ATL is a refreshing American story, although this film is being downplayed by critics.

Built around four young men growing up in a run-down part of Atlanta, the script treats its subjects as real, three-dimensional people. The Black-sploitation humor and jive we have come to expect from movies that feature rappers as actors is all but chucked out the window.

In one scene, the four friends mock popular slang asking each other “Why do you have to call me ?sho-ty’ after every sentence?” and “What’s up with ?Son’?”

The plot of ATL isn’t the most original. Teen angst, cliques and identity crises are well dealt-with subjects. However, the acting, for the most part, is solid, the characters are well developed and the way the film is edited gave it a desirable edge.

Rishad (Harris) is a young man dealing with the hardships brought on by his parents’ deaths. Struggling to finish high school while watching out for his little brother, Rishad and his fellow roller-skaters, the Southside Boys, portray the less glamorous truths about underprivileged youth. When the younger brother turns to dealing drugs for extra money, the director focuses on the lonely and frightening hours he spends on a dark street corner as opposed to the “bling-bling” and “honeys” he might get with the money.

For first time movie director Chris Robinson, ATL was a victory that has the potential to set the stage for his career. He has a background in music videos and it shows in the film. The way the scenes seem to be cut around the music, such as the opening sequence, is tell-tell of someone with music industry roots.

The film is based on a story by Antwone Fisher, who was immortalized by the 2002 biography “Antwone Fisher,” starring Denzel Washington. Fisher’s own story is one of disadvantaged beginnings. It is no wonder that he treats the characters in “ATL” with a seriousness usually lacking in rap star movies.