Empire Records (1995)

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.

Director:

Allan Moyle

Writer:

Carol Heikkinen

Stars:

Anthony LaPaglia, Maxwell Caulfield, Debi Mazar

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony LaPaglia	...	Joe Reaves
Maxwell Caulfield	...	Rex Manning
Debi Mazar	...	Jane
Rory Cochrane	...	Lucas
Johnny Whitworth	...	A.J.
Robin Tunney	...	Debra
Renée Zellweger	...	Gina (as Renee Zellweger)
Ethan Embry	...	Mark (as Ethan Randall)
Coyote Shivers	...	Berko
Brendan Sexton III	...	Warren (as Brendan Sexton)
Liv Tyler	...	Corey Mason
James 'Kimo' Wills	...	Eddie
Ben Bode	...	Mitchell Beck
Gary Bolen	...	Croupier
Kimber Sissons	...	Woman at Craps Table (as Kimber Monroe)

Storyline

A day in the life of the employees of Empire Records. Except this is a day where everything comes to a head for a number of them facing personal crises - can they pull through together? And more importantly, can they keep their record store independent and not swallowed up by corporate greed?

---

Plot Keywords:

store | record store | music store | character says i love you | cult film | 

---

Taglines:

What's with today, today?

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual situations, language and a drug issue

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 October 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Empire

Filming Locations:

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Gross:

ESP 99,050 (Spain)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Monarchy Enterprises B.V., New Regency Pictures, Regency Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 107 min (special extended edition)

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Warren, played by Brendan Sexton III, was supposed to have a sister, but like Tobey Maguire, her scenes and ultimately her character was deleted from the final cut of the film.

---

Goofs

When Eddie is explaining to Mark that his CD has been torched he takes off his goggles, and in the next shot he is seen taking them off from again

---

Quotes

Lucas: Joe, is it O.K. if I leave the couch? 'Cause I'm gonna leave the couch now, okay? My ass is falling asleep, so I gotta go. I'm leaving.

---

Crazy Credits

Mark & Eddie sitting on the curb in front of the store talking about bands.

---

Connections

References Beavis and Butt-Head (1993)

---

Soundtracks

"Can't Stop Losing Myself"
Performed by The Dirt Clods
Written by Larry Frankland Lee, Brian Reeves & Curt Cuomo

User Reviews

Perfect...Well, not quite Perfect

For me, Empire Records is a very conflicting movie. On the one hand, it's hysterically funny. On the other hand, it attempts to make great revelations about America's youth. Somehow, though, it all works! Sure, there are some "sappy" predictable parts that you're not sure whether to laugh or cry at, but the timing of these scenes is fantastic. One thing that really struck me about this film is the amazing use of music. Certain songs can be heard repeatedly throughout the movie which really help to distinguish parallel story lines. All in all, I think it's great.