By Melissa Antoinette Garza
I was 16 when EMPIRE RECORDS (1995) came out. It’s one of the films that defined the decade. It still packs a punch with me. It’s a mainstream film that reached across the aisle to the cult fandom and did so successfully. It’s the 90s version of VALLEY GIRL (1983) meets FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (1982).
The movie opens with cute fem boy Lucas (Rory Cochrane) contemplating his next move. He works at Empire, a record store that Joe (Anthony LaPaglia) is the manager of. He was put in charge for the night and discovers the store may be bought out by some corporate fat-cat. He panics and takes over $9,000 and goes to Atlantic City. He has good intentions. He’s a nice dude and a fine looking gent, but he loses the cash. I love Lucas. He just thinks differently than everyone else. He wants to fix everything for his friends, but he’s just not wired like everyone else – which I think is sensational, but others get pissed about.
The next day at work, he tells his coworkers A.J. (Johnny Whitworth) and Mark (Ethan Embry). All the people who work there have their own baggage. A.J. has a thing for Corey (Liv Tyler). Corey is infatuated with a middle-age, sleazy singer Rex Manning (Maxwell Caulfield) and wants to give him her virginity when he shows up to sign autographs.
Gina (Renee Zellweger) is a party girl for the wrong reasons. She’s not always fulfilling her own kicks, but she’s still a full fem goddess and I adore her. Debra (Robin Tunney) is a lost soul who is suicidal enough to slit her wrists putting her boyfriend Berko (Coyote Shivers) in a constant state of panic. At one point she shaves her head and for any woman who has ever done that as a cathartic way to renew oneself, it’s freeing as fuck.
Now, Joe is worried about losing the store to the fat-cats and protecting Lucas. Meanwhile, Rex’s assistant Jane (Debi Mazar) falls for Joe and wants to help out the crew.
Essentially the film focuses on a band of misfits who are fucked up alone, but find solace in their kinship. They’re holding on to Empire not just because it’s their employer, but because it’s their home. It’s the one place they feel comfortable in their own skin. I’m always taken by misfits and root for them always. Here we get a wonderful group of fun ones and a few dastardly and scumbag villains to watch fall. It’s a story about the little guy prevailing. It’s David vs. Goliath, and who doesn’t like that? Empire will not be made into a Music Town, bitches. Fuck that noise!
This film is all sorts of 90s terrific. It reminds me of how great working small retail was. When in an environment like that a bond is always created and a solid genuine crew is formed. It happened when I worked Rocky’s Ace Hardware and at Blockbuster. Back then, it was in-store vs. corporate. We’d keep things running smoothly and have fun on the retail end while hoping to God none of the tight-asses from the office would make their way down. They always sucked, but as for the crew – we just had this tight friendship. I still look back on those days fondly. This flick conjures those feelings. It’s so relatable to anyone who was in their late teens or early twenties in the 90s.
When Lucas’s plan backfires and he loses the money, it would be easy for everyone to throw in the towel. Empire Records looks like it’s going to have to close forever. Still, they don’t roll over. Damn the man! Save the Empire! They work it like a motherfucker to help Joe buy the store.
Thankfully, I don’t live too far away from a hippie, bohemian town that still is filled with vinyls shops, but damn do I miss the record stores of yesteryear. I remember walking into Strawberry’s, seeing which concerts were coming around, checking out the music and reveling over the posters. I miss that. For everything the internet gave us, there is a lot it took away too. The music stores and video rental shops are among the ones I miss the most.
I can’t suggest this flick enough. For people my age, this is their jam. If you’re younger and haven’t seen this, give it a go. You’ll find it has great music, hilarious moments, a wonderful cast, a lot of heart and it will leave you feeling good. You can’t ask for much more than that. Well, I did want Lucas and Gina to rock out the night together, but no such luck on that front. Those two are all sorts of vampy, sexy chemistry.
It’s currently on Netflix though I own the blu-ray. It’s certainly worth the purchase.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7.5/10
