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ATL (film)
Encyclopedia
ATL is a 2006 American
drama 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
and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins
(of the R&B group TLC
) growing up in Atlanta, Georgia
. The film is a coming-of-age
tale concerning Rashad, played by rap artist T.I.
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, aka Big Boi
of the rap group OutKast
, Evan Ross
, Jackie Long
, Lauren London
, and Mykelti Williamson
.
ATL was the first feature film
produced by its director and the majority of its cast. Filming took place during the summer over a forty-five day schedule in Atlanta. As the film was produced in Atlanta, director Chris Robinson was able to get many celebrities from the city to make cameo appearances, including Jazze Pha
, Killer Mike
, and Monica
. ATL opened on March 31, 2006, and on its opening weekend the film grossed a total of $11,554,404, ranking third in the U.S. box office. It eventually went on to gross approximately $21 million, replenishing the film's $20 million budget. ATL received generally favorable reviews from critics, and was nominated for numerous awards.
) is a teen living in Atlanta
with his Uncle, George (Mykelti Williamson
) and his little brother Ant (Evan Ross
). He and his brother were raised by their uncle 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 year of high school, Rashad spends most of his time with his friends Brooklyn (Albert Daniels
), Teddy (Jason Weaver
), and Esquire (Jackie Long
). 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, known as "The Ones", on Sunday nights at Cascade, a skating rink where local teens hang out. While there, Rashad catches the eye of New-New (Lauren London
), a round-the-way girl with a mysterious background, since he only sees her around when she is hanging out with her friends Veda (Khadijah Haqq
) and Star (Malika Haqq
). The two become attracted to one another and they later kiss when he gives her a ride home; in contrast, Esquire instantly develops a disliking for Rashad's new love interest, considering her bad company. Meanwhile, no longer under Rashad's watchful eyes, Ant becomes involved with a drug dealer named Marcus (Patton
) and begins to sell for him. He also starts dating a girl named Tondie (April Clark), who takes a liking to him only after he began to make money through drug dealing.
At work one day, Esquire meets John Garnett (Keith David
), a millionaire who heads a successful business venture called the United Express. The two quickly become friends, with Garnett's admiration for Esquire's ambition and Esquire's respect for Garnett's success driving the relationship. Esquire sees an opportunity to obtain the letter of recommendation that would bring about his acceptance to his primary college choice. When Esquire goes to Garnett's house to pick up the letter, he meets his daughter Erin, who, to his surprise, turns out to be New-New, who's real name is Erin. Erin says that she will reveal where Esquire is really from (something he lied to her father about) if he tells Rashad about her.
Things soon begin to fall apart for Rashad; Ant is arrested for selling weed, and later 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 and his background. He, Brooklyn, and Teddy attempt to make peace with Rashad and ask him to attend Skate Wars, Cascade's annual skate competition, with them; Rashad, however, refuses their offer. Just as he decides that he will go, after being persuaded by his uncle, he finds out that Marcus is looking for Ant on the streets, searching for cash that Ant owes to him. Rashad tracks the two down and throws the money that Ant owes Marcus, in his face. Marcus then holds Rashad at gunpoint and makes a rude comment. Rashad knocks the gun out of Marcus's hand, it goes off, and they fight briefly until Rashad gets up to leave. Rashad tells Ant to get into the car while Marcus grabs his gun and shoots Ant (later revealed)in the chest. At the hospital, Rashad and Ant are able to reconnect; likewise, Erin, Esquire, and Rashad make peace, as the scene ends with the poem "Love's Deceit" by rapper Big Rube
playing.
