature to better his chances of acceptance at the school he wants to attend. Rashad and his friends are also a skate crew at a skating rink where local teens hang out. While there, Rashad catches the eye of New-New, a girl with a mysterious background, since he only sees her around when she is hanging out with her friends. The two become attracted to one another and they later kiss when he gives her a ride home in his Chevrolet El Camino. Esquire instantly develops a disliking for Rashad's new love interest, considering her bad company. No longer under Rashad's watchful eyes, Ant becomes involved with a Marcus, a drug dealer, and begins to sell for him. At work one day, Esquire meets John Garnett, a millionaire. The two become friends and Esquire sees an opportunity to obtain the letter of recommendation. When Esquire goes to Garnett's house to pick up the letter, he meets his daughter Erin, who turns out to be New-New. Erin says that she will reveal where Esquire is really from (something he lied to her father about) if he tells Rashad about her. Eventually Rashad finds out the truth about Erin. He no longer speaks to his friends, realizing that Esquire knew about Erin the whole time. Esquire, feeling guilty about the way he obtained the letter, decides to return it to Garnett, and reveals the truth about himself. He also attempts to make peace with Rashad and ask him to attend Skate Wars, the annual skate competition. Rashad initially refuses the offer, but changes his mind after speaking to his uncle. Before he can attend he finds out that Marcus is looking for Ant and the money he owes him. Rashad tracks the two down and after a confrontation Ant is shot in the chest. At the hospital, Rashad and Ant reconnect. Rashad and his friends make peace as well, each going onto succeed in their endevours.


