Empire Records (1995)

Director:

Allan Moyle

Writer (WGA):

Carol Heikkinen (written by)

Release Date:

20 October 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music

Tagline:

Open 'til Midnight.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Music Store | Drug Addiction | One Day | Craps | Bald Girl

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Anthony LaPaglia	...	Joe Reaves
Maxwell Caulfield	...	Rex Manning
Debi Mazar	...	Jane
Rory Cochrane	...	Lucas
Johnny Whitworth	...	A.J.
Robin Tunney	...	Debra
Renée Zellweger	...	Gina (as Renee Zellweger)
Ethan Embry	...	Mark (as Ethan Randall)
Coyote Shivers	...	Berko
Brendan Sexton III	...	Warren (as Brendan Sexton)
Liv Tyler	...	Corey Mason
James 'Kimo' Wills	...	Eddie
Ben Bode	...	Mitchell Beck
Gary Bolen	...	Croupier
Kimber Sissons	...	Woman at Craps Table (as Kimber Monroe)
Tony Zaar	...	High Roller
Patt Noday	...	Reporter
Julia Howard	...	Kathy
Kessia Randall	...	Autograph Girl
Michele Seidman	...	Cop #1
Diana Taylor	...	Cop #2
Bernard Granger	...	Cop #3
Michael Harding	...	Cop #4 (as Mike Harding)
Oderus Urungus	...	Lead Singer
Gwar	...	Band in Mark's Daydream
Kawan Rojanatavorn	...	Flower Delivery Guy
Corey Joshua Taylor	...	Roulette Table Man
Melissa Caulfield	...	Ballet Dancer
Lara Travis	...	Veronica
Dianna Miranda	...	Lilly (scenes deleted)
Rico Fleming	...	Couch Kid #1
Brandon Crawford	...	Couch Kid #2
Elizabeth Grapentien	...	'Say No More' Woman
Pandora J. Nousianen	...	CD Customer
Nello Tare	...	Mello
Kelly Carruth	...	Girl on Couch
Mark Menchhofer	...	Clapton Customer
Tobey Maguire	...	Andre (scenes deleted)
Anthony Hemingway	...	Boom Box Kid
Paizhe Pressley	...	Girl #1
Joanna Canton	...	Girl #2
Lee Etta Sutton	...	Button Customer
Craig Edwards	...	Male Rex Manning Fan
Jesse Bechtel	...	Customer #1
Karen Brigman	...	Customer #2
David Myers Gray	...	Customer #3
Bob Sayer	...	Customer #4
David Lenthall	...	Meg Ryan Customer
Andrea Powell	...	Mariah Carey Customer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Aaron Embry	...	Moshing Guy (uncredited)
Rob Morris	...	Skateboarder (uncredited)

Directed by
Allan Moyle

Writing credits (WGA)
Carol Heikkinen		(written by)

Produced by
Paul Kurta	....	co-producer
Tony Ludwig	....	producer
Arnon Milchan	....	producer
Michael G. Nathanson	....	producer (as Michael Nathanson)
Alan Riche	....	producer

Cinematography by
Walt Lloyd

Film Editing by
Michael Chandler

Casting by
Gail Levin

Production Design by
Peter Jamison

Art Direction by
John Huke

Set Decoration by
Linda Spheeris

Costume Design by
Susan Lyall

Makeup Department
Susan Buffington	....	second assistant hair stylist
Jeff Goodwin	....	key makeup artist
Rick Pour	....	assistant makeup artist
Aaron F. Quarles	....	key hair stylist
Lizz Scalice	....	assistant hair stylist
Sandra S. Orsolyak	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Paul Kurta	....	unit production manager
Cecilia Kate Roque	....	assistant unit production manager (as Cecilia K. Roque)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stefania Girolami Goodwin	....	second second assistant director
Paul Kurta	....	second unit director
Philip A. Patterson	....	second assistant director
Joel Segal	....	first assistant director (as Joel B. Segal)