In the film's final scene, Teddy opens his own business concerning the production of gold teeth, Brooklyn finds a job at a Krystal
restaurant, while Esquire receives a mysterious letter of recommendation (presumably from Garnett) and is able to attend his college. The twins Veda and Star remain in the old neighborhood and hang out at Cascade on Sundays, while Erin goes to Spelman College
, the school she wanted to attend. Ant changes direction, discarding the notion of drug dealing, finds a new girlfriend and begins to focus on his studies in school. Rashad, lastly, becomes a comic artist for the Sunday edition of the Atlanta Evening Standard, the city's newspaper. The film ends with Rashad leaving his skates in Cascades, and the building's lights go off.
. It features such singles as What You Know
, Top Back
, Why You Wanna
and Aaliyah
's At Your Best (You Are Love).
ATLs story is loosely based on material by producers Dallas Austin
and Tionne Watkins
, who set out to describe their experiences growing up on the south side of Atlanta in the early '90s. Watkins and producer Jody Gerson approached James Lassiter
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
, was contacted with an offer to direct Austin and Watkins' visualization, and took on his first feature with ATL. The films 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 and soak up the vibe and energy of the unique city.
Open auditions were held in Atlanta, Chicago
, 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."
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
and the twins, Malika and Khadijah, adapted very quickly," said Newton. "The guys came along a little slower. Al Be, Jason
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
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
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."
, 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 [the rink] through 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
-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.”
at one and Spike Lee
'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 be 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 back its production cost but not producing a significant profit.
on video
and 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
on November 14, 2006.
The film is due to be turned into a TV show by a British production company called Gianni Oconnor Television in 2009
awarded the film three stars in his Chicago Sun-Times
review, declaring the film "warm" and praising the screenplay's "unforced, genuine affection for its characters." IGN.com
gave the film a 4/5 rating, naming Robinson's directorial debut "masterful." Metacritic
, a normalized
film rating website, provided the film a 63/100 score. At the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes
, the film averaged a 63% approval rate as seen in the Cream of the Crop section of the website. Ruthe Stein from the San Francisco Chronicle
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 Yahoo! Movies
, based on 13 reviews the film has averaged a B- by the critics standards.
All reviews of the picture weren't so enthusiastic, however. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly
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
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
, Bob Longino provided a negative review of the movie, pointing it out as "boring, uninteresting, and slow". However, Longino did say that stars T.I. and Big Boi
's performances improved as the film progressed, and that there were a few laugh-out-loud comedic moments in the film.
|-
! colspan="3" style="background:#DAA520;" | BET Hip Hop Award
|-
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
drama film, and the feature film directorial debut of music video director Chris Robinson
Chris Robinson (director)
Chris Robinson is an American film director working mostly with music videos and commercials. He has directed commercials for brands such as iPod, Coca Cola and Verizon and music videos for songs like "Fallin'" and "You Don't Know My Name" by Alicia Keys, "Roc Boys" by Jay-Z, the grammy nominated...
. The screenplay was written by Tina Gordon Chism from an original story by Antwone Fisher
Antwone Fisher
Antwone Quenton Fisher is an American director, screenwriter, author and film producer. His 2001 autobiographical book Finding Fish is a New York Times Best Seller...
, and is loosely based on the experiences of the film's producers Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...
and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins
Tionne Watkins
Tionne Tenese Watkins better known by her stage name T-Boz, is a four-time Grammy Award–winning American singer, actress, author, and executive producer who rose to fame as the lead singer and one-third of the R&B/hip-hop girl group TLC.-Early life:Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins was born in Des Moines,...
(of the R&B group TLC
TLC (band)
TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
) growing up in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. The film is a coming-of-age
Coming of age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition. It can be a simple legal convention or can be part of a ritual, as practiced by many societies...
tale concerning Rashad, played by rap artist T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
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, aka Big Boi
Big Boi
Antwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer and actor, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo OutKast alongside André 3000. His work in the duo has produced six studio albums. During the duo's hiatus, he and André...
of the rap group OutKast
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
, Evan Ross
Evan Ross
Evan Olav Næss is an American actor and musician. He is the son of entertainer Diana Ross. He is the brother of actresses Rhonda Ross Kendrick and Tracee Ellis Ross, and of singer Leona Naess. He began acting in the late 2000s, appearing in the films ATL and Pride...
