One Day in A Record Store With Those Kids...

Rating: 6/10 (3 August 2007)

An employee steals the money from a record store's vault, with the hopes of gambling with it in Atlantic City and making it big. He fails, and the next day the store must face the reality: without the money, they will be turned into one of many chain stores where the more laid back approach to selling music just doesn't slide with those in charge. Also, this day features a visit from washed-up pop star Rex Manning.
Directed by the writer and director of "Pump Up The Volume", this film simply is not as good as "Pump Up The Volume". And, sadly, it's also not the best movie about people hanging out in a record store -- "High Fidelity" is a better contender in that category. What this film does excel at is showing a store with way too many employees who do nothing (how can they possibly afford to pay these slackers) and really encapsulating what it was like to live circa 1995 (probably as much or even more so than "Reality Bites").
That is really the only selling point for this film for me. Reminding me of 1995, when music like the Gin Blossoms was cool and people dressed like they were trying to escape the 1980s but didn't know how (and ended up turning to flannel for help). Sure, we have Robin Tunney ("The Craft") and a young Liv Tyler... even Renee Zellweger. All fine actresses, but nothing worth seeing the film for if that's all you want to see.
There's nothing new about the idea of trying to get a store saved from going under (or a school, or a radio station -- see "UHF"). What makes this movie different is that the characters are just, well, weird. They sit around, don't do a lot of work, wander off for no reason, and nobody cares. The store could run more effectively with fewer employees, and the film would probably be tighter if one character was dropped (maybe Ethan Embry).
Warren was by far the most entertaining part of the film for me. His hoodlum antics just made me very amused, and without him this would have been a highly dull film. Do I care about a girl's depression (which is never really explored or resolved) or another girl's acceptance to Harvard (which is barely covered) or a pill addiction (which is dealt with so minorly)? No. I am never given a reason to give half a fig. Each character is so shallow that their shallowness is almost deep in its presentation.
If you need a flashback to 1995, this is a film for you. The music obviously plays a large role in this movie, and the styles will be familiar. But as far as being an outstanding film or a cultural achievement or even a cult classic, I guess I just don't see it. All the hype this film had or has circling around it don't amount to much. But, hype is like that -- almost never delivering on its promises.