EMPIRE RECORDS (1995) | FIRST TIME WATCHING | Reaction & Commentary 

This has always been one of my favorite "teen comedies" from the 90's. I never understood the dislike of it. Great cast, great soundtrack, and just fun as hell

Damn the Man. Save the Empire.

"Help me help me help me... Oh god!!!" I love Ethan Embry as Mark. He has no conflicts, no subplot, just good vibes and 'sugar' 😉 we should all be so happy

FINALLY. "The time to hesitate is through" Such a great movie. Did you recognize Lucas? He was Slater in Dazed and Confused. Rex Manning Day is April 8th. Damn the man, Save the Empire.

I had no idea Empire Records was remembered unfondly in reviews. People dug it when it was released!

If you liked this you should check out "Can't Hardly Wait".

I highly recommend Can't Hardly Wait if you haven't seen it.. it's classic late 90s teen/high school party film that basically takes place in one day for the most part.. you'd love it, it's right up your alley.. great cast as well..

I saw it back in the 90's when it was released on VHS. It became a frequent rental for me. I don't know if IMDB has it in its trivia, but that performance at the end, that really is Renee singing. She freakin nailed the singing.

I've thought of Rex Manning being someone like David Cassidy who started out on "The Partridge Family" and went on to be a pop star in the 1970s.

Liv Tyler is such a gem. Two other music films I think you'd enjoy would be That Thing You Do which had Liv in it and Tom Hanks. It was a Hank's Playtone production. The other is The Boat That Rocked also titled Pirate Radio in North America. Phillip Seymour Hoffman in a film that depicts a 1967 pirate radio station broadcasting off a boat in international waters of the coast of England. Back then rock n roll was banned in the country and was brought in via broadcasting outside the country.

High Fidelity (2000) is one you'll probably enjoy Shanelle.

I didn't see it until around 2000, but just fell in love with it. As one friend of mine from film class put it: "It's not a great movie, but it's just a great sit back and have fun movie." I personally love the movie so much - so many great moments.

This movie is legendary! People all over the world still celebrate Rex Manning day every April 8th by watching the film! Including me!

Empire Records was released to 87 theatres and dropped fast (85, 16, 8, out by 5th week). It released late September in the same week as Se7en (2441 theatres) and Showgirls (1388). Other significant films that week include To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar; The Usual Suspects; Braveheart; and Apollo 13. So the short answer to why it flopped is that they released a teen summer film in late September after everyone was back in school and didn't put it in enough theatres to be noticed. Death by studio disinterest.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw the thumbnail for this - Empire Records is one of my top 5 favorite movies of all time. I spent the night at a friend's house after junior prom with a bunch of people, and the following morning someone put this movie on, but I had to leave halfway through. I was so obsessed with finishing it that I had to go out and rent the VHS from Blockbuster (that's a long way of saying "I'm old"). I watched it so many times that to this day I can recite it forwards and backwards. I even played several of the less popular songs from the soundtrack regularly on my radio show in college. Thank you so much for reviewing this and sharing in the joy that it always brings me!

I managed a video store for 5 years and it is as glorious as you could imagine.

Shanelle, I worked in the video store business for nearly a decade (November 1990-August 2000). I loved it. It was truly great times and I have a backlog of memories to fill a book. And I remember when this film came out. I was 23 at the time and this was during the height of Real World, post-grunge, early days of Internet America. “Clerks” felt like a movie made for us and I can imagine this movie felt the same way or similarly to record store or music store employees back then. It’s a fun movie and I love it. If you really enjoyed this, I highly recommend “High Fidelity” with John Cusack. One of my favorites and the book by Nick Hornby is great, too. This movie gives me mixed feelings. Makes me happy cause it’s so good and so much fun. Makes me sad because I really miss that time and it’s so sad to have worked so hard and long at something you loved that doesn’t exist anymore. I imagine it’s what switchboard operators must feel like. Yet I still believe there is a market out there for movie rental stores. I have thought about this for awhile and I have some ideas on how they could bring it back. They can’t do it like before. They would have to incorporate the streaming technology with the physical media side of it and build it in, sew them In together. How they could do it, that’s the $64,000 question.

