Empire Records

This movie is the best ever about being a teenager in the nineties. Every person under the age of 21 needs to see this film.

This is a films that you can easily watch over and over again and not get sick of. If you are a teenager and havent seen this.. where have you been. Go rent this baby today. This film reminds me of my days working in a certian franchise doing little as possible and slacking off at any time possible. AHHH those where the days..... The acting overall is quite good and along with the pumping soundtrack makes this a joy to watch. GO GET THIS NOW!!!

This is truly a feel good film that I return to again and again. It's true they don't make films like this anymore which is why Empire Records is such a cult film. The story is simple but the chemistry and characters shine brighter.

As one critic bluntly says, in one day everything that can possibly happen to the characters does, and everyone comes out better at the end. Truly this doesn't happen in real life, but in REEL life we call it entertainment. I enjoyed it as a quirky comedy. I probably would not have been so entertained if it didn't have some of my favorite stars, some before they hit it big -- Renee Zellweger, Liv Tyler, Debi Mazar, and Anthony LaPaglia. I was not familiar with Rory Cochrane, but his character Lucas was one of the best here.

So, what's the story? LaPaglia is the manager of this Eastern US record store, Empire Records which has been in business since 1959, the sign tells us. On this fateful day employee Lucas is asked to close the store at midnight, and count all the money, twice. He does, and also observes that plans are in place to sell the business and convert it into a rather dull record store. So, he does what any good employee would do. Instead of putting the $9Thousand in the safe, he gets on his motorcycle and heads to Atlantic City with it! That begins a rather hectic 24 hours, involving all the employees of Empire Records.

Nothing Earth-shaking, just a fun movie to watch.

May 2020 edit: I watched it again and came away with much the same opinions. I found it especially interesting to see Zellweger right before she started her climb with the role in Jerry Maguire a year later. And now she is a fresh Oscar winner, Best Actress as Judy Garland. You can see that she was always exceptional.

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.