Clockwatchers (1997) User Reviews

The sad, sad truth

[dcshanno · 8/10 · 5 November 2004]

The only thing that I can think when reading the negative comments left for this movie is that the people who wrote them have *clearly* never temped. As someone who spent four years of his life wasting away in other people's cubicles, I can tell you with complete authority that this movie gets every mind-numbing, insulting, and degrading aspect of the experience dead on. I suppose you should be thankful if you can't relate to what's going on in this film because it probably means you've never had to tip-toe into some middle manager's office on a Friday afternoon to get a signature on your time card.

As for those who think "Clockwatchers" is "dull" or "boring," it's called subtly. Look into it.

The temps

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 28 December 2005]

Jill Sprecher, the enormous talent behind "Clockwatchers", needs to be seen more often. We saw this witty comedy in its original debut and it was a pleasure to watch it again on IFC. Ms. Sprecher and her sister Karen wrote a delicious movie that is on the one level a satire about the way "temps" are used in an office, and it's at the same time, a character study about these four souls at the center of the movie.

Each one of the young women in the film has a problem. They come together because they don't have a life on their own. Iris, Margaret, Paula and Jane, form a bond because they find safety in numbers. Iris is a clever girl whose shyness doesn't let her assert herself and is dragged along by the others that show stronger personalities. Margaret puts up a front, but deep down, she is just as vulnerable as the others. The most pathetic one is Paula, a woman who is pretending to be what she is not. Jane is waiting for the security of marriage to beat it out of being a temp.

When the sneaky Cleo is hired as a permanent employee, the problems in the office are magnified. As things begin disappearing from the office, all eyes point to the four temps. That is the beginning of the end of the clique, as they knew it. Iris is the one that stays the longer and she is the one that discovers the mystery of the missing things in the office, but alas, it's too late, because at that time she leaves the temp job.

Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow and Alana Ubach, are perfect as the four temps. Toni Collette has a better role where to shine as most of the story is seen through her eyes. Parker Posey is delightful as the free spirited Margaret. Lisa Kudrow also makes a good contribution with her pathetic Paula. Helen Firzgerald, who only has a few lines, cast a giant shadow as the creepy new employee that wants to make friends with Iris, only to be ignored.

The Sprecher sisters created a film that feels real a situation one has seen is prevalent in the office setting.

Quietly funny and strangely haunting

[coiled · 7/10 · 29 December 2005]

For some reason I'd been resisting seeing this film until a friend thrust it into my hands and said, "C'mon, Toni Collette and Parker Posey, how can you go wrong?"

Maybe I was resisting because I didn't want to see my life up there on the screen. Currently working in a temp job (where I am typing this review), "Clockwatchers" is terrifyingly familiar. It's not a hilarious comedy, although it is quite funny. Certain moments threaten to veer into David Lynch-style self-conscious surrealism, but the director reigns these moments in, in the nick of time.

It's a film about small things happening in an enclosed space, and the friendships that grow between the most unlikely of people, due mostly to proximity. The mood of paranoia that emerges in the second half of the film is perfect - turning trivialities into monumental acts of anarchy and betrayal. The office becomes a sealed microcosm where the theft of a tiny plastic monkey becomes the end of the world.

Not everyone is going to understand this film - it's not "Office Space", which is more accessibly 'wacky'. You're not going to chuck it on with your mates and have a good laugh. It's much more sombre and serious and ultimately quite sad. And it's made me quit my job (so perhaps I should have given it 10 stars, just for that).

Sprecher's perceptive, sad slice of reality

[doktor d · 19 February 2003]

Inappropriately marketed as a comedy, Clockwatchers is actually a sad, almost disturbing slice-of-life concerning the empty lives of four office temps and the realistic and/or idealized ways they seek to escape their individual predicaments. This low-key, purposefully bland drama, with spare touches of humor from Margaret (Parker Posey), is steeped in realism, making it all the sadder.

Margaret, Paula, and Jane befriend Iris, the central character, at her new temp job. Margaret is loud-mouthed, foul-mouthed, and smart. Paula (Lisa Kudrow) is a young woman with fast-fading beauty, loose morals, and no hope for a future. Jane (Alanna Ubach) is biding her time waiting for her man to marry her and take her away from the temp world. And Iris (Toni Collette) is intelligent but timid. Unlike her new friends, she has the opportunity to score a real job at an interview that her father has lined up for her; however, low self-esteem, shyness, and a new-found friendship with the office girls contribute to her procrastination. Outward, upward mobility seems to scare her.

