SpuffyWeb
Sadly Over-hyped
VeteranLight
I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
Odelecol
Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
RavenGlamDVDCollector
As I sit there watching DVDs, I very often tell myself I'm great at selecting glamorous, likable TV shows, but when it comes to movies... There are so many I watch that just doesn't hit it off with me. TV show characters tend to become friends, a movie is very different, everybody's a stranger, I don't care for them. Well, happy to say that EMPIRE RECORDS is a big hot hit with me. It's a small production with a lot of heart that beats a lot of much-bigger movies simply because it is likable, with likable characters. And what a treat to see Renée Zellweger during her glory days! And Liv Tyler entering her STEALING BEAUTY phase. A dream cast, with those two going on as if they're in an Aerosmith music video! Yeah, back then, they weren't big marquee names. Now it is an oddity to see their names so low on the cast list.Not saying it's perfect. I found the first half to be very promising, with the second half a letdown in many places. There are characters (like Jane) going nowhere, just wasting space. But overall, I can see why there is a board poster so obsessed with it, the dude wrote a self- proposed TV series sequel, and, yes, I would have watched.I heartily recommend this one. It's fun! And, guys, Liv and Renée are hot! Prima quality eye candy!
daciana dax
It's the 90's, Romania just got away (to some extent) from communist suppression. The advantage is that good music and movies are coming in more easily and that is importantI might be biased by all this, but this i such a nice movie, even with all the cheesy lines and happenings. I like the characters, so different and quirky and the plot, so easy to digest, yet not simple. Of course this is not a masterpiece and yet it is enjoyable and funny and even the fact that it's portraying some small piece of an era so well is amazing. I've watched this in 2013 and yet I could relate and understand it was a good teen movie, meant to entertain and make you fell like those simpler times were the place to be, like you wanted to go back to that somehow... Please don't dismiss this, it is a piece o history, well put, well written, well played.ENJOY :)
mljohnz
If you loved Better Off Dead, Say Anything, and Sixteen Candles--You'll love this movie.The dialogue and witty repartee in this movie are priceless. Even my father-in-law loved this movie. "What's the matter with today, today?""I'm guided by a force much greater than luck."Just a very well done teen focused yet adult scripted movie.Anthony LaPaglia and Debbie Mazar are phenomenal. Maxwell Caulfield is so sleazy, yet so awesome.Renee Zellweger, Liv Tyler, and Robin Tunney work so well against each other in these classic teen stereotypes that actually end up breaking the stereotype in believable ways.Rory Cochrane steals and carries the show, but Ethan Embry and Brendan Sexton just add to the layers of hilarity.
Sean Lamberger
This was much better off as a fond memory; digging it out of the archives for a modern viewing just made me question my younger self's taste in movies. A storeful of vapid, self-absorbed caricatures come together to hawk records, listen to radio-friendly '90s mush and reveal just how shallow they truly are as a collective. Very young Liv Tyler and Renee Zellweger show some skin and look good doing so, but that's pretty much the only highlight. Whoever chose the soundtrack for this needs to be deafened for the good of all mankind - for a store that's supposed to be all about the anti-establishment, it's got very bland, mainstream tastes.