I worked at Blockbuster Video. This movie perfectly captured me and my co-workers comraderie and experiences.

Rex Manning was the typical 70’s tv star turned pop star who is now aging & no longer relevant & can only get booked by small indie record stores. I don’t know if you realize it but Lucas is the actor who played Slater (the stoner) in Dazed & Confused. The main reason this bombed in my opinion is that it was released by Gramercy Pictures (Mallrats, Dazed & Confused). Everything they released bombed in theaters but most found a cult following. Unfortunately Empire never really found its cult following.

Hard to think that Lucas is the same guy who played Slater the long-haired stoner in Dazed and Confused (Rory Cochrane)

it is true that whenever I see certain kinds of films, certain reacters (reactors?) that I watch will just pop into mind, and whenever I see coming-of-age pop-culture time-capsules like this one, I think of you! .. I don't care what they say.. you're alright kid.. 🤪 I love your trivia-in-post, it's unique to you and channel-defining, often my favorite part cause I learn something new and your two-cents is priceless 🤩

I always thought of the Rex character as a Donny Osmond kind of person who still tours but no one under 25 would know who they were.

High Fidelity is a similar movie centered around a record store although it's a grown up plot not a teen drama. If you like John Cusack you should check it out.

probably my favorite soundtrack ever. Coyote Shivers who played Berko. that was his song they sang on the roof with gina. sugar high, such a great jam

I’m so glad you enjoyed this and you just got it! It’s my favourite film ever. I was obsessed through my teenage years and it’s my all time comfort movie. Damn the man, save the empire!!

Yes. at this time I was convinced Renee Zellweger and Joey Lauren Adams was the same actress just getting different billing. Then Renee started making serious grown up movies, and Joey seemingly disappeared. And I'm probably forgetting some zany Renee film later and a huge Joey film after. The Rex sound was very Duran Duran. The video made me think of Robert Palmer and Whitesnake. But as you mentioned, the hair seemed like it was out of the 70s (when the 1995 movie would have required an early 80's prototype). I can't think of a perfect match. Robert Palmer is probably the closest fit as he was most popular ten years before the movie, and had similar hair. It's just hard to associate anyone with the horrible Rex Manning tho. You really need to listen to the Dire Straits "Making Movies" album, as it's spectacular. I too feel the 90s "kids at a party" movies perfected the John Hughes formula and transcended the 80s films. I'm not sure what killed this. Maybe "High School Musical" changing the flow behind the films? Or maybe just the climate in the world not being able to suspend disbelief enough to join the fun?

Awww...you talked right over my favorite line. He answers the phone, "Empire Records! Open til midnight." (short pause) "Midnight!" (slams phone down and does a double take)

I had a smile on my face the entire time watching this. I had to have seen this sometime in 1996 on cable when I was a kid. A few years ago I went to a 90’s themed pub crawl with an Empire Records name badge, Marc Sucks and Sinead O’Rebellion buttons. 😂

Can't Hardly Wait. Graduation day for 90s kids.

HAPPY REX MANNING DAY, SHANELLE!!!! 😁😁😁 I didn't see this until it was released on home video, and I had a hell of a time getting my hands on a copy for my first time seeing it...and I was working at a Blockbuster Video when it went to video!!! We had one single copy...and EVERYONE between the ages of 14 to 28 wanted to rent it. How's that for irony? We finally just bought a few more copies for the store and they were still always rented out (or out and accruing late fees) for at least a year and a half...much like Clerks and a few other similar films of the 90s. This was directed by Allan Moyle, who directed another favorite movie of mine (which you should see!) called 'Pump Up The Volume'(1990) starring Christian Slater and Samantha Mathis. I could never figure out who Rex Manning should be...because there are so many people he could have been from the 70s and 80s who did both music and a TV show. The actor who played Rex always tickled me...Maxwell Caulfield played Michael Carrington, the cousin of Olivia Newton-John's Sandy, in 'Grease 2'(1982) opposite Michelle Pfeiffer. It's one of those movies you know isn't very good and should not watch again, but you kind of fall in love with it anyway. Anyway...thanks for the great reaction...and check out 'Pump Up The Volume' and 'Grease 2'.