, Jackie Long
Jackie Long
Jackie Long is an American actor, writer, producer, singer, director, comedian, and musician from Pasadena, California...
, Lauren London
Lauren London
Lauren Nicole London is an American film and television actress, model, and occasional music video actress. Beginning her career in music videos and later transitioning into film and television, London earned recognition for her performances in the film ATL as well as the television shows 90210...
, and Mykelti Williamson
Mykelti Williamson
Michael T. "Mykelti" Williamson is an American actor best known for his role as Benjamin Buford Blue in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, as Detective Bobby "Fearless" Smith in the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful crime drama Boomtown, and recently for appearing as the head of CTU for...
.
ATL was the first feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
produced by its director and the majority of its cast. Filming took place during the summer over a forty-five day schedule in Atlanta. As the film was produced in Atlanta, director Chris Robinson was able to get many celebrities from the city to make cameo appearances, including Jazze Pha
Jazze Pha
Phalon Anton Alexander , also known as Jazze Pha , is an American singer, and songwriter.raised in Memphis, TN; son of James Alexander ....
, Killer Mike
Killer Mike
Michael Render , better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, signed to Grind Time Official through the SMC/Fontana Distribution...
, and Monica
Monica (singer)
Monica Denise Brown , and professionally known as Monica, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, Monica began performing as a child and became part of a traveling gospel choir, by the time she was ten...
. ATL opened on March 31, 2006, and on its opening weekend the film grossed a total of $11,554,404, ranking third in the U.S. box office. It eventually went on to gross approximately $21 million, replenishing the film's $20 million budget. ATL received generally favorable reviews from critics, and was nominated for numerous awards.
Plot
Rashad (T.I.T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
) is a teen living in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
with his Uncle, George (Mykelti Williamson
Mykelti Williamson
Michael T. "Mykelti" Williamson is an American actor best known for his role as Benjamin Buford Blue in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, as Detective Bobby "Fearless" Smith in the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful crime drama Boomtown, and recently for appearing as the head of CTU for...
) and his little brother Ant (Evan Ross
Evan Ross
Evan Olav Næss is an American actor and musician. He is the son of entertainer Diana Ross. He is the brother of actresses Rhonda Ross Kendrick and Tracee Ellis Ross, and of singer Leona Naess. He began acting in the late 2000s, appearing in the films ATL and Pride...
). He and his brother were raised by their uncle 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 year of high school, Rashad spends most of his time with his friends Brooklyn (Albert Daniels
Albert Daniels
Albert Daniels , also known as Albe Back, often stylized ALBe. Back, is an actor, artist, producer, poet, and rapper.- Early life :...
), Teddy (Jason Weaver
Jason Weaver
Jason Michael Weaver also known by his stage name J-Weav, is an American actor and singer. He is perhaps best known for his television roles as a pre-teenage Michael Jackson in the Emmy Award-winning 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream, and as the older brother Marcus Henderson on the...
), and Esquire (Jackie Long
Jackie Long
Jackie Long is an American actor, writer, producer, singer, director, comedian, and musician from Pasadena, California...
). 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
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
on the opposite side of town from where they live, and is trying to attend an Ivy League college
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
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, known as "The Ones", on Sunday nights at Cascade, a skating rink where local teens hang out. While there, Rashad catches the eye of New-New (Lauren London
Lauren London
Lauren Nicole London is an American film and television actress, model, and occasional music video actress. Beginning her career in music videos and later transitioning into film and television, London earned recognition for her performances in the film ATL as well as the television shows 90210...
), a round-the-way girl with a mysterious background, since he only sees her around when she is hanging out with her friends Veda (Khadijah Haqq
Khadijah Haqq
Khadijah Haqq is an American actress who is best known for playing alongside her twin sister Malika Haqq in numerous movies....