Art Department
Susan Agnoff	....	art department coordinator
Evelyn Barbier	....	set designer
Robert Beck	....	property master (as Robbie Beck)
Colleen Broderick	....	set dresser
Daniel Cipriani	....	stand-by painter (as Dan Cipriani)
Tim Eckel	....	set designer
John Frick	....	assistant art director
Hal Gardner	....	set dresser
Beth Giles	....	assistant property master
Beejay Grob	....	set dresser
Alan Hook	....	set designer
Andy Krish	....	on-set dresser (as Andrew J. Krish)
Willie Lamb	....	set dresser
Max Letissier	....	set dresser
James F. Oñate	....	scenic foreman (as James Onate)
Mick Ryan	....	general foreman (as Michael Ryan)
Kelly Safrit-Jones	....	set designer
Paul Saunders	....	construction foreman
Jeffrey Schlatter	....	construction coordinator
Bruce S. Seymour	....	on-set dresser (as Bruce Seymour)
Brian Stultz	....	chargeman scenic artist
Matthew Sullivan	....	set dresser (as Matt Sullivan)
Ken Wilson	....	leadman
Ralph Woollaston	....	construction foreman
Juliette Blasor	....	specialty props (uncredited)
Randy Huke	....	art consultant (uncredited)
Brian Kontz	....	scenic painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Randle Akerson	....	supervising sound editor
Gary Alexander	....	sound re-recording mixer
Douglas Axtell	....	sound mixer
Benjamin Beardwood	....	dialogue editor
Larry Collins	....	sound recordist
Don Digirolamo	....	sound re-recording mixer
Dean Drabin	....	adr mixer
Joe Earle	....	sound effects editor
Linda Folk	....	adr supervisor
Sukey Fontelieu	....	adr editor
Scott Ganary	....	sound re-recording mixer
Douglas Greenfield	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Robin Harlan	....	foley artist
David M. Horton	....	sound effects editor
David L. Horton Jr.	....	foley supervisor
Linda Keim	....	sound effects editor
J. Patrick Lawlor	....	cable person
Robert Maxfield	....	boom operator
Sarah Monat	....	foley artist
Paul O'Bryan	....	assistant sound editor
Jonathan Phillips	....	assistant sound editor
Brian Ruberg	....	foley mixer
Adam Sawelson	....	dialogue editor
Christina Tucker	....	adr mixer
Bill Ward	....	assistant sound editor
Paul J. Zydel	....	adr mixer (as Paul Zydel)
Scott Houle	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Greg Hull	....	special effects coordinator
William Purcell	....	special effects foreman (as Will Purcell)

Stunts
John Copeman	....	stunt double: Lucas
Jery Hewitt	....	stunt coordinator
Christopher Derek Lee	....	stunt double: Warren (as Christopher Lee Bennett)

Camera and Electrical Department
Mitchell Amundsen	....	camera operator (as C. Mitchell Amundsen)
George Ball	....	gaffer
Jim Bridges	....	still photographer (as James Bridges)
Clarence Brown	....	dolly grip
Carolyn Chen	....	director of photography: second unit
Joe D'Alessandro	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera (as Joseph C. D'Alessandro)
Joseph Gallagher	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Rufus Granger Jr.	....	dolly grip
Scott Graves	....	rigging gaffer
Ken Hudson	....	second assistant camera (as Kenneth David Hudson)
Eric Moore	....	camera loader
Jeff Moore	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Rick Raphael	....	Steadicam operator
Mary F. Stankiewicz	....	camera loader (as Mary Stankiewicz)
Kurt Strazdins	....	camera intern
Eric Swanek	....	Steadicam first assistant camera
Randy Tambling	....	key grip (as Randal Tambling)
John Verardi	....	first assistant camera (as John F. Verardi)
Aaron G. Woolf	....	best boy electric (as Aaron Wolf)
Dennis Zoppe	....	best boy grip
Scott Graves	....	gaffer: second unit (uncredited)
Scott Hamilton	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Charles Laughon	....	video playback operator (uncredited)
Michael Negrin	....	additional photographer (uncredited)

Casting Department
Craig Fincannon	....	local casting: Wilmington
Barbara Harris	....	adr voice casting
Tricia Tomey	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rachel Buchanan	....	costumer (as Rachel Hepler)
Wanda Evans	....	seamstress
Sevilla Granger	....	costumer (as Cherie Granger)
Carolyn Greco	....	costume supervisor
Levert C. Miller	....	key set costumer

Editorial Department
Adam C. Frank	....	lightworks assistant
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Thomas J. Nordberg	....	first assistant editor
Bob Putynkowski	....	color timer
Sondra Watanabe	....	lightworks assistant
Calvin Wimmer	....	second assistant editor
Trudy Yee	....	lightworks assistant
Pamela Jule Yuen	....	assistant editor (as Pamela J. Yuen)
Mark Perzely	....	assistant editor: lightworks (uncredited)

Music Department
Sally Boldt	....	music editor
Desiree Craig	....	music coordinator
Pennie Ellis	....	location music assistant (as Pennie D. Ellis)
Karen Glauber	....	music consultant
Bob Knickman	....	associate music supervisor
Larry Lee	....	composer: additional music
Mitchell Leib	....	executive soundtrack album producer
Mitchell Leib	....	music supervisor
Michael Lippman	....	consultant: soundtrack album
Terry Lippman	....	consultant: soundtrack album
Jonathan McHugh	....	executive soundtrack album producer
Brian Reeves	....	composer: additional music
Hope Sugarman	....	music production manager (as Hope Stolley-Sugarman)