You should follow this up with Airheads. Steve Buscemi, Brendan Frasier.

My absolute favorite movie, I quote this at least once a day. Haven't been this excited for a reaction since O Brother.

Empire Records is a forgotten gem. I also recommend Noises Off. The theater version of this in a way.

So happy you're doing this one, it was a pivotal movie in my childhood

I don’t ever remember seeing this playing in theatres, but I do remember when the vhs released because I grabbed it first chance. I always associated Rex Manning with David Hasslehoff.

Hi Fidelity feels much more like the modern story about a record store owner (John Cusack) and his employees (Jack Black) and has a killer soundtrack. It’s also about the love life of John Cusack in Chicago! So good!

This is such a great movie. Rory Cochrane was at the top of his game in this after playing Slater on Dazed and Confused. There are a few other teen comedies I would love to see you watch. Valley Girl with Nick Cage, and Some Kind of Wonderful. Thanks for watching all these great movies, I truly enjoy your channel.

I saw this a couple years after it's release. I would've been 15 or so. This is for sure a top 5 for me. I still listen to a bunch of this music today.

This movie is ultimate 90s nostalgia for me.

I LOVE this movie. It's casually entertaining without trying to be too serious or overly comedic. I find movies like this very relaxing. I feel the same about Clueless. Glad you liked it!

As a high school student in 1995, this was an instant classic.

This came out when I was 16, and I loved it. Single handedly made me want to work at a record store. 🙂

I was a senior in high school when this came out and was obsessed with it. Still watch it every year on Rex Manning Day (April 8).

This movie was a classic for myself and classmates in high school in 1998!

I was in 8th grade when this movie came out and I can't tell you how many times I have watched this. Loved that you watched this for the channel and enjoyed it. So, good.

This movie came out in September. Liv Tyler was mostly known for appearing in an Aerosmith video and being Steven Tyler's daughter. That video also had Alicia Silverstone in it and Silverstone had just been in "Clueless." Sometimes it seems like audiences will really care about one movie of a genre at a time. This was when there was a new wave of teen/young adult movies; suddenly there were a lot of them at the same time. It sort of got lost in that shuffle even though it was driven by a soundtrack with songs ubiquitous on MTV.

OMG OMG OMG OMG! Shan... I've been begging other reactionists to do this movie! I now officially love you forever! 😍 [Rex Manning is - at least to Gen X'ers who dealt with their parentals watching stuff from their own teenage years - clearly a leftover from the Monkees / Partridge Family milieu of fake TV bands] The amount of music is daunting for someone trying to dodge the copyright patrol, so thanks for braving the legalese slapfight!

Never got to work in a record shop (applied, got an interview, apparently wasn't cool enough), never got to work in a video store, but I did work at a book store in the early '00s. Similar vibe in a lot of ways, even if it was a big chain. The soundtrack is indeed an incredible snapshot of the mid '90s. For another "cult" period piece with great, era-appropriate soundtrack check out Singles (1992).

I've been waiting for you to watch this! This is one of my favorite movies ever! It reminds me of my teenage years so much, and the soundtrack is killer. Rex Manning Day is April 8th and this movie is always played at my local movie theater every year on that day. A bunch of us 90s kids always come out for it

One of my favorite movies since my freshman year of high school in 95. Great soundtrack too.

Thanks for this choice - Such an underrated 90's jam! love this movie and had the amazing soundtrack as well!

This is a classic. Loved it since the 90’s and yes the soundtrack is incredible.

I got to work at a record store in the last years of its heyday('03 to '07). While there was a lot of work to do because it was still so busy back then, the feel of this movie is totally accurate. Made the best of friends and had the best time.