) and Star (Malika Haqq
Malika Haqq
Malika Haqq is an American actress and television personality who is best known for her role as Penny in the 2005 film Sky High. She acted in the movie with her twin sister Khadijah Haqq. She was also in the movie ATL....
). The two become attracted to one another and they later kiss when he gives her a ride home; in contrast, Esquire instantly develops a disliking for Rashad's new love interest, considering her bad company. Meanwhile, no longer under Rashad's watchful eyes, Ant becomes involved with a drug dealer named Marcus (Patton
Big Boi
Antwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer and actor, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo OutKast alongside André 3000. His work in the duo has produced six studio albums. During the duo's hiatus, he and André...
) and begins to sell for him. He also starts dating a girl named Tondie (April Clark), who takes a liking to him only after he began to make money through drug dealing.
At work one day, Esquire meets John Garnett (Keith David
Keith David
Keith David Williams , better known as Keith David, is an American film, television, voice actor, and singer. He is perhaps most known for his live-action roles in such films as Crash, There's Something About Mary, Barbershop and Men at Work...
), a millionaire who heads a successful business venture called the United Express. The two quickly become friends, with Garnett's admiration for Esquire's ambition and Esquire's respect for Garnett's success driving the relationship. Esquire sees an opportunity to obtain the letter of recommendation that would bring about his acceptance to his primary college choice. When Esquire goes to Garnett's house to pick up the letter, he meets his daughter Erin, who, to his surprise, turns out to be New-New, who's real name is Erin. Erin says that she will reveal where Esquire is really from (something he lied to her father about) if he tells Rashad about her.
Things soon begin to fall apart for Rashad; Ant is arrested for selling weed, and later 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 and his background. He, Brooklyn, and Teddy attempt to make peace with Rashad and ask him to attend Skate Wars, Cascade's annual skate competition, with them; Rashad, however, refuses their offer. Just as he decides that he will go, after being persuaded by his uncle, he finds out that Marcus is looking for Ant on the streets, searching for cash that Ant owes to him. Rashad tracks the two down and throws the money that Ant owes Marcus, in his face. Marcus then holds Rashad at gunpoint and makes a rude comment. Rashad knocks the gun out of Marcus's hand, it goes off, and they fight briefly until Rashad gets up to leave. Rashad tells Ant to get into the car while Marcus grabs his gun and shoots Ant (later revealed)in the chest. At the hospital, Rashad and Ant are able to reconnect; likewise, Erin, Esquire, and Rashad make peace, as the scene ends with the poem "Love's Deceit" by rapper Big Rube
Big Rube
Big Rube is an American rapper and hip-hop producer. He is a first generation member of the Dungeon Family & Society of Soul. He is known for his spoken word intros and interludes for many of the Dungeon Family’s albums including Bubba Sparxxx, Goodie Mob, OutKast, & Witchdoctor...
playing.
In the film's final scene, Teddy opens his own business concerning the production of gold teeth, Brooklyn finds a job at a Krystal
Krystal (restaurant)
Krystal is an American fast food restaurant chain known for their small, square hamburger sliders with steamed-in onions and 24/7 business hours. Krystal is often described as the Southern equivalent of the Midwest American hamburger chain White Castle...
restaurant, while Esquire receives a mysterious letter of recommendation (presumably from Garnett) and is able to attend his college. The twins Veda and Star remain in the old neighborhood and hang out at Cascade on Sundays, while Erin goes to Spelman College
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
, the school she wanted to attend. Ant changes direction, discarding the notion of drug dealing, finds a new girlfriend and begins to focus on his studies in school. Rashad, lastly, becomes a comic artist for the Sunday edition of the Atlanta Evening Standard, the city's newspaper. The film ends with Rashad leaving his skates in Cascades, and the building's lights go off.
