EMPIRE RECORDS
US, 1995, 87 minutes, Colour.
Anthony La Paglia, Liv Tyler, Renee Zellweger, Robyn Tunney, Maxwell Caulfield, Debbie Maza, Rory Cochrane, Johnny Whitworth, Ethan Randall, Brendon Sexton.
Directed by Alan Moyle.
Empire Records is one of the few films directed by Alan Moyle, a noted Hollywood screen doctor. He made the cult film Pump Up the Volume with Christian Slater. His interest in slackers and eccentric types extends to this film and also to his 2006 film, Weirdsville.
This is a day in a record store managed by Anthony La Paglia. On the staff are Liv Tyler, Renee Zellweger and Robyn Tunney. The men include the ingenuous Rory Cochrane, the artist played by Johnny Whitworth and the rather dumb Ethan Randall. Brendon Sexton plays a young shoplifter. Maxwell Caulfield is a celebrity singer who comes to sign records and Debbie Maza is his assistant.
There is quick delineation of most of the characters, their crises, the financial situation of the store, the role of the boss. The film is also a satiric look at the self-absorbed singing star and his exasperated assistant. Maxwell Caulfield is the star, Debbie Maza his assistant.
While the film ultimately makes a resolution of all the problems, the last, rather lengthy part of the film, shows everybody exuberant and singing and dancing.
Most audiences would find this film somewhat difficult to sit through – but for those who want to see adulation of the film, the blog entries on the Internet Movie Database are extremely enthusiastic.
1.The impact of the film? Its target audience? In the 1990s? Younger audiences? Older audiences? Popular music?
2.The title, the shop, the layout of the store? The exteriors – the streets, banks?
3.The brevity of the film, the film as a short story? A day in the life of the store, with the characters, their crises, interactions? The final resolution and celebration?
4.The range of music, songs, taste?
5.The introduction to the store, Joe as the manager, Lucas and his taking the money to Atlantic City to gamble in the hope of paying off the debts? The crisis the next morning? Mark and A.J., the girls arriving at work, their own particular stories? The manager and his relationship with the owner, deceiving him about the money? The arrival of the star, his behaviour, his signing the autographs, the sexual encounter, the reaction against him?
6.Anthony La Paglia as Joe, running the store, tolerant, anxious, a kind of father figure? Cory, her doing her studies, working at the store, her infatuation with the singer, throwing herself at him, her reaction to his behaviour, her having to calm down? Gina, self-confident, her throwing herself at the singer, the relationship, the reaction of everybody else? Debbie, shaving her head, her own problems, A.J. and his attentions, her moodiness, work, reconciling with him? Lucas, ingenuous, telling the truth, exasperating people with his honesty? A.J., his infatuation for Cory, trying to tell her, the sketch, her rebuffing him, the reconciliation? Mark, ingenuous, enthusiastic? Warren, being caught shoplifting, his saying he was Warren Beatty, with Lucas, Joe’s reaction, calling the police, his return, his reaction against the singer, with the owner of the shop? The owner, his coming, financial difficulties, wanting to change the shop? The singer, his arrogance, his appeal, the fans, Cory providing the meal, his reaction to her advances, the encounter with Gina in the locked room, people turning against him? His assistant, trying to manage, her siding with the people at the shop?
7.How well delineated the characters, suggestions of character, crises, audiences identifying with the characters and their problems?
8.The resolution, the music, the singing and dancing and the happy ending?