Can't Hardly Wait is also a top notch 90s teen comedy, though from a bit later in the 90s. Also staring "Marc".

This is a criminally underrated film, and it's a joy to see you discover and appreciate it.

Ethan Randall, who later switched his name to Ethan Embry, had a role earlier in his career, a movie called A Far Off Place, which also starred a young Reese Witherspoon. The two would also be in Sweet Home Alabama, in which he had a smaller role than Reese.

So excited to see you do this one! I worked for Blockbuster video in the late 90's and our whole crew loved this movie. And now my siblings, friends, and I quote it alllll the time. A classic. ❤️

Robin Tunney is also great in another 90s classic, The Craft.

I love this movie and I did see it in the theater. I still have the CD for this soundtrack lol. I have a group of friends that we do always wish each other happy rex manning day on April 8th (The date was chosen as a tribute to Kurt Cobain who was found dead on April 8th the year before the movie was released.) This was the same year Clueless came out and it was quite a difference between the two. It was a weird time in music which was shifting away from grunge/rock and more to gangster rap (east vs west coast) and eventually pop. Thank you for reacting to this movie.

I love that you're visiting these awesome 90s classics. I hope you get around to So I Married An Axe Murderer next. One of the best 90s comedies and Mike Meyers best film. Would be right up your alley for these quirky little self-contained comedies.

Another great movie taking place in record store is High Fidelity with John Cusack and Jack Black.

Loved this movie back in the day, did work in a record store early 90’s a lot like this. Also worked in a video store. I love your channel

I'm SOOOOO HAPPY to see someone reacting to Empire Records. It's one of my favorite movies and I must have watched it literally 100 times in highschool. I just absolutely LOVE Lucas. The way he stole Joe's money was just hilarious, and then the way he paid it back was great!

This movie is a straight up, 90s suburbia time machine

Just a note.. Rory "Lucas" Cochrane played the stoner Slater in "Dazed and Confused"

An underrated classic from the 90's.

Thanks, Shanelle! 💿 #ShanelleRiccio Debi Mazar is so great, as you know... if you'd like to see an excellent one in which she has a minor role, try GOODFELLAS (1990). Maxwell Caulfield should really be experienced in first major role, GREASE 2 (1982) which tends to be a love-it or hate-it kind of thing. I love it... and so does Drew Barrymore. I bet you will, too. 🙂

This movie was a banger for watching at sleepovers in the 90s. I still know all the words by heart! Such a good movie. Damn the man, save the Empire!

I LOVE this movie! I rented on a whim from the library as a kid. It's been a favorite ever since! It's kinda sad most people seem to have never heard of it.

Excerpt from "The History of Punk" by Professor Thursday (mixcloud) "MTV ruled the 80s. Pop bands connected themselves to video and the big screen for cross promotions, but they had to be selected by the studio through contracts with the record companies. Directors had little pull on this. Movies were promoted through pop bands that played on MTV and the bands got paid for essentially two gigs. But as the 90s came rolling in, the MTV music video promotion was waning. MTV began to divert their attention to different programming like The real world and Road rules. Smaller bands didn’t have a chance to get air play like those that signed with the major labels. So, indie director Kevin Smith added smaller bands to his movie. For one, they were cheaper. The bands wanted exposure and Smith didn’t have to deal with music lawyers for rights and royalties as he would have for larger, better branded bands. That’s not to say that he didn’t pay a pretty penny to produce their peculiar sound in his production. Secondly, after seeing the success of the movie 'Singles', bands would jump at the chance to cross promote their sound. Movie Studios didn’t take long to understand the power of a good soundtrack. The 80’s were filled with great soundtrack from iconic movies, but they were on a lull as the decade turned. Looking at the success of Green Day, Skate Punk, and indie movies like Clerks, they quickly started incorporating youth music into their movies. The first to break the ice, and begin the long list of copycat movies to follow, came with Clueless in 1995. The movie featured the first pop punk sounds as dictated by corporations, in this case Viacom who happens to own Paramount Pictures and MTV. These bands were different than Green Day’s punk interpretation, but their sound was appealing to the average youth audience and edgy enough have a punk rock sound. Without a doubt, the production of the movie was one big music video as songs carried from scene to scene. It was also the first teen movie aimed directly at the new youth, or millennials. In direct competition with clueless came the teen movie Empire records. The soundtrack became attached to A&M records because the Gin blossoms track “Til I hear it from you” would be issued as the lead single for the movie. Music supervisor Bob Knickman included unsigned bands into the movie that would later be attached to the A&M catalogue. Francis “Coyote” Shivers even played a role in the movie to promote his song “Sugar High”. Other bands included Better than Ezra, the cranberries, toad the wet sprocket and cracker."

