Empire Records (1995)

An underrated fim - should have been more than just a cult classic
Empire Records is directed by Allan Moyle and stars Renee Zellweger, Liv Tyler, Anthony La Paglia, Ethan Embry, Rory Cochrane, and Robin Tunney, Maxwell Caulfield, Brendan Sexton, and Ben Bode.

The film follows a day in the life of the employees at an independent record store. However, not all is well. Music Town, a heartless, profit-obsessed corporation is trying to take over, and the store owner (Bode) wants nothing more than to get out of the record business. This is much to the dismay of the store's staff, who dreads becoming a part of the corporation. As if this situation weren't bad enough, the store is having a guest appearance from an arrogant, rude musician the staff couldn't care less about (Caulfield.) And on top of all this is the day-to-day drama between the employees. It's all in a day's work for these record store employees.

This is, sadly, one of those films that never got off the ground and became a big hit. A real shame, because it's a quality film. There are a lot of characters in the film, but fortunately Moyle makes them all interesting. The storyline is simple and to the point, but it works. This is the finest "record store" film out there.

Rory Cochrane is great as Lucas, the smart, silent member of the Empire Records team. It's he who first discovers the potential Music Town takeover, and who makes the brave but foolhardy decision to gamble away the stores wages in Vegas - with hopes of winning enough money to stop the takeover.

Anthony LaPaglia plays Joe, the manager and "father figure" to the Empire crew, and his performance here is a good one. He's the easygoing type, yet clearly his staff respects him. Honestly, if I worked in a record store again, this is the kind of guy I'd want running it.

The other performance that deserves a mention is Maxwell Caulfield as the loathsome musician Rex Manning. Self-centered, snobbish, and a total jerk, Caulfield beautifully plays the part - and makes you hate this character, just as Moyle most likely intended.

The rest of the cast give solid performances. Liv Tyler plays the store's innocent, confused girl, and Renee Zellweger plays the resident easy girl. Future Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire even has a very brief appearance!

Praise must be given to the film's musical selection as well. From heavy metal to melodic pop, there's a little bit of everything playing in Empire. Who would have thought you'd ever hear music by Gwar and by the Gin Blossoms in the same movie? And above all, who would have thought this diverse mix of music would work?

If I have one complaint with Empire, it would have to be something that no record store experience, real or fictionalized, is without - customers. There are VERY FEW customer interaction scenes in the film, and the few that are, well, they're largely uninteresting. It seems like the staff spend at least half the day in the back room chilling out! Moyle really should have watched the Kevin Smith film Clerks; it would have given him inspiration for some great customer footage.

Empire Records is a cult classic and I wish it had been more than that. This isn't the kind of film that's award-worthy or an absolute masterpiece. It is what it is - A simple, to-the-point comedy with a simple storyline that works. And characters you won't forget. If you want a teen comedy with substance and without the gross-out stuff that plagues so many of them these days, you've found your film.

Thumbs up.

One of the best movies!
I love this movie. It makes me feel young. Damn the man!

One of the best movies!
I love this movie. It makes me feel young. Damn the man!