Empire Records

"They're selling music but not selling out."

1995 1h 30m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 854

ComedyDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The employees of an independent music store learn about each other as they try to stop the store from being absorbed by a large chain.

“They're selling music but not selling out.”

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Cast

Liv Tyler
Corey Mason
Johnny Whitworth
A.J.
Renée Zellweger
Gina
Robin Tunney
Debra
Anthony LaPaglia
Joe Reaves
Rory Cochrane
Lucas
Ethan Embry
Mark
Maxwell Caulfield
Rex Manning

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Allan Moyle
Writers: Carol Heikkinen
Languages: English, French
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 3% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

31 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Allan Moyle, shot by Walt Lloyd. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Michael Chandler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Liv Tyler and Johnny Whitworth and Renée Zellweger carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They're selling music but not selling out.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Allan Moyle directs. Walt Lloyd behind the camera. Michael Chandler cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Earned back only 3% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
331 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
5Directed by Allan Moyle, shot by Walt Lloyd. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Michael Chandler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Liv Tyler and Johnny Whitworth and Renée Zellweger carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "They're selling music but not selling out.".
9IMDB entry: tt0112950 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "pop star", "older man younger woman relationship", "shoplifting", "nostalgic".

The technical file

Cinematography: Walt Lloyd
Editing: Michael Chandler
Production design: Peter Jamison
Costume design: Susan Lyall
Makeup / hair: Jeff Goodwin
Sound: Gary Alexander
Stunt coordinator: Jery Hewitt
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $303,841
Return: 3% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Empire Records (1995)

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Allan Moyle

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Filipe Manuel Neto2023-05-22
★ 9/10
An animated film, full of rebellion and energy. Remember the stores that sold music records and CDs? There are still some, and the rebirth of vinyl, very recent, has allowed a certain rebirth of the commercial sector, somewhat in response to the massification and popularization of music in “streaming” and digital downloads that we already have as something common in our lives. This film is about a store open 24 hours a day, with spaces to sell and listen to music. It is managed by young people, with young employees, an idiot owner and a manager who dreams of buying the space. It turns out that one of the employees decided to go to a casino and lost all the money saved for that project. The action takes place the day after the incident. In addition to the fate of the store and its employees, which is at stake, each one lives their own story, has characteristics and personality. Incidentally, the entire construction and development of the story and characters is one of the most positive aspects of the film. We have a young teenager who particularly wants to lose her virginity but has serious problems with amphetamines, an aspiring art major, a crook with a complicated childhood, a liberal girl who seems to particularly enjoy sexual adventures, a crazy rocker. In addition to the employees, we also have a former musical star who decides to go there to promote a new CD and cause some funny problems. The film has an impressive cast, and it's worth seeing who the actors are and where they are today. We understand well that each one wanted to make the best use of this opportunity. Contrary to what the posters suggest, Liv Tyler, who is the daughter of a rock musician, has a character without a leading role, but does an excellent job, even acting opposite her (then) stepfather, Coyote Shivers. Rory Cochrane, Renée Zellweger and Ethan Embry are also here, and each of them does a very competent job. Despite the centrality of his character, Anthony La Paglia does not steal the spotlight for himself and shares our attention with his co-stars generously and doing a very well done job. We also have Robin Tunney, bald and rebellious, Debi Mazar and Johnny Whitworth. The less sympathetic roles go to Max Caulfield and Ben Bode, and they're refreshingly comic. On a technical level, what stands out positively is the enormous animation of the film. There are no dead moments. The story is constructed in such a way as to give us a kind of moral about the brevity of life and the need to take advantage of the time, live life, even taking risks and making mistakes. Added to this is a strident soundtrack, full of strength, where rock predominates and emanates energy, positivity and rebelliousness. The songs used here are well known and fans of the rock genre will love it. Incidentally, the albums released with the soundtrack were a success, in absolute contrast to the film itself, which failed in cinemas, was bombed by critics and only acquired a certain popularity and public recognition in much more recent years. Perhaps it was simply ahead of its time.

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