![]() ![]() (Shaming of the promiscuous Gina dates the film, but the rivalries amid the girls’ friendships are timeless.)Īmong the guys, there’s an unrecognizable-from- “Dutch” Ethan Embry as Mark, a manic, skinny answer to Jack Black Johnny Whitworth as introspective A.J., whose pining after Corey is painfully relatable and Brendan Sexton as shoplifter Warren, who deep down wants a job at the store. It’s stating the obvious that the female leads are at the height of their hotness: Liv Tyler as Corey, in the skirt-and-sweater ensemble made iconic by the CD cover Renee Zellweger as Gina, who illustrates the inconsistency of the Music Town dress code by wearing only an apron and Robin Tunney as Debra, who borrows the shaved-head look of Sinead O’Connor and Ellen Ripley.īut it shouldn’t be overlooked that all three actresses elevate their relatively thin arcs, as their characters deal with amphetamines, inappropriate Rex Manning crushes, suicidal tendencies, and their up-and-down friendships. The film should be enjoyed as a day in the life of the store (albeit a big one, since it’s Rex Manning Day), with the plot serving as a mere foundation. Yet the film’s energy – as supplied by a talented young cast that’s happy to be there – allows us to not dwell on the shaky plotting. Nine grand is nothing to sneeze at, of course, but it’s too small an amount to be pivotal in a corporate takeover. ![]() (Yes, the store names are backward from what they should be.) The film has its share of lazy writing, including the notion that $9,000 marks the difference between manager Joe (Anthony LaPaglia) buying Empire Records from the current owner versus the current owner selling it to impersonal national chain Music Town. Watching it with a critical eye, this can partly be justified and partly not. Choppily yet insightfully written by Carol Heikkinen, with game-saving direction by Allan Moyle and energetic editing by Michael Chandler, the film started as an underdog to its own soundtrack, highlighted by “Sugarhigh” and “Til I Hear It from You” and owned by every CD-collecting teen of the time.Īs time goes by, those of us who used to apologize for liking this movie seem to have been vindicated, as “Empire Records” has become a cult classic. “Empire Records” (1995) is perhaps not technically or objectively a good movie, but it’s almost impossible to dislike it. ![]()
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