I was brought up watching Empire Records, Clerks and High Fidelity. Loved them. A couple of years later, I actually got the chance to live the dream and work in a music and video store. My first day there was one of my happiest memories. I stood alone in a silent, empty store an hour before opening, then someone started the music playing and cranked it up loud. Suddenly, the little gum-chewing freaks all appeared and got to work. The DJs working the dance section would put records aside for other local DJs. The emos and goths would index Rock, Pop and Metal. We had a serial academic working classical and film makers in DVD. They'd write reviews by hand and stick to the DVD racks. I worked with musicians that went on to be in famous bands, we served Thom Yorke and Chris Martin. We hosted good bands for signings...There were posters up, in jokes, scruffiness, authenticity. Then, of course, came the corporate rebrand. Out went the posters, in came the dress code, out went the hand-written reviews, in came the corporate flyers, out went the mates rates on records, in came the credit card you had to push with every purchase. Out went the soul. Watching Empire Records still takes me back to those happy days though :)

I LOVED working at a music store way back when this came out. This flick always brings good memories. And renee actually singing is amazing.

It's Rex Manning Day!!!!

This is my sister's favorite movie, and a huge part of her and my tween/early teen years. We always rush to see who can wish the other "Happy Rex Manning Day!" first every April 8th. I always thought Rex Manning was meant to be a Niel Diamond type (singer of "Sweet Caroline"), as he looked similar, and recorded similar music, though I'm not sure if he was that much of a lothario (could also be going for Tom Jones ("What's New Pussycat") type). When you were listing off those bands you'd never heard of, I just laughed because Gin Blossoms/Toad the Wet Sprocket/etc were the sounds of my early teen years.

I am Gen X and I was a supervisor at Sam Goody music store, so watching this movie again since 1995 brought back memories of me working at a Record Store. At the time our store stop selling records, bc CD's was in the rise. Although we still sold 45 records and cassette tapes. Yes I did run after shoplifters who ran out of the store, now if you run after shoplifters today your company will fire you.

I remember my older sister having an adolescent crush on Shaun Cassidy, a teen heartthrob who had played on the '70's family-dramedy, "Eight Is Enough". I guessed he was in part modeled after him.

This movie was legendary when I was in high school , this was myyyyy time period lol love it 80’s and 90’s were awesome

saw it during its theatrical release and loved it... i was in my early/mid twenties and liked a lot of the music, with most being indie and/or alternative at the time (very few of it was actually mainstream radio type music, even the songs from the better known bands were not songs that were big hits). This was definitely made for a specific demographic, and most of my friends didnt get it at the time, though miraculously after it had become a cult classic on video and dvd, those same friends then denied not liking it back in the day. Damn the Man! Save the Empire!

The year this came out I graduated high school and began college, so I believe I was the demographic for this movie. While I did enjoy it and think of it fondly, I do recognize that it is not fantastic and I was never obsessed with it. The music and the cast are great, but now it makes sense when you say they edited out 40 minutes and a whole character. Oh, and the guy who played Lucas played Slater in Dazed & Confused. ✌

One of my all time favourite movies! Leaves you with a smile, and a great soundtrack!

always loved this movie... so many lines from this are still in my repertoire

Empire records is classic,I was a little kid in 1995 and remember my brother having the VHS, and a few years later I actually bought the VHS off of him. The kid who plays Lucas was the stoner kid in dazed and confused.

