"ATL" shows off Atlanta's seamier side

By Chhun Sun
The Collegian

There’s a little problem in “ATL.

It’s not the comedy, which is refreshing in a film that deals with issues such as class and drug dealing. It’s not that the film — with a title like “ATL” — has guest appearances from some of Atlanta’s most-known stars, like songstress Monica and super hip-hop producer Jazze Pha.

It’s Tip Harris.

Better known as the rapper T.I., Harris plays Rashad, a graduating high school senior in Atlanta who seems too perfect in “ATL,” which opens Friday. He lost his parents when he was 15 to a car accident, so he feels the responsibility to take his younger brother, Ant, under his wings — even though the brothers live with their uncle, George, a janitor who spends his time-off trying to land girls through a dating service.

It’s all a gimmick, this character named Rashad.

Anyone who has heard T.I.’s music knows that the Atlanta native is cocky, calling himself the King of the South among rap legends like UGK and Scarface. The role is, simply, to earn him brownie points in the hip-hop community, to say, “Hey. I’m more than a rapper. I know my roots. Give me a break.”

At least with movies that star a big rapper in the major role, like “8 Mile” and “Get Rich or Die Tryin’ ” for example, it show flaws in the characters.

But that doesn’t take away from a strong film that shows a unique side of Atlanta, a town that has had a great influence on pop culture in recent years, from music to clothes to slang.

Director Chris Robinson, best known for some of hip-hop’s greatest videos, gives the audience what people have known for years in Atlanta. That means the Cascade, a skating rink where teenagers come together every Sunday night to show off their skating prowess. That also means the trappin’, which is slang for drug dealing.

The film, of course, centers on Rashad.

He has three friends who can’t go a sentence without saying something funny and are looking at life after high school. He has a girlfriend who really isn’t keeping it real, meaning she comes from a wealthy background but likes to spend her time at Cascade behind her millionaire father’s back — and even has a cute “ghetto” name, New New. He works with his uncle, cleaning offices and stores for cash.

Then there’s the little brother, Ant, who doesn’t see things the way Drew does. His excitement for money and spinning rims lead him to local drug lord Marcus (Big Boi of the rap group OutKast), who hires the teen to be one of his dope boys. This is when the film starts to become a bit predictable, where the big brother (Rashad) was always right all along. It makes for a happy ending. And that’s another problem. The ending seems too premature and rushed, like it had to be that way.

In addition, T.I. has released an album to coincide with the film called “King.” That’s another problem.

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