Clockwatchers (1998)
Movie Info
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Cast
as Paula
as Margaret
as Iris
as Jane
as Dad
as Cleo
as Art
as Eddie
as MacNamee
as Barbara
as Mr. Kilmer
as Milton Lasky
as Jack Shoberg
as Coffee Lady
as Receptionist
as Madame Debbie
as Detective
as Woman in Office
as Dianne the Shoe Lady
as Jane's Sister
as Woman Missing in Search
as Attractive Woman
as Guard
as Policeman
as Businessman
as Waitress
as Man in Bar
as Saleslady
as Theater Woman
as Lobby Guard
as Flight Attendant
as Derrick
as Woman with Cop
as Female Executive
as Copy Repairman
Critic Reviews for Clockwatchers
All Critics (24) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (20) | Rotten (4)
You just want to shake these four twits out of their collective, weirdly unsubstantiated malaise.
Insightful and well-acted comedy of inter-office angst.
Like the unrelenting Musack that fills the heroines's offices, Clockwatchers is a bit too sedate. If you don't watch carefully, you'll miss half the fun.
Expertly captures the drudgery of 9-5 office gigs
Complex characterization makes Clockwatchers a far more interesting picture than it would have been as a simple, breezy comedy.
A bold drama about the strange and often outrageous things that happen in the work-a-day world.
Audience Reviews for Clockwatchers
A not particularly enlightening look at office life. It was of course trumped eventually by the masterful Office Space. The film ultimately raises the question - so what?
Super Reviewer
Watched this movie a lot as a teenager. I love it's dark humor and the different characters.
Super Reviewer
What starts as a kind of Nine to Five comedy about a group of young women temping at a credit company, evolves into a rather dark, frustrating, realistic and somewhat depressing dramedy.
Iris (Toni Collette) is the newest temp recruit at a credit company where the key is to "look like you're busy". Incredibly shy, somewhat insecure and lonely Iris is soon befriended by three fellow tempers (Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow and Alanna Ubach) who welcome her into their world of boredom, under-appreciation and aspiring dreams unfulfilled or out of reach. The catalyst for their friendship becoming stronger before ultimately falling apart is the arrival of a new office assistant and a subsequent string of thefts of everything from stationery to personal diaries. As suspicious eyes turn to the temps ("it's them and us"), it isn't long before bitterness and resentment break out, and things are never the same again.
Despite the truly terrible, 80's looking DVD cover which inaccurately suggests a kooky office comedy, this is actually quite a bleak look at friendship and office politics, and is powerful stuff in parts. Toni Collette, as narrator and lead player, is truly excellent and has a way of portraying inner thoughts not spoken that is quite unique. As the film enters its second phase, you can see her think through possibilities and suspicions and, though the transformation of character she promises in voiceover at the start isn't (thankfully) completely fulfilled, her depiciton of Iris remains compelling throughout. Parker Posey provides excellent support, and has a heartbreaking and frustratingly real scene when her friends seemingly abandon her.
A very cheap and plainly looking film (though that's probably half the point), Clockwatchers doesn't have enough of a satisfactory conclusion to make this entirely successful, but still remains a film you shouldn't judge by its tacky cover.
Super Reviewer
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