Empire Records (1995)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Allan Moyle

Writer (WGA):

Carol Heikkinen (written by)

Release Date:

20 October 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Open 'til Midnight.

Plot:

The employees of an independent music store learn about each other as they try anything to stop the store being absorbed by a large chain.

Plot Keywords:

Music Store | Bald Girl | Craps | Head Shaving | Generation X

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Anthony LaPaglia	...	Joe Reaves
Maxwell Caulfield	...	Rex Manning
Debi Mazar	...	Jane
Rory Cochrane	...	Lucas
Johnny Whitworth	...	A.J.
Robin Tunney	...	Debra
Renée Zellweger	...	Gina (as Renee Zellweger)
Ethan Embry	...	Mark (as Ethan Randall)
Coyote Shivers	...	Berko
Brendan Sexton III	...	Warren (as Brendan Sexton)
Liv Tyler	...	Corey Mason
James 'Kimo' Wills	...	Eddie
Ben Bode	...	Mitchell Beck
Gary Bolen	...	Croupier
Kimber Sissons	...	Woman at Craps Table (as Kimber Monroe)

Also Known As:

Empire
Rock & Fun

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual situations, language and a drug issue.

Runtime:

90 min | USA:107 min (special extended edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Canada:14A | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Monarchy Enterprises B.V.

Trivia:

When Lucas uncovers the plans for "Music Town" he says "in the immortal words of The Doors, "the time to hesitate is through'". This is from their song "Light My Fire".

Goofs:

Continuity: Eddie's shirt unbuttons itself momentarily.

Quotes:

Eddie: Can I ask you something? Do you know where Harvard is?
A.J.: It's near Boston.
Eddie: No I mean, do you really know where Harvard is? It's another planet man- another universe. Totally unlike the one we know. Filled with big blond guys who eat ivy and row boats. What I'm trying to say is, you and Corey just aren't made for each other. She's different from you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The School of Rock (2003)

Soundtrack:

Plowed

a good teen movie that shows how bad today's teen movies have gotten

with the recent release of the special edition dvd of this film, i'd suggest you go watch it. yeah, this movie is a light, fluffy gen-x teen movie with its music video moments. however, what was eight years ago just a normal teen movie has gained some semblance of social relevance -- compared to today's teen movies, this film can be seen as some sort of masterpiece.

for one thing, you never see films anymore where teens are actually fighting for something except for a date to the prom. the characters in empire records, yes, are submerged in their overdramatic romantic escapades, but their main prerogative in the film is to prevent a large corporation from buying out their independent record store. are there films that spark that kind of activist spirit in middle- and high- schoolers today? no. we're going backwards.

also, the humor in this film offers up some absurdist wit, which you never find in teen movies now. a kid glues some quarters to the floor so he can laugh at the poor saps who later try desperately to pick them up. a shoplifting teenager gives the fake name of 'warren beatty'. do kids today even know who warren beatty is? i doubt it.

this film was made in 1995, right before many of the laws allowing corporations to buy and control multiple media outlets were passed. the years since '96 have shown us a homogenization of music and movies, especially in the teen sphere, and it is turning today's teens into a bunch of celebrity-obsessed idiots.

compared to your sons and daughters, the kids in empire records can be now seen as role models.