One day Iris stares blankly at her empty diary. Her temp job affects her so badly that she can find nothing to write about; she's been turned into a mindless zombie. During a moment of introspection, she thinks, `Sometimes it hits you, how quickly the present fades into the past. And you question everything around you. You wonder if anything you'd ever do would matter, or if you could just disappear without a trace.' Jill and Karen Sprecher's script is punctuated with perceptive, thought provoking lines, many of which comment on the individual's insignificance in society. Early in the film, Margaret comments on how `a person can just drift through life like they're not connected to anyone or anything.' Later, Iris admits that `even if a person wanted to break free, they could find out they've got nowhere else to go.'

Ultimately, the Sprechers' four-character quasi-study can be applied to everyone, every day. Some characters move on, thus positively changing their lives forever; others, whether out of preference, procrastination, or lack of education, stay put, forever locked in dead-end jobs. At the film's end, Iris realizes that improving her situation can come only from `never hiding, never sitting silently, and never just waiting -- and waiting -- and watching the world go by.' Clockwatchers may be a `small' film with a soft voice, but at least it has something to say.

Clockwatchers leaves it mark

[Rogue-32 · 7/10 · 4 June 2002]

I saw this on cable last night, just 2 days after seeing the Sprecher sisters' latest film, 13 Conversations About One Thing - that was the reason I stayed up til 2:30 a.m. to watch it, in fact (please read my review of 13 Conversations, posted yesterday). This film is linear - one scene following the other chronologically - and therefore not as challenging to the viewer as 13 Conversations, but it does leave its mark (as one character in the movie has been told to do).

Writer/Director Jill Sprecher is extremely adept in nailing down specifics, and this gift for detail is in full evidence here. The film is about fear, lunch hours, pettiness, toilet paper, loneliness, rubber band balls, despair, paper clips, friendship, pencils, desperation, cocktail garnishes, anger - downright fury, actually - at being marginalized by the illusion of society - and much more. Toni Collette's face is still in my memory - her terrified-to-do-or-say-the-wrong-thing rabbit eyes, her rapture at feeling connected to her 3 fellow temp workers (and specifically, seeing her nose crinkle the way it does when she smiles), the desolation of seeing their bond destroyed by wretched but inevitable bone-chilling office politics and fear.

It's a small slice of life, Clockwatchers, but it's an important slice, one that anyone who has ever interacted with anyone on a daily, money-driven basis can relate to. If you've ever held a job, I'm saying, you will see yourself mirrored in at least some of these meticulous details.

The monotony of life

[Sergiodave · 7/10 · 5 September 2021]

I would consider this movie a drama, not a comedy. It is a movie about the dull routine of office life, which I know from experience is mind-numbing. The four lead actors are great, indeed none of the cast put a foot wrong. This is a sedate but sharp movie where dialogue is key, if you're wanting action look elsewhere. A well made ensemble piece.

What movie were you watching?

[Junker-2 · 9/10 · 4 June 2000]

Some of the earlier reviewers have called "Clockwatchers" dull, pointless and have asked why it was made. My question for these reviewers is: What movie were you watching? Is there another movie with a similar title out there? This movie is incredible!

No, it's not a "There's Something About Mary" farce. No, there aren't any explosion and no one is killed. (Someone does die... but that happens off camera and we don't see any blood.) The comedy here is of the subtle, "funny because it is true" variety. If you've ever had a job, any job, the comedy in this movie cannot escape you.

Parker Posey once again shows us that she is one of the finest comic actresses alive. And, contrary to what others have said, this is not a one note performance. She is at once obnoxious, brash, funny and fun...and yet, very vulnerable, struggling so hard to be recognized and very terrified of where her life is headed.

I could give similar praise to the performances of Toni Collette, Alanna Ubach and (believe it or not) Lisa Kudrow.

Director Jill Sprecher (I will have to watch more from her) has aimed her dart at office politics: The pecking order, the self-absorption, the pointlessness of it all, the feeling of "Oh, how I would I love to leave this place but where would next month's rent come from?"...and Jill has hit the bullseye!

Watch this!

[=G= · 6/10 · 1 July 2002]

"Clockwatchers" begins as a cute little comedy about a group of four female office "temps" working in a corporate cubicle colony, living life by night and blending with the graywall by day. Slowly the film morphs into a plaintive reflection on the temp's predicament and later a philosophical contemplation on life. An enjoyable ensemble flick with the austere and vanilla feel of the office environment, "Clockwatchers" focuses on the most taken-for-granted office worker and reminds us that nothing is forever and, in a way, we're all temps. A fresh little flick to kill time with after work.

