Clockwatchers (1997)

Director:

Jill Sprecher

Writers:

Jill Sprecher (written by) and
Karen Sprecher (written by)

Release Date:

15 May 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

FOUR GIRLS. FOUR DREAMS. ONE OFFICE.

Plot:

Iris can best be described as a wallflower. She begins her first day as a temp for the nondescript Global...

Plot Keywords:

Office | Secretary | Father Daughter Relationship | Bar | Thief

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Toni Collette	...	Iris Chapman
Parker Posey	...	Margaret Burre
Lisa Kudrow	...	Paula
Alanna Ubach	...	Jane
Helen FitzGerald	...	Cleo
Stanley DeSantis	...	Art
Jamie Kennedy	...	Eddie
David James Elliott	...	Mr. MacNamee
Debra Jo Rupp	...	Barbara
Kevin Cooney	...	Mr. Kilmer
Bob Balaban	...	Milton Lasky
Paul Dooley	...	Bud Chapman
Scott Mosenson	...	Jack Shoberg
Irene Olga López	...	Coffee Lady (as Irene Olga Lopez)
Joshua Malina	...	Global Credit Receptionist

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief language.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Australia:M | Norway:A | Spain:13 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Goldcrest Films International

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Iris addresses the recommendation letter that she got for Margaret, she writes her last name as Burrell, when it is actually Burre.

Quotes:

Iris Chapman: Excuse me? This is my last day here and I was wondering if you could give me a recommendation.
MacNamee: I'd be glad to.
Iris Chapman: Well, actually, I've already written something if you could just sign it.
MacNamee: Well you've certainly been a big help here. Good luck to you, Margaret.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in New Guy (2003)

Soundtrack:

Magenta Mountain

Existential angst in a service based world

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. :)