This was my favorite when I was a lil teen 😍 can't believe you reacted to this classic lol love love love your channel ❤️

This movie is kinda special to me. I worked in The VirginMega Store in Las Vegas for about 7 years. I started as a sales clerk but ended up running the video department. In my department we had a big projector to play movies. This was the first movie we played. Seen it allot. It really did capture some of the nutty aspects of working in a record store. I kinda miss it and some of the people I worked with. (Some are still my friends today.)

Lucas (Rory Cochrane) was the stoner (slater) in Dazed and Confused

So glad you liked this one- it's always been right up my alley too. Crazy Life from the soundtrack made me a Toad fan, finally saw them in concert this past summer! Looking it up- this came out on the same day as Seven and Showgirls. Seven especially sucked up all the air in the room. And Hackers was a popular "teen" film that came out the week before. Empire records got overlooked but became popular for its soundtrack and ended up being on cable tv a lot.

My sister and I rented this movie constantly. The soundtrack is still in a number of my playlists. This and Newsies were our go-to comfort movies. Here's a fact that I don't think most people know because I don't think I've ever even seen it written about - the guy who plays AJ was discovered in a YM Magazine model search. One of his female friends submitted him... and I think it might have been the first search, but that I'm not sure of. Honestly, I think I still have that magazine stashed somewhere in my family home. I was obsessed with his spread and freaked when I saw him a few years later acting in this. He and Lucas were also both (years and years) later on CSI Miami.

Absolutely love this movie!! 90s were so freaking awesome. Even though I was just a little kid but love the music, trending outfits, shoes etc

Damn The Man! Save The Empire!

This is the quintessential 90's movie. I've watched this film so many times, and it never gets old. Damn the man! Save the Empire!

"Video Killed the Radio Star" was the first music video to appear on MTV. Furthermore, the black-jacketed keyboard player is famed score composer and music producer, Hans Zimmer.

Rex Manning was a parody of two people, David Cassidy and Sonny Bono. He was more of a type then someone specific.

between the ages of 15 and 25 I think I watched this movie 100 times. I love it so much. I love the soundtrack. Damn the man! Save the Empire!

I needed this movie and music back then! It was a GLORIOUS TIME for rock music!!!!

This has always been one of my favorite movies!

3:58 - I honestly never heard of it, but from what I've seen so far I'm getting the same vibe. Think I'll watch it in full later, see for myself.

PS; If you haven’t watched the Tom Hanks movie “That Thing You Do” Liv Tyler and Ethan Embry (Mark) are both in it and I think you’d like it!

I absolutely love this movie. There isn't a single scene that doesn't work.

People never react to this! It used to be on TV all the time, but when my sisters and I noticed it, it was always on the part where Mark was making out with the mural. We had to buy the movie to watch the beginning, and we reference it a lot.

Back in 1983 I lived in a small town in Wisconsin, I had just turn 18. We would travel to the St. Paul/Minneapolis area to go to concerts. Knowing I was going to get the hell out of the town I lived in and move to the Twin Cities as soon as I graduated. One afternoon before going to a concert I stopped into a record store and happened to meet the owner I told him I was moving there soon and needed a job. He told me to come back as soon as I moved there. My friends and family doubted that the guy was for real and would give me a job. The day after my girlfriend and I moved to the city I went to the record store and believe it or not he told me I could start the next day. Not only that he made me the manager. The store was so close to the arena where the concerts took place I ended up getting backstage passes for shows and having band members from Great White, AC/DC, Scorpions, Judas Priest and many more come into the store. I was usually able to do a bit of trading for tickets and passes. It was a great time to be part of the music scene, I felt like a king. I had to edit just to say that while I haven't worked there in over almost 40 years the store is still up and running after moving a few times. When I get the chance I still stop in there and the owner always asks me if I want to come back and work part time.