Product Details

• Actors: Anthony LaPaglia, Debi Mazar, Maxwell Caulfield, Rory Cochrane, Johnny Whitworth
• Directors: Allan Moyle
• Writers: Carol Heikkinen
• Producers: Alan Riche, Arnon Milchan, Michael G. Nathanson, Paul Kurta, Tony Ludwig
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: January 13, 1998
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (287 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303954138
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #168,956 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This story about a day in the life of an independent record store, truly a threatened species, screeches with the sound of teenagers falling apart emotionally every five minutes. The script, which feels like an old guy's idea of how kids talk and think, concerns the young employees of a Delaware music shop faced with imminent extinction. While the ship is sinking, the staff indulge in tantrums, depressions, and run-ins with low self-esteem. There's a lot of noise in this thing, but not a lot is really said. Rory Cochrane has the best part as a secretive guy who loses the store's proceeds one night while gambling, Anthony LaPaglia is the adult boss and unofficial dad to the others, Renée Zellweger plays a promiscuous girl, and Liv Tyler is OK as a lovestruck sweet thing trying to get up the nerve to express her feelings to a fellow employee. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 97 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars NOT FOR DIE-HARD FANS!!, May 13, 2006

By 

E. Powers "tv and movie quote specialist" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Empire Records (Remix: Special Fan Edition) (DVD)

If you are a fan of the ORIGINAL Empire Records, DON'T buy the Re-Mixed Fan version... it's a big dissappointment. There are added scenes in the movie, and some of the BEST lines are changed. Example: When Rex is leaving the store and says "Why don't you all just fade away." Yeah, he doesn't say that in this version. I was very dissappointed when I saw this, b/c die-hard Empire fans DON'T want the best lines changed, so this really isn't a "fan re-mix" b/c it changes stuff the fans LOVE!!! Definitely just buy the regular DVD or VHS version... it's much better as an original, not a re-mix!!!!

49 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun romp, June 2, 2000

By 

A music fan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Empire Records [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This film got terrible reviews...plain and simple. Why? Because it wasn't aimed at film critics ...at all. The film is an experiment in teen flicks along the lines of "The Breakfast Club" it chronicles the lives of a bunch of angsty, depressed, manic teens over the course of a single day, finding odd little ways to tell each of their stories. It definitely accomplishes this goal, using "Rex Manning Day" as the vehicle for delivering half a dozen life stories without telling a boring narrative. Granted, it's doesn't have the most original plot, or Oscar caliber acting, but it the film does what it sets out to do, and for this reason, earned its cult following. Watch this film and you will find yourself quoting lines and recalling scenes. If you're looking for a fun romp with a story that will neither bore you, nor tax your mental reserves, this is a great flick--lots of fun, quotable dialogue, and of course, great music. Both Cochrane and Embry give memorable performances as the night manager, turned well meaning felon turned philosopher and the happy go lucky stoner respectively. The story line is a tad incongruous and disjointed and some of the characters are stereotypical in their attempts to shatter the stereotypes, but if you go in to this movie with the expectations that it's just going to be a fun flick, you'll be satisfied.

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Empire Records Remix, June 8, 2003

By 

Josh "Josh" (Sc, Usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Empire Records (Remix: Special Fan Edition) (DVD)

Could Empire Records have been any better than it was before? Nope, it was perfect. But with this new Fan Remix edition given to us by Warner Bros., there is a lot more to enjoy. Sixteen minutes of additional footage, 4 deleted scenes, and 3 music videos to enjoy, in fact.

If you're here, you obviously know the story that is Empire Records. It's a great actual coming-of-age film that has the ability to touch on subject that is relatable to any person between the ages ... well, of any age. There are great performances (Liv Tyler, Renee Zellwegger, Robin Tunney, Ethan Embry, the whole cast!), the film's many subplots never run into each other, and the soundtrack has got to be near one of the best and biggest of any movie.

The additional 16 minutes added into the movie gives more character development to certain characters, new little scenes obviously edited out for they supplied only minimum yet effective humor, and some stuff that would have rallied the actual storyline. There are 2 of the 4 deleted scenes that makes the infamous Sexy Rexy an actual good guy, and also include an unseen performance of Mon Amour by Coyote Shivers, Renee Zellwegger, and Maxwell Caulfield (Rex) that was cut from the movie.

Warner Bros. truly released this for the fans of Empire Records, a la Fan remix. But if given the chance, any person will easily take a liking to the movie. If you're into stuff like this. That's what I think, but "Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear. Mm-hm."