Save the Empire.. (Empire Records (DVD))

Member Name: linut

Product:	Empire Records (DVD)
Date:	05/09/01 (96 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: intelligent dialogue, great soundtrack

Disadvantages: if u watch closely, u can spot some bloopers in the movie

Empire Records is a great movie and definitely one of the most under-rated compared to some other movies of the same likes, e.g. Mallrats, Dazed & Confused, Hackers and the more recent Go. Well, now that I think of it, none of those other movies really hit it in the box office big time either. Hmm. But they are certainly ones that you can call as cult classics.

Empire Records is a music store and the movie centers around a day in the life of the employees; their troubles, romances, ideals and dreams. The biggest trouble faced by the store is that as the movie opens we are introduced to Lucas (Rory Cochrane), who has just been given the responsibility of closing the store for the night. Upon closing up, Lucas stumbles upon some memos indicating that Empire Records is to be sold to a chain music store. In a moment of pure inspiration, he wisely decides to take all the earnings of the night to Atlantic City to try to win some money and save the store. Unwisely though, he not only doesn't manage to make the money but ends up gambling it all away. And so is faced with fessing up the next day.

This is when we are introduced to the other characters, a bunch of smart, talented, troubled but dedicated youngsters.

Corey (Liv Tyler) is the A-star student and daddy's girl who had decided to lose her virginity to Rex Manning, a has been teen idol.

Gina (Renee Zellweger) is the sultry self confessed slut who yearns to be a singer.

Debra (Robin Tunney) enters the store with bandages on her wrists and the first thing she does is shave her head.

AJ (Johnny Whitworth) is a budding artist and has decided to tell Corey that he is in love with her by 1:37 pm exactly.

Mark (Ethan Embry) wants to be in a band.

Berko (Coyote Shivers) is in a band.

Eddie (dont know his real name) makes brownies.

And oh yeah, Joe (Anthony Lapaglia) is the manager trying to hold it all together
.

Through out the day, which also happens to be Rex Manning day, there is fighting, screaming, singing and dancing, shoplifting (one of the best scenes is when Lucas chases Warren the shoplifter). Hearts are broken, secrets are revealed, friendships tested, futures determined, loves and dreams realised, and all the while, music plays as they pull together to save their store.

The movie has many funny moments and very intelligently, wise cracking dialogue. Lucas for instant is suave, the philosopher ala Miyagi and has the most cool of lines in this movie.

Lucas: Joe, I think it's gonna be okay.
Joe: What makes you think that?
Lucas: Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear!

or

Joe: What's the money doing in Atlantic City?
Lucas: Recirculating..

You would expect a great accompanying soundtrack to a movie about a music store and this one is. The soundtrack is a mix of alternative tunes by mostly relatively unknown bands with songs by the Gin Blossoms,
the Cranberries, Edwin Collins and also the hip tune Sugarhigh by Coyote Shivers (performed brilliantly at the end of the movie with the help of Renee Zellweger).

At the time, movies of this kind were a rareity. It was refreshing to watch such an entertaining and non cheesy teenage flick. The stars were then relatively unknown and just starting out, look at them now! All in all, still one of my favourites. Just the ending scenes itself are worth the watch.

PS There is a petition to re-release this movie since there are some cut scenes that have never been seen before and the soundtrack too, only features a number of songs from the movie.

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