Empire Records (1995)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  Empire Records is a great comedy. The story is quite simple, yet kit works. This film is fun from start to finish. This is a comedy that stands out, and is still a film worth seeing again and again. The cast do a great joke, and their characters are likeable. Empire Records is one of… More
  Empire Records is a great comedy. The story is quite simple, yet kit works. This film is fun from start to finish. This is a comedy that stands out, and is still a film worth seeing again and again. The cast do a great joke, and their characters are likeable. Empire Records is one of the best Teen comedies that I've seen. There are some very good comedic elements that make this comedy stand out among others in the genre. I felt that this film was underrated, and it didn't deserve all the negative reviews it has received. This is a classic film, one that remains relevant over a decade after its release. The cast is wonderful, and though flawed Empire Records works well enough and is much better than most teen comedy flicks of today. This is a fun film to watch, one that is well crafted and with a cast of talented actors, it really makes this one a stand out film. I thought that this film was very entertaining from start to finish. Empire Records deserves much more praise than it received. This film proves once again that mainstream critics are too quick to judge. This film is good, with gags, a good story and really stands out. If you love a smart teen comedy, Empire Records is the one. There's some stand out moments in this film, though far from the teen comedies of the 80's, Empire Records is still a film worth seeing. Very enjoyable and original, this film is much better than most of teen comedies of today. A much underrated gem, Empire Records is great entertainment despite its flaws.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Damn the Man! Save the Empire!"</i> 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. <center><font size=+2 face="Century… More
  <i>"Damn the Man! Save the Empire!"</i> 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. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> The theme of Empire Records is the struggle of man against the greed of the corporate machine. Empire Records is an independent music store that is very lax with its employees, offers many different genres of music, and in general offers a very artistic environment for its customers. The owners of Empire wish to sell out and make Empire into a chain store. Joe, played by Anthony Lapaglia, is the store manager who takes an employee named Lucas, played by Rory Cochrane, under his wing. Together with the other misfits that work at Empire, they try to figure out a plan to save Empire from turning into a dreaded Music Town while dealing with their own personal problems on one very eventful day at the store. Other important issues that are addressed in this film include depression, Debra (played by Robin Tunney) cuts all of her hair off and tries to slit her wrist, drug addiction, Corey (played by Liv Tyler) is the perfect student who occasionally takes speed to help her stay awake to study, and risky sexual behavior, Gina (played by Renee Zellweger) thinks she will feel better about herself and find love by sleeping around. Two techniques used in this movie to demonstrate the theme were sound and lighting. The soundtrack of the film is very diverse and alternative which can be compared to the environment of Empire Records. Empire is not your typical music store and the music they play there is not always the most well known. The lighting of Empire can be considered dim and a little hazy at times, which compared to the harsh fluorescent lighting found at a chain store, gives Empire Records an even more unique feel.

• J P

  
  I kinda liked it. It's nothing more than a guilty pleasure.

• MisterYoda ?

  
  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 years ago just a normal teen movie has gained some resemblance of social relevance --… More
  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 years ago just a normal teen movie has gained some resemblance 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.

• Lewis C

  
  Many people will hate Empire Records. I almost didn't like it myself. It's the characters. Not the actors, they were all pretty decent. But the characters themselves, and the way they were written. So many of them are initially annoying and of-putting, that I almost was… More
  Many people will hate Empire Records. I almost didn't like it myself. It's the characters. Not the actors, they were all pretty decent. But the characters themselves, and the way they were written. So many of them are initially annoying and of-putting, that I almost was dead-set on disliking them from the start. As the movie went on, that slowly began to change. I started to see a bit more of the humans beneath these initially shallow characters. It's only deep in a Breakfast Club kind of way, so don't expect a deep study on the human condition. If you can't stomach the characters, you haven't missed very much. But, if you can, there's a mildly interesting (but throughly frivolous) tale to be seen. Plus, you get to see Renée Zellweger actually looking semi-attractive. Who would have ever guessed that was possible?

• Jennifer D

  
  I probably need to see this again. Even though I hate Liv Tyler.

• Conner R

  
  Just a complete fiasco. It is nineties cheesy humor at its worst. I loathed this movie almost from the start. The characters are all two dimensional, maybe that's why there's so many. It has no real purpose aside from showing how bizarre it is to work at Empire Records. The… More
  Just a complete fiasco. It is nineties cheesy humor at its worst. I loathed this movie almost from the start. The characters are all two dimensional, maybe that's why there's so many. It has no real purpose aside from showing how bizarre it is to work at Empire Records. The acting is terrible from start to finish and makes you want to just abandon the whole concept of watching the movie. It's essentially the step brother of Dazed and Confused, without any of its personality.

• Film C

  
  i have to say this is probably one of my favourite movies as light hearted funny easy to follow stories go to be honest! I love the fantastic cast and the acting is brilliant with renee, anthony possibily my favourtie characters in the movie! Anthony espescially looks nice doing his… More
  i have to say this is probably one of my favourite movies as light hearted funny easy to follow stories go to be honest! I love the fantastic cast and the acting is brilliant with renee, anthony possibily my favourtie characters in the movie! Anthony espescially looks nice doing his drum solo (hot) Its funny, light hearted and possibliy the most awesome record store there could be if there was one like it to be honest! worth a watch!!

• Jennifer X

  
  Against my better judgment, I was charmed.

• Tim S

  
  Another movie that never gets old.

• Jason S

  
  A day in the life of a music store that has employed the most eclectic group of teens ever. The story is fun and the characters are fun to watch as they stumble through the situations placed before them.

• Drew S

  
  So my power has been out for six days and I nearly froze to death in my own house - I fucking hate California sometimes - and I tell you this because the first website I check when I get my electricity back is Flixster. What the hell is wrong with me? Anyway, I thought this was a… More
  So my power has been out for six days and I nearly froze to death in my own house - I fucking hate California sometimes - and I tell you this because the first website I check when I get my electricity back is Flixster. What the hell is wrong with me? Anyway, I thought this was a thoroughly crappy movie but it kind of grew on me. The drama parts worked a hell of a lot better than the tired-ass comedy, even if they were cliched and kind of random. The whole movie is structured really bizarrely. I guess it's worth a watch if you have this overwhelming nostalgia for mediocre films of the mid-1990s, though. Also, I'm in love with Ethan Embry. Why does he not have a career? Hollywood is so cruel.

• Curtis L

  
  Annoyingly hip, and not that good. The only good part is when gwar eats that guy.

• Keysha H

  
  Damn the man, save the empire! Great movie..and great soundtrack. OHH REXY YOU'RE SO SEXY!

• Nani V

  
  Such a fun movie.

• Rachel F

  
  This is one of those great teen flicks. I loved it.

• Jose Z

  
  nice movie, a decent acting from the cast, specially from Liv Tylerin one of its first roles of her carreer if not the first. The story was excellent, it can be divided in two, one about a independent record store that fights and struggles to stay alive in front of the big and… More
  nice movie, a decent acting from the cast, specially from Liv Tylerin one of its first roles of her carreer if not the first. The story was excellent, it can be divided in two, one about a independent record store that fights and struggles to stay alive in front of the big and powerful stores of the record industry, and other about a group of teens struggling with their own life full of problems and trying to solve them. The best was the music in it, loved the soundtrack maybe one of the best I've ever heard.

• Daniel P

  
  NOTHING HAPPENS. Might be the dumbest movie ever made.

• danny d

  
  eh, sort of trashy but fun to watch

• Michael G

  
  This movie gives me diarreaha and makes me ashamed to work at a record store. It also makes my penis extremely soft whenever I think about it.

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