I have now around 100 segments on AA over the last couple years and have not noticed the infamous surly AA service at all. My experiences have all been great.
My 300 segments before AA and AS were all on WN, which is a different experience in terms of service. It's like if Cracker Barrel were an airline-- everyone's Minnesota Nice all the time, they're overly folksy and friendly, always chatting up you and your brood flying to MCO, lame dad jokes over the PA, etc. Detest the faux LUV culture. They smile in your face while giving you absolutely nothing and treating you like crap.
AA is just efficient, not folksy, and some Americans who are used to a more down-home approach to service take that at cold and unfriendly. I would way rather do the AA way, which filters all the way down to the ramp agents. WN departures were shut the door, fool around, shut the cabin door, fool around, push, park in penalty box to fool around, then maybe taxi for take off. AA is d0, shut the door, shut the cabin, lurch from blocks off, then push back. I still can't believe it after getting used to WN-- wait, were pushing back already?!
I'd way rather have efficiency and an actual hard product on the ground than fake friendliness and whimsy any day.