Accuracy is never boring.

[alvoalvo · 9/10 · 27 March 2001]

I suppose the viewers who label Clockwatchers "boring" simply don't understand that dramas are MEANT to be slower than your garden-variety Indiana Jones or Die Hard. These "action" flicks are ten-times as dull as the corporate setting for this astonishing study on class, friendship, and inner-awareness. Or maybe it is the female perspective or "chick-flick" factor that turn certain people off. Or maybe temporary status in modern American business isn't relevant to everyone. Or the subtle, less gimmicky observations of reality.

Clockwatchers is all of these things at once. Toni Collette plays the ultra-shy newcomer to Global Credit, the ultimate transnational corporation, who slowly comes to realize that the doomed bond she makes with three other temps is an extremely sacred event in her life. Iris slowly gains confidence through such comradery and at one point she doesn't want to leave, even though her father has higher career expectations for his daughter. Iris comes full circle at the end of the film, confronts one of her many bosses whom plot against her, and atones for not standing with Parker Posey, who is the life of the party as Margaret.

The creators of this film are SO incredibly accurate in revealing what worklife is actually like (the boredom, sharing someone else's space, not knowing someone's name or them not knowing yours), that I felt almost honored to know I wasn't alone. (Movies that are this honest about despair are never depressing.) This is combined by the subtle observations of Iris, which I suppose aren't as exciting as blowing someone's head off or toilet humor, but intriguing nonetheless. It is finally layered with political analysis as the female temps organize a strike.

Suffice it to say, Clockwatchers covers a lot of ground, but the layers are folded well together in a way that makes you care about what happens to these characters and their station in life. A must-see sleeper for those who prefer (for example) Merchant & Ivory over Van Damme & Seagal. 9 out of 10.

Had me watching the clock

[gbill-74877 · 6/10 · 11 January 2024]

Through these four temp workers trying to do their menial office jobs in a soul-crushing environment, banal Muzak tunes piped in over the corporate loudspeakers, we get a satire of the dehumanization of the modern workplace. There is a camaraderie between them but it's as fragile and tenuous as their temporary employment. I liked the performances from the leads, Parker Posey and Toni Collette especially, but struggled to like the film as a whole, maybe because the temp workers were tough to like or appreciate as better than their situation, e.g. Lisa Kudrow's character jamming up the copier with paperclips so she could hit on the attractive repairman. The story was dreary to me, not investing enough in the plot line that had Posey's character trying to organize them to stand up for themselves, so that even at just 96 minutes, it had me watching the clock for it to finish.

Not bad

[Dana82 · 5/10 · 1 July 1999]

Clockwatchers is really a movie you can only see once, it's not great but it's not bad. There is something about it I just can't explain...it gets your attention. If you see it good, if you miss it, oh well. 5/10

A masterpiece in a minor key

[moonspinner55 · 9/10 · 5 August 2001]

Blistering black comedy co-written by Jill Sprecher (who also directed) and Karen Sprecher, "Clockwatchers" gives us a suffocating office setting so vivid and real I half-expected my own co-workers to show up in it. Toni Collette plays the new temporary in a nondescript building wherein office-incidentals are slowly disappearing from the supply cabinet. The ensemble acting is delightfully accurate, and the strife which ensues in this scenario is comically overwrought and horrifying. Sprecher's direction is focused and brave (no overtures to broadly comical sensibilities), and she nimbly stretches the film's satirical edge quite far without faltering. The movie is a genuine American original, and by the final third I couldn't wait to see it again from the start. ***1/2 from ****

the movie made the audience relate with the characters in the movie: the feeling of utter boringness

[dazda · 6/10 · 30 June 1999]

I really want to know if the director purposely made the movie so boring and tried to make viewers so agitated, just so we would know how the characters in the movie felt. I must give the director some respect for taking chances on making a movie that is soooo dull, but ending with a good statement. The truth is, although I liked the plot, I don't know if I really like the foundation it was put on. If I had to change the movie to make it better, I'd change the whole movie. The main reason why I went and saw this movie, was because critics and the movie trailors were calling this a "mystery." Calling this movie a mystery is parallel to wondering what is in school food. So I went and saw it thinking there would be a twist in the end, like "The Game." Ummm. . . well there was a minor twist in the end, but a very disappointing one. First of all, this movie was very long-winded. The movie should've been more faster pace. I think the only thing that saved this movie, was that there was a good point made in the end. Kudrow gave some laughs, Posey had some moments, and the comic relief, or you could say, the "pause or boring relief" from the mailboy (the guy who played the virgin from Scream).

