It is one of the wittiest films of the 90s. Lucas should be a hero. Mark should be a hero. But unfortunately, few people don't know what they are missing.
I was psyched when the DVD came out. The added scenes actually develop the characters more, and make things click a bit better than the theatrical cut. The story of a little independent record store...brilliantly simple, and not afraid to be itself. This should be required viewing for anyone who appreciates films along the lines of the View Askew movies. Just see it!
It's just a nice little story about a small independent music store. One day the night manager Lucas [Rory Cochrane] has an epiphany.. he gathers the days register take and instead of depositing it like a good boy, what else is he gonna do with it?.. he goes to ATLANTIC CITY BABY!! Thus forcing the manager Joe [Anthony LaPaglia] and the rest of the empire staff to cover for him on of all days.. REX MANNING DAY!
Mix in an aging popstar with a bad haircut, his less than enthused manager, an artist, a smart chick, a loose chick, a chick obsessed with dying, a shoplifter named Warren Beatty, and an uptight store owner who wants to turn the Empire into a chain store and you have non-stop laughs.
The there's the unforgettable catch phrase that everyone must know!... "Well Sinead O'Rebellion.. shock me, shock me, shock me with that deviant behavior!"
Also stars.. Liv Tyler, Renee Zellweger [she sings!], Johnny Witworth, Robin Tunney, Ethan Embry, Maxwell Caulfield, Debi Mazar, Coyote Shivers, and Brendan Sexton III
Here's the setup: In a large but independent record store (in Wilmington, Delaware, of all places), Empire Records, which has been around since 1959 (as the large neon sign out in front constantly reminds us & the store's customers), a trusted employee named Lucas (an inspired performance by no-name actor Rory Cochrane) is put in charge of closing the store one night by the responsible but boring store manager Joe Reaves (LaPaglia), when he experiences a kind of epiphany when he lets in a strange girl after Midnight (when the store closes, another fact of which the movie is always seeming to remind us). After a sort of weird conversation which essentially leads to nowhere, Lucas finds in the boss' office plans to sell Empire Records to behemoth Music Town. This will not do, and the now-philosophically-transformed Lucas decides to drive to Atlantic City, New Jersey with the store's $9,000 in the day's proceeds to hopefully win enough money to buy out the store and thus prevent it from being "sold out to the man." He puts it all on the line for a game of craps, winning on his first roll and doubling his stash to $18K. Feeling really lucky, he decides to do it again...and craps out. Dejected, and seemingly in shock, he returns back to the store, wondering how he'll explain it all to Joe. In the morning, well, let's just say that everything hits the fan...and then some! With fading pop star Rex Manning (Caulfield) scheduled to make an autograph-signing appearance that day, and lovestruck, seemingly innocent store employee Corey Mason (Tyler) practicing to meet and seduce him, and her (...) friend and fellow employee (Zellweger) with her own tricks up her sleeveless blouse, and a death-obsessed, head-shaving Goth fellow employee (Robin Tunney) who just plain has issues, and a 16-year-old pathological shoplifter who calls himself Warren Beatty, the pot is all stirred up on this day, after which you can be sure that none of the principals will ever be the same.
I loved Anthony LaPaglia's nuanced performance, as a thirty-something guy in a position of authority who really feels just as put-upon as any of his employees, who wants to kill his thieving underling for betraying his trust, and yet can't help covering for his mistake and trying to help him. Indeed, Joe tries to be everyone's father figure while still haplessly trying to exert control over the situation. It shows yet again that Anthony LaPaglia is one of the most underrated actors in the world, even to this day. Also welcome is Renee Zellweger in a young, pre-JERRY MAGUIRE role in which she, surprisingly, takes on a bad-girl role and plays it very believingly (and gets some of the best lines in this film). She is one of my favorite actresses today, and this role shows that she had bigger and better things coming up ahead for her. Liv Tyler is fresh-faced, beautiful and just shining through in her role that is not quite as simple as it initally seems to be. Her interplay with Zellweger makes for some of the best scenes in this film. Also, Debi Mazar is good in her cynical role as Rex's publicist who secretly can't stand the self-obsessed jerk. Lastly, Tobey Maguire has a small role as a stoner named Andre that's good for a look.
Whether or not you will like EMPIRE RECORDS just depends on whether or not you go for quirky, young-casted independent films...and also if you go for big 70's, 80's & 90's-filled rock'n'roll soundtracks, with diverse songs that permeate every scene. It also helps if you like Anthony LaPaglia, Renee Zellweger and Liv Tyler! I found it far more satisfying than the overrated John Cusack-starring-love-dud HIGH FIDELITY (2000). Although it has some fairly racy language and situations at times, EMPIRE RECORDS is a solidly PG-13 film that is appropriate for most kids over the age of 10. They're also sure to enjoy the music!
RECOMMENDED