Cast

* T.I. as Rashad Swann, the narrator of the story. Like Rashad, Harris is born and raised in the city of Atlanta. Chris Robinson had directed Harris' first music video four years prior to the creation of ''ATL'', and was very impressed by his charisma and presence. "But on this film he came to the table, worked so hard and never tried to be T.I.—he became Rashad." On being a part of the film's production, Harris said he felt "it was the most honest representation of my culture and my city ever to be put on screen and the largest production to be ever filmed in Atlanta, so I eelsomewhat obligated." * Evan Ross as Anton "Ant" Swann, Rashad's younger brother. ''ATL'' marks Ross' film debut, which he says actually made his first foray easier, since it was also co-star T.I.'s debut. "It's his first movie too, and that has been good because we’ve been able to find ways of doing it together that has made it a lot easier for each of us." *
Lauren London Lauren Nicole London (born December 5, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films and televisions shows including ''ATL (film), ATL'' (2006), This Christmas (2007 film), ''This Christmas'' (2007), ''Madea's Big Happy Fami ...
as Erin “New New” Garnett, Rashad's love interest and John Garnett's daughter. The character of New-New was loosely based on R&B group
TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...
's " T-Boz as a kid," said London. "I talked to her about my character... she explained to me how it was when she was young—the attitude and the flavor. And it's funny, a lot of people say that I act like she used to act at the skating rink.” Director Robinson was impressed by London and "everything from her look, to the fact that she's new. And there's just so much truth in her, and she doesn't know how to lie yet as an actress. It was perfect." * Jackie Long as Benjamin "Esquire" Gordon, Rashad's childhood best friend. The character of Esquire was inspired by a friend of producer Austin's, who worked at a country club but would tell his friends he worked at a hot dog joint. "And you'd think his family had money, but he lived in the projects." Long auditioned a year prior to shooting the film at the director's home in California. "And he was a long shot but he came in and he became that character," said Robinson. * Jason Weaver as Teddy, a close friend of Rashad's. Weaver impressed producer Austin in his previous film '' Drumline'' enough to get a role in ''ATL''. The director felt that Weaver, the veteran of the young cast, and his experience would be helpful to the other cast members. * Albert Daniels as Brooklyn Bridges, a New York transplant and another one of Rashad's friends. Robinson had known Daniels since he was a fifteen-year-old production assistant on his music video shoots in New York. "He was an annoying little kid who got fired every time he was a P.A. because he was so inquisitive. But every time they fired him I'd bring him back because I felt like he always had something." Eight years later, Robinson ran into Daniels at a poetry reading in New York City, and told him to audition for the film. Daniels didn't have any money to get to Atlanta where he had to audition, so he hustled money doing poetry in subways, and bought a bus ticket to get there. *
Big Boi Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), known professionally as Big Boi, is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Atlanta, he was one half of the Southern hip-hop duo Outkast along with rapper ...
as Marcus, the drug dealer Ant begins to work for. He serves as the antagonist of the film, as he plans to lure Ant from Rashad for his own profit. The film also marked Big Boi's film debut. As said by director Robinson in reference to Big Boi's performance, "he wasn't the normal kind of a bad guy. He put so much charisma and flavor behind it. We loved it." * Keith David as John Garnett, Erin's father and Esquire's acquaintance. He is unaware of the fact that Esquire is lying about who he really is. * Mykelti Williamson as “Uncle” George Swann, Rashad and Ant's uncle and guardian. George means well but he is very stingy with his snacks so he keeps them locked up in his room or labels them "Property of George". When Rashad and Ant fall out about Ant's drug dealing, George says things to Rashad he doesn't mean but they later make up. * April Clark as Tondie, Ant's girlfriend. At first, she was rude to Ant when he would try to talk to her. After he begins to become more popular, she begins to develop a crush on him and asks him to be her boyfriend. * Khadijah Haqq as Veda, New New's friend and Star's twin sister. * Malika Haqq as Star, New New's friend and Veda's twin sister. *
Lonette McKee Lonette Rita McKee (born July 22, 1954) is an American actress and singer. She made her big screen debut starring as Sister Williams in the original 1976 musical-drama film '' Sparkle''. McKee later appeared in films '' Which Way Is Up?'' (1977) ...
as Priscilla Garnett, Erin's mother and John Garnett's wife. * Markice Moore as Austin, Ant's friend and Marcus' cousin. * Tae Heckerd as Tonya, Rashad's ex-girlfriend. *
Tasha Smith Tasha Smith (born February 28, 1971) is an American actress and director. She began her career in a starring role on the NBC comedy series '' Boston Common'' (1996–97), and later appeared in numerous movies and television series. Smith has ...
as Gayle, Veda and Star's mother. * Monique "Whyte Chocolate" Harris-Ford as Sexy Pizza Customer. * Buffie Carruth as Big Booty Judy. * Monica as Monica The Waitress *
Big Gipp Cameron F. Gipp (born April 28, 1973), better known by his stage name Big Gipp, is an American rapper. He is a member of the Atlanta-based hip hop group Goodie Mob, with whom he has released six studio albums, as well as the duo Ali & Gipp, with ...
as himself. (Cameo) * Bone Crusher as himself * Killer Mike as himself *
Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...
as himself