Pretentious Independent Film Outwears Its Welcome

[herbqedi · 4/10 · 28 July 2002]

The four leads are very effective as the disaffected temps, pariahs in a generic office. They are ably supported by veterans such as Stanley De Santis and Bob Balaban. For its first forty minutes, Clockwatchers effectively creates a Twilight-Zonish office hierarchical atmosphere with our heroines as the office pariahs. Then it spends its last hour expounding upon the fragile and transitory nature of office friendships amidst corporate backstabbing for advancement and survival -- especially among temps. After the first hour, it is the viewer who is the clockwatcher as it winds down with no additional insights, humor, or surprises. I'd give the first half a 7, and the second half a 1, which leaves me with a 4.

Existential angst in a service based world

[mew-4 · 6 January 2003]

This is a really provocative movie that is artfully filmed.

Good art often offers commentary on the times. When you're in the midst of an era, it's hard to see what characterizes it. I think Clockwatchers does a terrific job of capturing a facet of the temp world of the 80's/90's. I was a temp for a year in 1988. It's quite accurate.

But you don't have to be a temp to recognize these characters. Yes Dilbert, yes Office Space, and especially the beginning of Joe vs the Volcano have these same foils. But I think Clockwatchers' take was unique. The characters were well developed while still being archetypes. There was a subtlety and style that all the others listed chose against.

The direction and cinematography of this film is terrific. It takes guts to burn film doing a close-up of someone's glasses for 10 seconds. There is real art to this film. The writing, the directing, the pacing, editing, all right up at the top of the scale. The acting was fine, but I don't think it's the strong suit of this movie. Toni Collette is a standout. While I love Parker Posey, I think she was probably a bit over the top here. The Muzak, while as mood-setting as the buzz of florescent lighting, can grate at a viewer.

This film touched on too may things to list them all. Here's a sample... What are you doing with your life if you're waiting for it to burn off? Isn't it exhausting and poisoning to pretend to look busy all day? If you are a cog in a machine, and accomplishing nothing at that too, did you really even exist? Are the "troublemakers" in life getting us in trouble, or offering us freedom (note there are two people here stirring up the pot)? What is theft (and theft of services)? Where is the dividing line between unethical play and immorality? At what point do you give up on the dream of personal growth? Are some people "better" than others? What does beauty (and grooming) have to do with it? Does the corporate hierarchy define our worth to others or our self-worth? What is loyalty and betrayal, to whom do you owe how much, and how do you give consent to those obligations/ownership? Work/friends/family are all portrayed as villains and allies wielding this loyalty Sword of Damocles.

One IMDB reviewer said this film was a good way to kill time after work. That's terrific irony. :)

Suffering the day-to-day grind

[Oblomov_81 · 6/10 · 5 February 2003]

"Clockwatchers" is a very funny little film that sheds light on the frustrations of spending eight hours a day in an entirely unexceptional environment where every action has been reduced to routine. The main characters are four women who entered the working world with hopes of making a life for themselves that would set them apart from the rest of the rat race, but had their dreams dashed when they realized that in today's crowded job market they had to take what they could get. They ended up with desk space in a sterile, faceless office where they depend on their sense of humor and respect for one another to get through the day.

This is a story that depends strongly on dialogue and character development to keep the viewer interested. It largely works, with a lot of amusing moments and sharp dialogue throughout, as well as keen observations about the humdrum existence too many of us lead. The always likeable Parker Posey has a terrific performance as the most rebellious and plainspoken of the group. There's also Bob Balaban playing his usual fussy nebbish character, this time as a meticulous number cruncher who can't let go of his pencils. In its second half, however, the story surrenders to the pessimism it tries to battle; the tone shifts from `Dilbert' to Kafka, and some of the characters suddenly become cold and unsympathetic. Nevertheless, it remains insightful and entertaining, something to which the average working stiff could relate.

Been there - done that - impressive 1st flick

[Dara-3 · 7/10 · 9 January 2000]

Watching this film was like reliving the jobs I had in my 20's - waiting for 5 o'clock, looking busy, trying to impress people who didn't give two hoots about you, and the dreams...ah, the dreams...

