Our take
American “dramedy” Atlanta is the work of mastermind Donald Glover, who you may already know without knowing – as a stand-up comedian, Troy Barnes from Community, or two-time Grammy nominated rapper Childish Gambino. It’s easy to tell from this list that Glover is a man of many talents. And Atlanta indeed feels like a complete use of his multifarious arsenal, he directs, writes, and plays the lead character.
Earnest “Earn” Marks Earn (Glover) is a 30-something, a highly intelligent, de facto homeless Princeton dropout striving to redeem himself in the eyes of his ex-girlfriend and mother of his baby. He reconnects with his cousin after learning that he is finding fame as the up-and-coming rapper “Paper Boi”.
The show is full of moments of absurdity and hilarious characters (look out for Darius, played by LaKeith Stanfield), but also offers a genuine look at modern life. A fun, sharp and unique show that can digress at any moment.
The story
Two cousins work through the Atlanta music scene in order to better their lives and the lives of their families.
Elsewhere
"The result is a series that is shrewd, emotional, and impolite, with a style that veers toward pretentiousness but never crosses over."
— Emily Nussbaum
"I've been a TV critic for over 20 years, and I've never seen directing and editing in a half-hour series as minimalist, precise, yet full of feeling as what's been achieved here by...Glover and [his] collaborators."
— Matt Zoller Seitz
The details
Who picked it
Bilal Zouheir is the founder of A Good Movie to Watch. He is based in the US and a member of the Nevada Film Critics Society. He grew up in Morocco, where he learned English from watching movies. Bilal's work with A Good Movie to Watch is focused on offering an alternative to streaming algorithms, which are often used as commercial tools by streaming services.
Its a good movie to watch and educative