Clockwatchers (1998)

Clockwatchers

This is an outstanding flick! To my mind, a chick flick's version of Office Space!

Enjoy! February 8, 2007

A Brilliant film. Oscar caliber perfomances from Parker Posey and Toni Collette. The Best picture of 1998

Clockwatchers is one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life. An inspired film full of original ideas, this thought-provoking brilliant satire that makes clever social commentary about how a workplace environment dehumanizes the people who work in it. Underlying the dark humor in the film are some powerful truths about the world of work.

Clockwatchers follows the story four temporary workers Iris, a shy woman contemplating her future in the working world, Margaret a brilliant free spirit whose dynamic personality hides her vulnerabilities, Paula, an older woman running out of time to achieve her dreams of becoming an actress, and Jane, a woman biding time with a job until she gets married to her dream man. Global Credit's indifferent employees don't see them as people with dreams and futures; just butts to fill seats so the company looks busy. So the four bide their time doing mindless tasks in this brain-numbing environment complete with tortuous lite muzak, bright florescent lights and drab gray furniture. Because they're temps no one sees them. To get a semblance visibility from someone in the company the four act in passive aggressive manner at work: Paula constantly breaking the copier with paper clips; Margaret's destroying the desk to state she was there, Jane's constant personal calls and Iris writing in a journal. To cope with the isolation on the job, the four temps become friends and even hang out after work.

As the women start to grow closer, they change: Iris grows out of her shyness, Margaret starts to actualize her potential as a leader, Paula starts making her move on the copier guy and working towards her acting career, and Jane starts to see an identity outside of her future husband. Just when the women are starting to grow, the soul-crushing environment of Global Credit works to break their friendship and their spirits. Even though the company has temps, it hires Cleo, an assistant for the job Margaret wanted and even suggested to management. Ironically, when the temp clique ignores her she begins stealing office objects in the same passive aggressive way to get attention. Minor stuff like mugs and such. This brings the full-time office staff into an uproar. I just love the BS speech made by the CEO about being a "family". Truly hilarious! I love how in that scene the out-of touch executives are shown sitting at a conference table on one side of the room and the employees huddled together tightly next to the door. Just like real life.

The company blames the temps for the thefts and starts to treat them in a more dehumanizing way to ferret out the thief. The humiliating tactics used by management like cameras, to watch the temps ultimately breaks up the relationships of the women. Iris passively watches as Margaret is fired unjustly; Jane escapes through her marriage and Paula gets transferred. Once all her friends are forced out of their jobs Iris starts to stand up for herself. Making herself visible with make-up and a suit her father bought for her, she gets her journal back from Cleo, and then manipulates the managers in such a way so she can get a letter of recommendation for Margaret. At the end of the movie we see Iris make a final transformation into a complete human being. Following her father's advice she never lets go of the memories of her friends from the temp job as she begins her new permanent job at the food company. I believe that's where she went, and this is why she stopped working at Global credit. In addition to the suit her father got her, She wears a gold necklace like Jane, lipstick like Paula, hair like Margaret and a new personality of her own.

This movie on the surface looks like a story about temps and how they deal with the indifferent workplaces they're in however, it's has more layers than that. There's probably more to this movie than I'm writing about, each time I watch it I get something new from it.

Directors Jill Sprecher and writer Karen Sprecher create a perfectly crafted film that looks and feels like real life transpiring in every frame. Production values are top notch for a low budget film. I love the office set design; the drab gray furniture and monotonous Berber carpet contrasting against the white Formica desks and bright florescent lights create an environment that's downright apathetic. The mind destroying lite muzak only adds to the insanity. But what I love most of all are the little touches in the characters' costumes, like Iris wearing no dowdy clothes and makeup, Margaret wearing the same brown rubber sole shoes with every outfit, and Paula's character overdressing and wearing too much makeup just to look younger. I also love how some supporting characters wear the same outfits two and three times. These little touches make this film just that more realistic and distinguish the character's unique personalities.

The acting in this movie is just brilliant. Toni Collette gives an-Oscar level performance as Iris. The understated way she acts truly captures a shy person. You only know how she feels about what's going on at work by watching her subtle facial expressions. Parker Posey also gives an Oscar level performance as Margaret. Posey has such a strong presence that she steals all of the scenes she's in. Lisa Kudrow is in top form here as Paula. Alana Ubach is great as Jane the woman who does nothing, but kill time until the nuptials. Look For Jamie Kennedy in a standout role as the mailroom guy and Debra Jo Rupp as Barbara the evil boss who always goes by the rules regardless of the people who work for her and, David James Elliot as a tall handsome manager who doesn't see anyone under him.

Clockwatchers is a top ten Shawn James Five star Essential Video. If you have a job or are starting one, YOU NEED TO SEE THIS MOVIE! Mark my words in another four or five years people will be calling this movie a classic. Don't procrastinate; You must buy this DVD for your collection NOW!


August 4, 2006

I love this movie!

For anyone who gave this movie anything less of 5 stars is out of their mind. They can go back to watching their dukes of hazzards and Starsky and Hutch. I knew immediately after I found out who was in this film that I was gonna love it and it certainly didn't dissapoint! Toni collette gives a brilliant performance as a woman struggling to find her place amongst other women on the same path as her who are just 'waiting for something to happen' and in some cases it didn't happen. Parker Posey and Lisa Kudrow also give great performances in this lowkey comedy/coming of age/hilarious/you go girl films. I was just angry that the theif didn't get more of what was coming to them for breaking the 4 characters friendship. Buy this film now, you won't be sorry! November 9, 2005

Boring, Not Funny

I must have missed something, because this was one of the most boring, pointless movies that I have ever seen. I kept waiting for something to happen, but it NEVER did. If you want to see a funny office environment movie, see "Office Space." This movie is awful. September 17, 2005

Not ha ha funny...

More kinda like- it hurts when I laugh funny

Ironically, they had great actors and material to work with but the final product lacked the punch line to complete the joke.
If Clockwatchers is truly in the comedy category - It doesn't merit even a single star

This comedy was on my Amazon recommended list, and since I never heard of it before I decided to pick it up. I briefly skimmed all 54 reviews before hand, and even found some of the reviewers on my Amazon friends list giving it high marks - so I figured what the heck. Some of the reviews compared Clockwatchers to Office Space another movie about life in corporate America. Having previously seen Office Space I had very high expectations for this film. Yes the two are set in an office and yes both are dark comedies, the only problem is that Clockwatchers unlike Office Space isn't funny. I sat just waiting for something to happen and nothing ever did. I remember laughing a couple of times, once when Iris after a couple of failed attempts to type finally hides the numerous 'expensive' mis-typed invoices in her purse and then goes to the company restroom to dispose of them and the other time was when later in the movie she uses the stapler to hem her skirt.

Overall I would have to say Clockwatchers is a missed opportunity, with a great cast of characters. April 14, 2005

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