This is a very believable study of working life for the bottom rung female. How they band together, then fall apart. It's ultimately a sad story with some hope for 2 of the characters. But it's as close to life as it gets.

Wonderful performances by all 4 actresses. And small roles by some big character actors make this a good film.

"the nail that sticks out gets pounded down"

[attennessee · 9/10 · 6 October 2019]

Everybody shines in this haunting, poignant and well directed movie. there is not one bad actor; every one is perfectly cast.

how such an intimate film can so strongly convey the dehumanizing, alienating nature of many work places is a nod to the strength of this compelling production.

i love the whole mood of the film and the play between meditative reflection and a zombie-like numbness. stays with you. one of my all-time favorite films. 9/10

Interesting, humorous, real-to-life film

[Emmanuel-12 · 7/10 · 2 July 1999]

I never felt the urge to watch the film upon its theatrical release. But, I thought I should give it a try when it was broadcasted by pay-tv FILMNET channel. Well, all I have to say is this: not once did I glance at the clock, as the 96' of the film seem to flow really fast. Interesting, humorous, real-to-life film, "Clockwatchers" offers a powerful and kind of pessimistic view of modern societies' anxieties, relationships and friendships that cannot last in an "Orwellish" job environment. Alana Ulbach is absolutely not a sex symbol but with a powerful face and eyes which look straight at you. The funny thing is that if you dare to listen carefully to the music the girls at the office are obliged to hear, you will surely hate instrumentals. You know... The kind of music Super-Markets play...

great actresses great indie

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 5 November 2018]

Quiet temp Iris Chapman (Toni Collette) starts work at a cold, soulless office. Margaret Burre (Parker Posey) guides her to sit with Paula (Lisa Kudrow) and Jane (Alanna Ubach) during lunch. The four temps have different outlooks and become fast office friends. When things start going missing, the suspicion falls on them.

This is a collection of three of the best actresses around. They bring out real humanity in their characters. They have their fun moments. There is a poignant sadness throughout and a great ending of defiance. It's a triumphant indie. I think everybody has one great story within themselves and this is probably Jill Sprecher's best. She and her sister use their experiences to infuse this with a sympathetic eye towards the women at the bottom of the corporate ladder. There is something true and appealing about these women and their lives.

I Liked It

[Newguy · 6/10 · 6 December 1999]

The Clockwatchers is a film I've been meaning to rent but just never got around to it. I was interested in the film largely because of Parker Posey (I'm a big fan of hers). I got home early from work one day and found that this film had just started on HBO. It wasn't that bad. There were a lot of recognizable faces and the story was interesting. I will agree with other reviews that fault the lack of development of subplots, and the film gets by largely on the tremendous talent of Collette. Posey once again puts in a solid performance, and her and Collette are the only two really interesting characters. Overall, a good rental with a decent plot.

SSB - December 6, 1999 - NYC

Well named

[Paguma · 2/10 · 30 December 1998]

That is exactly what I did while watching this movie. I watched the clock, hoping it would end soon.

Dark and funny and little seen

[jellopuke · 9/10 · 31 August 2022]

Four temps form a temporary friendship amidst the boring mundanity of office life.

This predates Office Space but treads similar ground. It's not as loudly funny, instead treading on small moments of dark bleakness and sad reality. There isn't really a satisfying ending BUT that works perfectly with the story. It really holds true for anyone who's worked in this environment and for anyone who complains about a lack of women directors/stars/roles/centred projects here's one from 25 years ago that was unique, interesting, funny, black, and little seen. Great cast, great tone, and one that should be on everyone's radar.

Excellent writing

[raycatch9 · 7/10 · 20 January 2004]

This was clearly written by someone who has gone through the mind numbing, soul snatching experience of being a temp. It captures the self-worthlessness perfectly and also the stupidity of modern corporate America today.

Temporary Insanity

[NJMoon · 5/10 · 6 August 1999]

Finally someone takes a look at the world of the temp. The "undead" of the corporate world - we belong, but we don't belong. We exist in the netherworld between employee and welfare recipient. "Clockwatchers" follows four gals (guys would never be caught dead as temps, right?) temping for a generic company USA. Terrific insights into our world are the film's hallmark. There are however, long stretches of silence, which, while absolutely true to real temp life, are a bit disconcerting in a movie. Laughs are forsaken for character and it is often an uneasy mix. Colette and Posey are standouts. For belly laughs, though, stick to Mike Judge's recent cinematic spin on office life - coming soon to a video store near you.