Cast
- T.I.T.I.Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
as Rashad, the protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
and narrator of the story. 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 [feel] somewhat obligated." - Evan RossEvan RossEvan Olav Næss is an American actor and musician. He is the son of entertainer Diana Ross. He is the brother of actresses Rhonda Ross Kendrick and Tracee Ellis Ross, and of singer Leona Naess. He began acting in the late 2000s, appearing in the films ATL and Pride...
as Ant, the film's second protagonist and 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 LondonLauren LondonLauren Nicole London is an American film and television actress, model, and occasional music video actress. Beginning her career in music videos and later transitioning into film and television, London earned recognition for her performances in the film ATL as well as the television shows 90210...
as New New/Erin Garnett, Rashad's love interest and John Garnett's daughter. The character of New-New was loosely based on R&B group TLCTLC (band)TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...
's "T-BozTionne WatkinsTionne Tenese Watkins better known by her stage name T-Boz, is a four-time Grammy Award–winning American singer, actress, author, and executive producer who rose to fame as the lead singer and one-third of the R&B/hip-hop girl group TLC.-Early life:Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins was born in Des Moines,...
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 LongJackie LongJackie Long is an American actor, writer, producer, singer, director, comedian, and musician from Pasadena, California...
as Benjamin "Esquire" Gordon, a close friend of Rashad's. 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. - Albert DanielsAlbert DanielsAlbert Daniels , also known as Albe Back, often stylized ALBe. Back, is an actor, artist, producer, poet, and rapper.- Early life :...
as Brooklyn, a New York transplant and one of Rashad's closest 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. - Jason WeaverJason WeaverJason Michael Weaver also known by his stage name J-Weav, is an American actor and singer. He is perhaps best known for his television roles as a pre-teenage Michael Jackson in the Emmy Award-winning 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream, and as the older brother Marcus Henderson on the...
as Teddy, a close friend of Rashad's. Weaver impressed producer Austin in his previous film DrumlineDrumline (film)Drumline is a 2002 American film directed by Charles Stone III. The screenplay, which was inspired by The Southwest Dekalb High School Drumline , was written by Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps...
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. - Antwan "Big Boi" PattonBig BoiAntwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer and actor, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo OutKast alongside André 3000. His work in the duo has produced six studio albums. During the duo's hiatus, he and André...
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." - Nicholas Sheriff as Zero the leader of the gang D-Boys. Nick is a great actor and a pleasure to work with. As said by director Robinson in reference to Nick's performance, "he wasn't the normal type of gang member. He put so much charisma and attitude behind it.
- Keith DavidKeith DavidKeith David Williams , better known as Keith David, is an American film, television, voice actor, and singer. He is perhaps most known for his live-action roles in such films as Crash, There's Something About Mary, Barbershop and Men at Work...
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 WilliamsonMykelti WilliamsonMichael T. "Mykelti" Williamson is an American actor best known for his role as Benjamin Buford Blue in the 1994 film Forrest Gump, as Detective Bobby "Fearless" Smith in the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful crime drama Boomtown, and recently for appearing as the head of CTU for...
as Uncle George, 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 HaqqKhadijah HaqqKhadijah Haqq is an American actress who is best known for playing alongside her twin sister Malika Haqq in numerous movies....
as Veda, New New's friend and Star's twin sister. - Malika HaqqMalika HaqqMalika Haqq is an American actress and television personality who is best known for her role as Penny in the 2005 film Sky High. She acted in the movie with her twin sister Khadijah Haqq. She was also in the movie ATL....
as Star, New New's friend and Veda's twin sister. - Lonette McKeeLonette McKeeLonette McKee is an American film and television actress, music composer/producer/songwriter, screenwriter and director.-Biography:...
as Priscilla Garnett, Erin's mother and John Garnett's wife. - Markice Moore as Austin, Ant's friend and Marcus' cousin.
- La'Shontae Heckerd as Tonya, Rashad's ex-girlfriend.
