Empire Records (1995) – Classic Film Review 834

Director Allan Moyle’s very bright and jolly 1995 teen comedy drama is set around Anthony LaPaglia’s New Jersey independent record store of the title, where the employees learn about each other as they try all they can to stop the store being absorbed by a large chain. Though they face some personal crises, they must work together to keep their record store independent.

Empire Records is very much in the happy, anarchic vein of director Moyle’s 1990 cult favourite Pump Up the Volume with Christian Slater.

Debi Mazar, Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Rory Cochrane, Robin Tunney, Ethan Randall, Johnny Whitworth, Ethan Embry, Coyote Shivers, James ‘Kimo’ Wills and Brendan Sexton III also head the cast.

The young players are fresh and funny, but then they have fresh and funny dialogue and scenes to play thanks to Carol Heikkinen’s excellent screenplay, even if there isn’t much of a story or real depth to the fun.

Maxwell Caulfield finally scores a bull’s-eye as Rex Manning, a has-been rock star who descends on the store, where the staff learn of the evil plans for a corporate takeover.

And there’s a great soundtrack of course. The film runs 90 minutes but the special extended edition is 107 minutes.

http://derekwinnert.com/pump-up-the-volume-1990-christian-slater-classic-film-review-835/

(C) Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Film Review 834 derekwinnert.com

James ‘Kimo’ Wills

Coyote Shivers

Ethan Embry

Johnny Whitworth