Empire Records

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

• Director:Allan Moyle
• Genre:Comedy / Drama
• Runtime:90 minutes

Cast

Anthony LaPaglia : Joe Reaves
Maxwell Caulfield : Rex Manning
Debi Mazar : Jane
Rory Cochrane : Lucas
Johnny Whitworth : A.J.

Empire Records is a small record shop managed by the cynical Joe (Anthony LaPaglia). His employees are all local teenagers, many of whom are outsiders.

Joe selects Lucas (Rory Cochrane) to close the store. Lucas discovers that Empire Records is on the brink of being converted to a franchise of a chain called Music Town. In an attempt to save the store, Lucas takes the day’s cash receipts to Atlantic City, where he loses it all.

The following morning, the young employees arrive for work. A washed-up pop star named Rex Manning (Maxwell Caulfield) is due to arrive to sign autographs, but no one is looking forward to it except Corey (Liv Tyler), a beautiful cashier who is obsessed with Rex and plans to lose her virginity to him. When the hyperactive skater punk Mark (Ethan Embry) and an artist AJ (Johnny Whitworth) show up at the store, they discover what Lucas has done, and decide not to tell Joe.

Joe finds the money gone. He had hoped to buy out Empire’s owner, Mitchell Beck (Ben Bode), but will instead have to use his own savings to replace the stolen money in order to protect Lucas.

Corey and her friend Gina (Renée Zellweger) arrive at work. AJ decides that today is the day he will confess his love for Corey. Lucas arrives, and Joe forbids him to leave the store (or even the couch) until he is able to repay the $9,000.

Deb (Robin Tunney), another store employee, arrives. She locks herself in the bathroom, where she shaves her head. As she exits the bathroom, AJ sees that her wrists are bandaged and she admits that she attempted suicide. Read more

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