- Tasha SmithTasha SmithTasha Smith is an American actress. She has appeared in numerous movies and plays.-Career:Smith is known for her role in Daddy's Little Girls, a Tyler Perry-directed movie, where she played the villain Jennifer...
as Gayle, Veda and Star's mother. - Monique "Whyte Chocolate" Harris-Ford as Sexy Pizza Customer.
- Buffie "Buffie the Body" Carruth as Big Booty Judy.
- Monica as Waffle HouseWaffle HouseWaffle House is a restaurant chain with over 1600 locations found in 25 states in the United States. Most of the locations are in the Southern United States, where the chain remains a regional cultural icon...
Waitress.
Soundtrack
The music for ATL was to be released as a soundtrack but they recorded so much music it became T.I.'s 4th studio album KingKing (T.I. album)
King is the fourth studio album by American rapper T.I., released on March 28, 2006 through Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album only took a year in a half to record towards late-2005, T.I. stated in an interview with MTV News...
. It features such singles as What You Know
What You Know
"What You Know" is a Grammy Award-winning multi platinum hip-hop song by the Southern hip-hop artist T.I., and the first official single from his 2006 album King. The song also serves as the theme song to the 2006 film ATL in which T.I. stars. The song peaked at number three in the US and was...
, Top Back
Top Back
"Top Back" is the fifth and final single by hip-hop artist T.I., from his album King. It was produced by Mannie Fresh and released as a single in a remixed version from the album Grand Hustle Presents: In Da Streetz Volume 4. "Top Back" was already getting radio play in its original version...
, Why You Wanna
Why You Wanna
"Why You Wanna" is the second official single from American rapper T.I. from his fourth album King. It was released in 2006. It samples a slowed down keyboard chord from Crystal Waters' "Gypsy Woman ". The chorus also interpolates Q-Tip's vocals from Got 'Til It's Gone with Janet Jackson and Find a...
and Aaliyah
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
's At Your Best (You Are Love).
Production
| “What I really love about this script is that it’s a character piece. It’s a story about five real kids who each have a different dream. I wanted to make a film where you really care about the characters and the story." |
| — Chris Robinson |
ATLs story is loosely based on material by producers Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin
Dallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...
and Tionne Watkins
Tionne Watkins
Tionne Tenese Watkins better known by her stage name T-Boz, is a four-time Grammy Award–winning American singer, actress, author, and executive producer who rose to fame as the lead singer and one-third of the R&B/hip-hop girl group TLC.-Early life:Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins was born in Des Moines,...
, who set out to describe their experiences growing up on the south side of Atlanta in the early '90s. Watkins and producer Jody Gerson approached James Lassiter
James Lassiter
James Lassiter is an American film producer. He is actor Will Smith's long-time business partner.-Career:Lassiter attended University of Miami and Temple University and befriended Jeffrey "Jazzy Jeff" Townes, who was in a rap duo with then-musician Will Smith. Lassiter met Smith through Townes,...
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
Music video director
A music video director is driven by a given music track. These are called music videos and are then used as promotional tools for popular music singles...
, was contacted with an offer to direct Austin and Watkins' visualization, and took on his first feature with ATL. The films 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 and soak up the vibe and energy of the unique city.
Open auditions were held in Atlanta, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, and New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
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."
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 London
Lauren Nicole London is an American film and television actress, model, and occasional music video actress. Beginning her career in music videos and later transitioning into film and television, London earned recognition for her performances in the film ATL as well as the television shows 90210...
and the twins, Malika and Khadijah, adapted very quickly," said Newton. "The guys came along a little slower. Al Be, Jason
Jason Weaver
Jason Michael Weaver also known by his stage name J-Weav, is an American actor and singer. He is perhaps best known for his television roles as a pre-teenage Michael Jackson in the Emmy Award-winning 1992 miniseries The Jacksons: An American Dream, and as the older brother Marcus Henderson on the...