Soundtrack

The music for ''ATL'' was to be released in the form of a
soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...
, however during the recording process of the soundtrack, the focus shifted towards T.I.'s fourth studio album ''
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
''; The only songs from the album that appeared in the movie were “ What You Know” and “Ride Wit Me”. Among other songs featured during the film include: *” Git Up, Git Out” by Big Boi and André 3000 (
Outkast Outkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip-hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin, formerly known as Dré). Widely regarded as one of the greatest an ...
) along with Goodie Mob's Cee-Lo Green and
Big Gipp Cameron F. Gipp (born April 28, 1973), better known by his stage name Big Gipp, is an American rapper. He is a member of the Atlanta-based hip hop group Goodie Mob, with whom he has released six studio albums, as well as the duo Ali & Gipp, with ...
, from Outkast's 1994 debut album, ''
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik ''Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik'' is the debut studio album by the American Hip hop music, hip hop duo Outkast, released on April 26, 1994, by Arista Records and LaFace Records. Having befriended each other two years prior, rappers André 300 ...
''. *
Slim Thug Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1979), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his guest performance alongside Paul Wall on Mike Jones' 2004 single "Still Tippin'". The followi ...
’s “ I Ain’t Heard Of That” featuring
Pharrell Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...
& Bun B from his debut album, “ Already Platinum” *
Lyfe Jennings Chester Jermaine "Lyfe" Jennings (born June 3, 1978) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and instrumentalist. He plays the guitar, Double bass, bass, and piano which he integrates into his music. T ...
's “ Must Be Nice”. *
Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...
's “ At Your Best (You Are Love)”. *”
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
” by
Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...
and
Field Mob Field Mob is an American hip hop music, hip hop duo from Albany, Georgia, composed of artists Darion "Smoke" Crawford and Shawn Timothy "Shawn Jay" Johnson. History Formation Darion and Shawn grew up on the outskirts of Albany, Georgia, Albany ...
featuring Jamie Foxx, sampling
Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...
' “
Georgia on My Mind "Georgia on My Mind" is a 1930 song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell, and first recorded that same year by Carmichael at the RCA Studios New York#24th St, RCA Victor Studios at 155 East 24th Street in New York City. The song has ...
”. Foxx was chosen to feature on the song after playing Charles in the 2004 biopic '' Ray''.


Production

''ATLs story is loosely based on material by producers
Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, and film producer from Columbus, Georgia. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfir ...
and Tionne Watkins, who set out to describe their experiences growing up on the south side of
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
in the early '90s. Watkins and producer Jody Gerson approached
James Lassiter James Lassiter is an American film producer and talent agent. He served as the manager of American rapper and actor Will Smith before the two co-founded the production company Overbrook Entertainment in 1998. Also Smith's business partner, Lass ...
with the idea of a story about a skating rink that many involved in the Atlanta music scene had started at, and how all of these people would attend the rink every Sunday night in their teen years. Chris Robinson, a renowned
music video director A music video director is the head, overseer or facilitator of music video production. The director conceives of videos' artistic and dramatic aspects while instructing the musical act, technical crew, actors, models, and dancers. They may or ...
, was contacted with an offer to direct Austin and Watkins' visualization, and took on his first feature with ''ATL''. The film's producers decided Robinson would be well-suited for the project because of his ability to capture the music-driven aspects of the film, as provided by his experience in the field. They also cited his talent in storytelling. According to producer Austin, "a lot of music video directors can't capture the story, so what we'd do was turn on the directors' tapes, turn down the music and just watch to see if we could find the story. Chris was far and away the best." About making ''ATL'' his first feature, Robinson stated that "as a music video director, I'd get a lot of scripts that had to do with really big visual pictures. But I wanted to start off doing something that had heart." After being hired, Robinson traveled to Atlanta and spent time with Austin to try to soak up the vibe and energy of the unique city. Open auditions were held in Atlanta,
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, and New York to comb the crowd for candidates who could compose the film's ensemble cast. Robinson had already decided he wanted relatively unknown actors to perform in the film. Once the cast was assembled, Robinson had his actors converge in Atlanta for six weeks to rehearse the script and familiarize themselves with each other. "All this young black talent out there, all these young black actors who don't get a shot or who have to wait years to get their shot, are getting their shot in this film, and they're bringing it." The movie was filmed in the summer of 2005. Three months prior to the start of production, the actors gathered at Atlanta's Skatetown to begin training for the skating sequences in the film. Some had never been on roller skates before. Vaughn Newton, the actors' skate captain, worked with them rigorously, usually practicing five hours a day. “
Lauren Lauren is mostly a feminine given name. The name's meaning may be "laurel tree", "sweet of honor", or "wisdom". It is derived from the French name Laurence, a feminine version of Laurent, which is in turn derived from the Roman surname Laurent ...
and the twins, Malika and Khadijah, adapted very quickly," said Newton. "The guys came along a little slower. Al Be,
Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Med ...
and Jackie Long developed very fast. T.I. was determined to learn. They were all great students and very supportive of each other.” In addition to the main cast, Robinson decided to include numerous cameos in the film, generally involving people popular in the Atlanta music scene, a core element of the movie. Music producer
Jazze Pha Phalon Anton Alexander, known professionally as Jazze Pha ( ), is an American record producer, rapper, singer and songwriter. He founded the record label Sho'nuff Records in 1995, through which he signed R&B singer Ciara in 2003. He produced h ...
played the skating rink's DJ; Rico Wade, a part of the Atlanta-based production team Organized Noize, who also frequented Jellybeans in the early '90s, made an appearance as well. R&B singer Monica, a protégé of producer Austin's, also plays a Waffle House waitress in the film. A few of the south's most sought after music video models made appearances as well including 'Whyte Chocolate' also known as Monique Harris-Ford. There are also cameos from rappers Bone Crusher, Konkrete, and Killer Mike. Dallas Austin coordinated the music for the film, which executive producer Timothy M. Bourne says is "all new music that's rooted in the Atlanta vibe." Austin had already produced his first feature with '' Drumline'' in 2002, and wanted to be sure ''ATL'' would be similarly authentic to the culture of his hometown by using its current hip-hop scene as the story's backdrop. Music in the environment of the rink was the way Austin pitched the film "as a way to make a musical without putting '' Singin' in the Rain'' on the screen... without the kids breaking into song. I'm determined to show
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...
and New York the culture from the South." Under the working title "Jellybean", the film was shot over a span of six weeks in fifty-two locales throughout the city of Atlanta. Filming took place in the summer, sometimes in temperatures over a hundred degrees, challenging the cast and crew's ability to stay motivated. "A lot of times we had to motivate each other to say 'listen, up your game. Go hard,'" said Robinson. "And sometimes we needed to step back, take a breath, so we could get through."


