Thanks for video-on-demand on the premium channels, I have continued my journey through Teen Movies I Have Missed, which now includes Empire Records.
This forgotten movie from 1995 was hardly a commercial success. It evidently came towards the end of the angst-ridden Seattle grunge scene, yet before the retro-revival 1980s teen movie style highlighted by Can't Hardly Wait which came a few years later. Both have Ethan Embry in them (although not under the 'Embry' stage name he would develop by the time 'Wait' came out) but that's where the commonality ends. BTW, Embry is barely recognizable in the film thanks to his freaky hair. The eyes always give him away though.
In fact, I spent a good part of the movie trying to stop feeling distracted by Rory Cochrane's appearance in Empire, recognizing him from something else, but not being able to put my finger on it. Then it finally hit - he's on CSI: Miami. Cochrane appears to land jobs based on his ability to brood, which he does a lot in both instances. Anthony LaPaglia from Without A Trace (but with far more hair here) was also a major distraction for me.
I came away from Empire Records with a boatload of mixed feelings. More character stereotypes, without not enough time to give any particular character much depth in development. In fact, this movie could have lost at least two characters with no loss whatsoever to the story. It could have also lost about half the songs, but what would that have done to the soundtrack sales?
That an independent record store could serve as a halfway house for wayward teen souls, with the father figure LaPaglia is a nice thought, but that is a concept that lives exclusively in the movies. I wasn't buying it, nor was I his surprising tolerance of the theft of a day's proceeds to be gambled away by Cochrane at the opening of the film.
I wasn't sure I could connect with any of the characters. Unlike some of the better teen movies, nobody in this thing was really developed sufficiently to the point where you could see something of yourself in any of them. I'm also not sure what the ultimate message is here - let's join forces to buy the record store so it doesn't become the equivalent of a mall CD chain store so that we can keep our crappy low paying job but still be part of the "family." Ugh... Or how about "don't sleep with the Fabio-looking pop star who is shallow and sleazy." Gee, you think?
It didn't really matter because the movie fell into an endless array of movie cliches by the end. Impromptu fundraiser asking for cash so that someone else can buy a record store (hardly the Red Cross) was bad enough, but the idea that a disaffected shoplifter who would return to the store with a gun to seek revenge, but ultimately get talked down by LaPaglia and, wait for it, HIRED (presumably after his jail time) to work there made me fall out of my chair.
WHAT IS THIS MOVIE???
I wonder if you could do the same thing for your local grocery store filled with disaffected teen employees. Brad from the produce department is sleeping with Liv at the customer service desk and they blast tunes late night during restock to fill the soundtrack... and Noah OD's in the pharmacy section and they all have to rescue him. And the Night Manager just rolls his eyes at the crazy antics of those nutty teens. Argh...
Stick to Clerks.