and Jackie Long
Jackie Long
Jackie Long is an American actor, writer, producer, singer, director, comedian, and musician from Pasadena, California...
developed very fast. T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
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
Jazze Pha
Phalon Anton Alexander , also known as Jazze Pha , is an American singer, and songwriter.raised in Memphis, TN; son of James Alexander ....
played the skating rink's DJ; Rico Wade
Organized Noize
Organized Noize is an Atlanta-based American hip hop production company made up of Rico Wade, Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown.-History:Among the hit records they have worked on include TLC's "Waterfalls", En Vogue's "Don't Let Go ", and Ludacris' "Saturday "...
, a part of the Atlanta-based production team Organized Noize
Organized Noize
Organized Noize is an Atlanta-based American hip hop production company made up of Rico Wade, Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown.-History:Among the hit records they have worked on include TLC's "Waterfalls", En Vogue's "Don't Let Go ", and Ludacris' "Saturday "...
, who also frequented Jellybeans in the early '90s, made an appearance as well. R&B singer Monica
Monica (singer)
Monica Denise Brown , and professionally known as Monica, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, Monica began performing as a child and became part of a traveling gospel choir, by the time she was ten...
, a protégé of producer Austin's, also plays a Waffle House
Waffle House
Waffle House is a restaurant chain with over 1600 locations found in 25 states in the United States. Most of the locations are in the Southern United States, where the chain remains a regional cultural icon...
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
Killer Mike
Michael Render , better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, signed to Grind Time Official through the SMC/Fontana Distribution...
.
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
Drumline (film)
Drumline is a 2002 American film directed by Charles Stone III. The screenplay, which was inspired by The Southwest Dekalb High School Drumline , was written by Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps...
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
Singin' in the Rain
Singin' in the Rain is a 1952 American comedy musical film starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds and directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly also providing the choreography...
on the screen... without the kids breaking into song. I'm determined to show Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
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 designerProduction designer
In film and television, a production designer is the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. Production designers have one of the key creative roles in the creation of motion pictures and television. Working directly with the...
, 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 [the rink] through 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
Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 drama film directed by John Badham and starring: John Travolta as Tony Manero, an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque; Karen Lynn Gorney as his dance partner and eventual friend; and Donna Pescow as Tony's former dance...
-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.”
Box office
ATL debuted on March 31, 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 MeltdownIce Age: The Meltdown
Ice Age: The Meltdown, also known as Ice Age 2: The Meltdown or simply as Ice Age 2, is the 2006 sequel to the 2002 computer-animated film Ice Age. It was produced by Blue Sky Studios for 20th Century Fox, and premiered in Belgium on March 1, 2006...
at one and Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
's Inside Man
Inside Man
Inside Man is a 2006 crime-drama film directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Willem Dafoe and Jodie Foster. The film's screenplay was written by Russell Gewirtz and produced by Brian Grazer...
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 be 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 back its production cost but not producing a significant profit.
Home video
The film was released in the U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on video
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
July 18, 2006. DVD features include a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, star T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
's music video for his single "What You Know
What You Know
"What You Know" is a Grammy Award-winning multi platinum hip-hop song by the Southern hip-hop artist T.I., and the first official single from his 2006 album King. The song also serves as the theme song to the 2006 film ATL in which T.I. stars. The song peaked at number three in the US and was...
," and the film's theatrical trailer. The film was also released on Blu-ray
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
on November 14, 2006.
The film is due to be turned into a TV show by a British production company called Gianni Oconnor Television in 2009
Critical response
At Allmovie 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 EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
awarded the film three stars in his Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
review, declaring the film "warm" and praising the screenplay's "unforced, genuine affection for its characters." IGN.com
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the film a 4/5 rating, naming Robinson's directorial debut "masterful." Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, a normalized
Normalization (statistics)
In one usage in statistics, normalization is the process of isolating statistical error in repeated measured data. A normalization is sometimes based on a property...
film rating website, provided the film a 63/100 score. At the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the film averaged a 63% approval rate as seen in the Cream of the Crop section of the website. Ruthe Stein from the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
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.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
in particular. At Yahoo! Movies
Yahoo! Movies
Yahoo! Movies , provided by the Yahoo! network, is home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Yahoo! Movies also includes red carpet photos, actor galleries, and production...