Design

Chris Robinson and Robb Buono, the film's
production designer In film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Work ...
, decided that the script was composed of two distinct parts—the reality of the teens' lives and the time they spent at the skating rink. According to Buono, "we wanted to look at it he rinkthrough rose colored glasses, because when you think back on your memories of that time period—no matter what age you are—you see everything bigger. Our goal was to make that roller skating rink a character that grows as we keep coming back, and each time it's more magical—a ''
Saturday Night Fever ''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American Dance in film, dance Drama (film and television), drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian Americans, Italian-America ...
''-like contrast to the reality of life.” Robinson and Buono chose to shoot at the Cascade Family Skating Rink in Atlanta after visiting and witnessing the energy and excitement of the rink. However, the filmmakers felt Cascade's interior design was too bland and decided it should be redesigned. Buono chose black and red for the rink's new color palette. Red was used for its intensity and energy, and black was utilized because the rink would appear larger. Additionally, usage of black would contrast more boldly with the red colors. The ceiling above the rink was removed for lighting purposes. The rink floor was also refinished with darker colors to provide better light reflection. Rigging for the lights became an artistic challenge for Buono. Working with the art department, the rigging electrics and the rigging grips, he designed a wagon wheel effect that moved with the motion of the skating and allowed the lights to be programmed, aesthetically lighting both ends of the rink and capturing the action of the skating sequences. The skate rental section, arcade and snack bar were redesigned at the rink as well, so that the areas besides the skating floor wouldn't feel monotonous. “We did every inch of that rink,” said Buono. “The carpet on the walls, painting the ceiling, putting in the lights, painting the snack bar, changing the color of the tables. We used a lot of neon and bold bright colors.”


Release


Box office

''ATL'' was released on March 28, 2006, in 1,602 theatres across the U.S. The film grossed at $11,554,404, and ranked third at the box office behind '' Ice Age: The Meltdown'' at one and
Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...
's '' Inside Man'' at two; the film's opening weekend was a success. Its second weekend profits were considerably lower, as the film only earned $3,710,215, enough for it to reach seventieth place on the list of widely released films with the biggest weekend drops in the last twenty-six years. The film made less money in the following weekends, and by the end of its theatrical run ''ATL'' had accumulated a total of $21,170,563, earning a modest profit against its $7 million production cost.