Transportation Department
Jeff Long	....	transportation captain
Bill Pitts	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Molly Allen	....	location manager
Rick Baer	....	assistant production accountant
Shauna Beal	....	assistant: Mr. Milchan
Alisa Brownlow	....	intern
Ernest Burnett	....	assistant: Mr. Nathanson
Amy Chance	....	assistant production coordinator
Tim Christenson	....	assistant: Mr. Kurta
Debra Collins	....	loading intern
Liza Cook	....	production assistant
Craig Edwards	....	production assistant
Karen Eisenstadt	....	production accountant
Beau Guyott	....	intern
Emily Heinritz	....	intern
Therese Honeycutt	....	craft service
Geoffrey C. Lands	....	production assistant
Melissa Maready	....	studio teacher
Emily McGovern	....	production assistant
Nicole Mehterian	....	assistant: Mr. Ludwig and Mr. Riche
Mary Weisgerber Meyer	....	location manager
Kelly Monk	....	intern
Eric Moore	....	projectionist
Gaea Powell	....	assistant: Mr. Nathanson (as Gaea Powell Brown)
Patty Reid	....	assistant: Mr. Milchan
Sara Seidman	....	voice coach
Cynthia Streit	....	production coordinator
Joy Todd	....	dialogue coach
Virginia Ussery	....	craft service (as Virginia W. Ussery)
Annie Welles	....	script supervisor
David Wendell	....	assistant: Mr. Moyle
George Whitley	....	assistant location manager (as George Lee Whitley)
Caleb Womble	....	production assistant (as J. Caleb Womble)
Alex L. Worman	....	unit publicist (as Alex Worman)
Stephanie Hart	....	background crew (uncredited)
Joanne Martin Hinson	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Jim McCarthy	....	post-production accountant (uncredited)
Sue Bea Montgomery	....	production coordinator (uncredited)
Warren Smith	....	production supervisor: re-shoots, Los Angeles (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Monarchy Enterprises B.V.
• New Regency Pictures
• Regency Entertainment
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures
• Warner Bros. (Spain)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• A&M Records  soundtrack
• Fire-Tech  first aid
• Ken and Art's Catering  catering
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals

Also Known As:

Empire
Rock & Fun

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual situations, language and a drug issue.

Runtime:

90 min | USA:107 min (special extended edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:15 | Australia:M (original rating) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Canada:14A | Germany:12 | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Monarchy Enterprises B.V.

Trivia:

A sign by the register that says "Have a nice daze" shows the logo for Dazed and Confused (1993). Rory Cochrane, who plays Lucas, played Slater in Dazed and Confused.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mark is putting the table together, the poster is put in upside down; yet it is up the right way when Rex first walks out to greet his fans.

Quotes:

[about the CDs that Warren tried to shoplift]
Lucas: Rap, metal, rap, metal, Whitney Houston.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The School of Rock (2003)

Soundtrack:

Here It Comes Again

See it twice to appreciate it.....you'll be lukewarm the first time and love it the second time.

I love this movie. This movie is the kind of movie I watch movies for (um....did you follow that?). I would make one suggestion, however....watch it twice before you decide if you like it or not. If you're like me you'll probably be lukewarm the first time you see it but like it more each time you see it after that.

The reason for seeing it twice is because the film's strong points become more evident the second (and beyond) time around. Each character is well-defined, with individual traits and idiosynchracies, but this can be lost the first time through because you're trying to follow the story. There is a very strong soundtrack for the movie, but you appreciate it more the second time through, because you better understand how the music applies to the scene. The actors have great chemistry and the character interactions are great. The movie never takes itself very seriously and it's just a lot of fun to watch. You'll find yourself rewinding it to see certain scenes again and again.

I grant you the movie will never win any Academy nominations. The plot is simplistic and the "neat" ending (all problems solved perfectly in just one day) is unrealistic (not that this bothered me....I personally loved the ending....if I want "reality" I'll watch the evening news). Also, trying to follow the storyline tends to take away from the character interaction the first time you see it; hence, the suggestion to see it at least twice. I actually didn't care for it the first time I saw it because I was looking at it strictly story-wise. The second time I saw it I concentrated on the characters and the dialogue(which I loved), and that's when I realized the appeal. If you're into serious movies that reflect real life and real suffering, you'll probably want to pass on this one. However, if you watch movies to have fun and laugh, watch this one. Also, if you like music- especially a moderately wide variety- you'll enjoy it. It's worth your time, but save the beer for the second viewing. "Sugarhigh" is awesome- Well done, Gina! Hot voice.... Oh, and Damn the Man! 9 out of 10.