Empire Records

The sun can't set too soon on this "Empire." [23 Oct 1995, Pg.F9]

A soundtrack in search of a movie, Empire Records is one teen-music effort that never finds a groove.

For all its faults, the good-natured, quirky humour that this for the most part offers ultimately makes it very hard to dislike.

Insubstantial, predictable and often dull, it's a dismaying move from director Allen Moyle, who displayed a real grasp of pulp energy in 1990's "Pump Up the Volume".

The film exists for its shots of telegenic youngsters busting loose to a bankable soundtrack, and it's the cheesy dialogue, overstuffed plot, and predictable character arcs that come across as superfluous.

The movie is too blatant a throwback to crass '80s teen fodder to really work.

If the movie is a lost cause, it may at least showcase actors who have better things ahead of them.

o filme é divertido e simples, a trilha sonora é incrível e a fotógrafia muito boa

Initially when this film was released it flopped financially and critically. It has definitely built a deserved cult following over the years. It's one of my favorite go to make me feel great movies that explores a plethora of emotions making it similar to having the impact of the breakfast club and fitting perfectly in the wheelhouse of films that explore youth in a genuine way. This review is for both the Superior theatrical version and the interesting but flawed extended version. It centers on a group of employees whom deal with a variety of issues while working at a record store that's on the verge of closing. All the characters are quirky and wonderfully likable Renee Zellweger, Robin Tunney and Liv Tyler being the standouts. It's easy to see why the extended stuff was cut and the impact of some of the films best scenes are lessened including the amazing finale. I would highly reccomend just skipping the extended version and just sticking with the best cut. As it stands it's a love letter to the changing music scene as well as youth in general. Its hilarious fun and heartfelt and also stars Joe Mategna, Debi Mazar, Ethan Embry, Maxwell Caufield and so many more. Budget: $10m Box Office: $303,841 Theatrical: 4.5/5 Extended: 3.25/5

A teen comedy drama with a mostly likeable ensemble cast. A great soundtrack of lesser-known indie bands of the era. Good fun and easy to let wash over you.

Looking for quirky coming of age dramedy full to the brim with 90's cheese? It's here and it's delectable! Thanks to the semi improvisational style used in the final edit it's pretty surreal. Screenplay tends to rely on using dramatic punctuation to pin a full stop to many of its scenes. Although the casting is fantastic, this ain't no hi fidelity. The music store serves as a decent setting to squeeze 4 or 5 episodes of tv grade shannanigans into 86 mins of entertainment filled to the brim with a great range of music. I'd recommend it if only for the vibes and the music but definitely not the drama.

This one was much better in the memory banks; digging it out of the archives for a modern viewing just made me question the judgment of my younger self. A storeful of vapid, self-absorbed caricatures come together to hawk records, listen to radio-friendly '90s mush and reveal just how shallow they truly are as a collective. A very young Liv Tyler and Reneé Zellweger show some skin and look good doing so, but that's pretty much the only highlight. Whoever chose the soundtrack for this needs to be deafened for the good of all mankind; for a store that's supposed to be all about the anti-establishment, it's got very bland, mainstream tastes.