The transition from the music world to film has seemed less than difficult for most rappers and hip-hop artists. Ice Cube, Usher and Bow Wow have a number of (mostly unimpressive) movies to their credit, and even 50 Cent has tried his hand at cinematic storytelling. Now rapper T.I. (born Clifford Harris, Jr.) can add his name to the list of musicians with chart-topping songs and unremarkable film credits with the release of his urban drama "ATL."
"ATL" is the story of two brothers encountering obstacles in every realm of life as they attempt to grow up in Mechanicsville, Georgia. The film follows the siblings as they attend school, hang out at the local roller skating rink and participate in the never-ending quest for girls and money. Simultaneously embracing and struggling with their urban lifestyle, each becomes entangled by vices that threaten to disrupt the rhythm of their tame lives. Despite the fact that the film was shot in Atlanta, the brothers' story lacks a sense of authenticity that the city deserves.
Rashad (T.I.) plays the role of eldest brother, parent and best friend to his younger sibling, and is thus the source of stability within the family. Though he and his brother live with their uncle, a humorously stingy (he writes his name on box of cereal and restricts the boys to a one-bowl serving) and strict janitor, Rashad is clearly the provider in their lives, encouraging his brother to do well in school and saving his janitorial earnings to help his brother achieve greater dreams. He is at home in the city of Atlanta (or, as locals call it, the ATL) and recognizes the area as his own, both a part of his identity and the origin of the problems he faces.
Rashad's escape from reality comes in the form of roller-skating with his friends at Cascade, the local rink. It is here that he spends his Sunday nights with his buddies, including Ivy League shoe-in Esquire (played humbly by Jackie Long), whose friendship with Rashad is put to the test by New-New (Lauren London), a young beauty harboring a huge secret with connections to Esquire's future.
Similar to a community's basketball court or sandlot, Cascade is a place where reputations are made and destroyed, where respect is directly related to skill. Roller rinks have been popularized in urban culture, most noticeably in the forgettable "Roll Bounce," and are the stomping grounds of this film's young society. The potency of the environment is palpable, not only through the need to solidify a group identity, but by the self-consciousness the rink fosters. The rink at times fosters competition among the skating teams, but is an untouchable entity in itself --- each group is good enough to perform within, but none are great enough to claim Cascade as their territory.
To compliment Rashad's maturity and focus there is his younger brother Ant (Evan Ross) who reads like a manual on troublemaking. Headstrong, curious and anxious to prove himself a man, he admires his brother yet is more enticed by quick money than an education or manual labor. He quickly discovers the merits and hardships of becoming involved with drugs, and finds himself deeply indebted to the local dealer (OutKast's Big Boi). Ant quickly learns there is more to the "man's game" than he thought.
Both Ross and Harris emote the difficulty of growing up without a steady hand to guide their paths. The problem with the film is that nothing about their life and struggle is particularly unique or intriguing. The movie's website introduces the film as "A New American Story," when, in fact, little about the film is new. The same old formula was clearly in action on the storyboards. One character is the solid grounded leader, the second faces a major moral dilemma and the third gets in over his head with some questionable activity. Secrets are too abundant and predictable. Taking plot points from the more-successful urban dramas of the '90s, "ATL" is the same old story, and its one unique factor, its setting in the city of Atlanta, is played for minimal impact.
Unfortunately, Atlanta seems like a smudged background in the picture the film attempts to paint. The city's culture of young fabulousness -- i.e. rims, grills, designer purses and designer hair -- comes across as unnecessary and wasteful, but then again, the backdrop might have been any and every urban society, from Detroit to New York City to Washington, D.C. Simply stated, there is more to Atlanta than what is advertised here. Sadly, the most interesting sequence in the film is the title sequence. In these shots you see various clips of life in Atlanta; people going about their everyday business, sitting on porches, walking past the barber shop or simply congregating.
Given the movie's title, it is a shame that "ATL" focuses more on trying to be a gritty urban drama than on showing the vibrancy that exists in Atlanta. The story uses Atlanta like a prop, rather than as a stage for a genuinely new kind of American drama.
