ATL (HD DVD)

To say there is nothing particularly special about ATL is almost an understatement and this is the exact reason I didn't go see it in theaters. Despite the fact that it is well made and acted, considering its virgin cast and director, the film just has that feel of "seen it all before."

ATL is quite simply the story of life in Atlanta as it follows a group of friends on their way to high school graduation. Star and narrator of the flick is rapper Tip "T.I." Harris as Rashad Swann. Rashad and his little brother Antwone "Ant" Swann (Evan Ross) lost their parents to a car accident and now live with their Uncle George (Mykelti Williamson), a living situation that pretty much has them fending for themselves with Rashad playing father to young Antwone. This detail actually presents the only true obstacle of the film, or I should say the only obstacle that leads to any kind of real trouble.

ATL is a coming-of-age story and a typical one at that, remember in Boyz n the Hood when Morris Chestnut's character was the only one with something going for him? Well we got a guy like that here by the name of Esquire (Jackie Long), while the others see a life of janitorial work in their future Esquire has his eyes on a much larger prize as he has just been accepted to an Ivy League school. He now needs a letter of recommendation from the right person, a task of finding the person turns out to be easier than expected, but getting the letter turns out to be a bit trickier. Call this bit the other obstacle.

Our other players are Brooklyn (Albert Daniels) and Teddy (Jason Weaver). As with Rashad, Ant and Esquire these two are just as equally likeable. Brooklyn is a poet and Teddy's aspirations lie in ornamental teeth. Need a gold grill? Call up Teddy.

While ATL may be your typical coming-of-age story of a young black group of kids it doesn't rely on the three cliché storylines that usually plague such films, that being drugs, violence and sex. While there is a small piece of the story that centers on drugs it is by no means the central focus of the film. This is both good and bad considering the film seems to meander along from the Cascade roller rink, to the Waffle House, to the pool and to the boys’ homes. This gets boring and is ultimately pointless, it is too bad, but a little violence might have amped up the production.

The film almost plays more like a documentary, but I guess since it is based loosely on the lives of producers Dallas Austin and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins (lead singer of TLC) that makes sense, but it doesn't make sense in the way of actual entertainment.

Outside of the film there are a minimal amount of special features, which is not a problem considering this isn't the type of film that really needs a bevy of making-of featurettes. That said, it does have one making-of feature, a group of deleted scenes and a music video for T.I.'s "What You Know".

This being the HD DVD version I should say that it, of course, looks spectacular but this isn't exactly one of those movies that necessarily needs a high-def transfer and the standard DVD version on the flip side of this disc actually looks damned good. Considering the lack of special features and the 107 minute running time this isn't especially surprisingly given the lack of compression needed. However, as with all HD DVDs regardless, the HD version does look better as it provides less blurry edges and more pronounced features, but you already knew that.

Overall, ATL is a rental for those of you looking for an uplifting story. It's about a group of five kids making their way through life in Atlanta and nothing more. It's about relationships, friendships and loyalty and while the message is a good one it just doesn't lend itself to high level entertainment.