Home video

The film was released in the
U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
and HD-DVD July 18, 2006. DVD features include a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, star T.I.'s music video for his single "'' What You Know''," and the film's theatrical trailer. The film was also released on
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
on November 14, 2006.


Reception


Critical response

''ATL'' received generally positive reviews from critics. At
Allmovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...
, the film was given three stars, and critic Derek Armstrong, in a positive review of the film, stated that the film is only an average coming of age story "because some substance must take a backseat to all this beautifully crafted style." Melissa Walters at ''BlackFilm.com'', while believing some of the writing to be clichéd and the story familiar, also called the film "heartfelt, genuine, and enjoyable." Film critic
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
awarded the film three stars in his ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' review, declaring the film "warm" and praising the screenplay's "unforced, genuine affection for its characters."
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
.com gave the film a 4/5 rating, naming Robinson's directorial debut "masterful." On
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
the film a had a weighted average score of 63 out of 100 based on 25 reviews. On the review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film averaged a 63% approval rate based on 84 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Strong lead performances and catchy musical interludes rescue this coming-of-age story from its formulaic script and uneven direction.". Ruthe Stein from the ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'' called the film one of the better kind of its genre, praising the performances of the young cast, and the film's star T.I. in particular. At
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, based on 13 reviews the film has averaged a B− by the critics standards. Not all reviews of the picture were so enthusiastic. Lisa Schwarzbaum of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' graded the film a B−, saying that while the skating scenes are a blast, the film stumbles when it attempts to be too much for too many audiences. Neil Genzlinger of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' said he was surprised that with so many untested actors rounding out the main cast, "the most amateurish thing about it is the script." Genzlinger also called the screenplay cliché-marred and predictable, while giving credit to the young actors of the film. He was also critical of Chris Robinson's direction, stating that he "can't stay with a scene long enough to let his actors build momentum." At ''
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' (''AJC'') is an American daily newspaper based in metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger ...
'', Bob Longino provided a negative review of the movie, pointing it out as "boring, uninteresting, and slow". Longino said that T.I. and
Big Boi Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), known professionally as Big Boi, is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Atlanta, he was one half of the Southern hip-hop duo Outkast along with rapper ...
's performances improved as the film progressed, and that there were a few laugh-out-loud comedic moments in the film.


Accolades


Possible sequel

On January 7, 2015, Chris Robinson posted a teaser poster of the sequel on Instagram with the main cast in it confirming that a sequel is in the works. On March 4, 2015, T.I. confirmed on his
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
that an ''ATL 2'' is set to be released. In 2021, after years of being believed to be in
development hell Development hell, also known as development purgatory or development limbo, is media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in a stage of early development for a long time because of legal, technical, or artistic ...
, Robinson posted a teaser trailer for the sequel featuring most of the original main cast.


See also

* List of hood films


References


External links

* * * * * , - ! colspan="3" style="background:#DAA520;" , BET Hip Hop Award , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Atl 2006 films 2006 comedy-drama films 2006 directorial debut films 2000s American films 2000s coming-of-age comedy-drama films 2000s English-language films 2000s high school films 2000s hip-hop films 2000s hood films 2000s teen comedy-drama films 2000s teen romance films African-American comedy-drama films American coming-of-age comedy-drama films American teen comedy-drama films American teen romance films Films about drugs Films directed by Chris Robinson (director) Films produced by Will Smith Films scored by Aaron Zigman Films set in Atlanta Films shot in Atlanta Overbrook Entertainment films Roller skating films Warner Bros. films English-language comedy-drama films English-language crime films English-language romance films English-language musical films 2006 musical films