Empire Records

It's hard to believe that this cult classic from 1995 is nearly three decades old. While elements of the film have stood the test of time (including one of the best film soundtracks to ever be made), there are bittersweet reminders here that the world that Empire Records depicts no longer exists. For those who were around in the 1990's, this often poignant movie will hit your nostalgic sweet spot, making you yearn for yesteryears. Yet, sentimentality aside, Empire Records presents a romanticized view of retail life as we once knew it. The fact the film takes place in a record store (which have sadly become extinct - for the most part) and only a few other locations are shown, the movie possesses a theatre-like charm. At times, you can't help but wonder if Empire Records should really be adapted for the stage (hey, there's a musical in there somewhere). The cast is attractive and clever, tossing witticisms left and right in a style reminiscent of Dorothy Parker. Everyone here has something smart or sassy to say. It's only when the film tries to go deep emotionally that things feel more maudlin than they need to. Fortunately, director Allan Moyle (there should be no surprise that he also directed two other cult favorites, Pump Up the Volume and Times Square among others) knows exactly when to lighten the mood with comedic bits that would fit in well on any sitcom of the era (hello, Friends). Some of the actors here went on to huge cinematic success, including Renee Zellweger in a fantastic early-in-her-career performance. On that note, we need her version of the song Sugar High to finally get the record release it deserves. Her performance of it (albeit it's less than two minutes on screen) is alone worth watching the film for. That and a look back at a time where young people had cool jobs in cool places and listened to really, really cool music - on vinyl, even.

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.

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.

Empire Records is funny and slightly offbeat teen movie. A well built one, which each quirky character having a well defined personality, a set of problems, and realistic interactions with each other. Their personas all ring solidly true, each with deep emotional affects. However, not everybody will see themselves represented here, it is but a thin slice of society.

The music is good, the dialogs are interesting just like the story, and it keeps an overall positive tone, although it does talk about some serious issues. It touches each subjects lightly, and keep the focus on the what is happening, on the development of the situation.

You will be entertained, if you're looking for a good adolescent flick.

i dunno. theres just something about this movie.

yeh, in actuality, its probably dreck. its probably worthless and people probably wont remember its years and years from now when they start making out the lists of '90s movies that changed the sphere of moviemaking.

so what?

for me, this movie really does capture the feel of the mid-'90s. i was like these people once. i wore an outfit scarily like the one liv tyler sports (although without the hideous unders combo, im sure), i knew people like every one of the 'archetypes' from the movie and i really, really wanted to work in a record store. hasnt everybody? and doesnt everybody want there to be a cool record store like this in their town?

i guess for me it is a nostalgia thing, but i watched it (again) the other night with my boyfriend, and we both still laughed during the funny parts and cuddled during the sweet parts and, well, danced during the dance parts.

its just fun to look back on such a 'time-period' movie like that ... the clothes, the attitudes, the music even ... how good is it to hear the gin blossoms again, eh?

im sure many would disagree, but for someone who was right there when it was all happening, so to say, its a gentle reminder of the days before mtv committed suicide, before liv tyler started making 'real' movies, and when phrases like 'whats with Today, today?' could travel through a junior high faster than mono.