, based on 13 reviews the film has averaged a B- by the critics standards.
All reviews of the picture weren't so enthusiastic, however. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
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
Neil Genzlinger
Neil Genzlinger is an American playwright, editor, book reviewer, and theatre and television critic. He frequently writes for The New York Times, where he is a copy editor....
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
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
Chris Robinson (director)
Chris Robinson is an American film director working mostly with music videos and commercials. He has directed commercials for brands such as iPod, Coca Cola and Verizon and music videos for songs like "Fallin'" and "You Don't Know My Name" by Alicia Keys, "Roc Boys" by Jay-Z, the grammy nominated...
'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
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and its suburbs. The AJC, as it is called, is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the result of the merger between The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta...
, Bob Longino provided a negative review of the movie, pointing it out as "boring, uninteresting, and slow". However, Longino did say that stars T.I. and Big Boi
Big Boi
Antwan André Patton , better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer and actor, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo OutKast alongside André 3000. His work in the duo has produced six studio albums. During the duo's hiatus, he and André...
's performances improved as the film progressed, and that there were a few laugh-out-loud comedic moments in the film.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | BET Hip Hop Awards BET Hip Hop Awards The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and music video directors. The awards ceremony began in 2006, was held on November 12, 2006 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, was first aired November 15 and was hosted by comedian Katt... |
Best Hip Hop Movie | Chris Robinson Chris Robinson (director) Chris Robinson is an American film director working mostly with music videos and commercials. He has directed commercials for brands such as iPod, Coca Cola and Verizon and music videos for songs like "Fallin'" and "You Don't Know My Name" by Alicia Keys, "Roc Boys" by Jay-Z, the grammy nominated... |
Won |
| Black Movie Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Directing | Chris Robinson | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Screenwriting | Tina Gordon Chism | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Motion Picture | Dallas Austin Dallas Austin Dallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim... , Jody Gerson, James Lassiter James Lassiter James Lassiter is an American film producer. He is actor Will Smith's long-time business partner.-Career:Lassiter attended University of Miami and Temple University and befriended Jeffrey "Jazzy Jeff" Townes, who was in a rap duo with then-musician Will Smith. Lassiter met Smith through Townes,... , Will Smith Will Smith Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood... , Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins Tionne Watkins Tionne Tenese Watkins better known by her stage name T-Boz, is a four-time Grammy Award–winning American singer, actress, author, and executive producer who rose to fame as the lead singer and one-third of the R&B/hip-hop girl group TLC.-Early life:Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins was born in Des Moines,... |
Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role | Lauren London Lauren London Lauren Nicole London is an American film and television actress, model, and occasional music video actress. Beginning her career in music videos and later transitioning into film and television, London earned recognition for her performances in the film ATL as well as the television shows 90210... |
Nominated | ||
| 2007 | Black Reel Awards Black Reel Awards The Black Reel Awards began in 2000 and were designed to annually recognize and celebrate the achievements of black people in feature, independent and television films... |
Best Director | Chris Robinson | Nominated |
| Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted | Tina Gordon Chism | Nominated | ||
| NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Directing in a Feature Film/Television Movie (Comedy or Drama) | Chris Robinson | Nominated |
External links
|-
! colspan="3" style="background:#DAA520;" | BET Hip Hop Award
BET Hip Hop Awards
The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and music video directors. The awards ceremony began in 2006, was held on November 12, 2006 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, was first aired November 15 and was hosted by comedian Katt...
|-