CLOCKWATCHERS
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING: *** OUT OF ****
United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: Spring 1998 (limited) Running Length: 1:36 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Profanity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow, Alanna Ubach, Helen FitzGerald, Stanley DeSantis, Jamie Kennedy, David James Elliott, Debra Jo Rupp Director: Jill Sprecher Producer: Gina Resnick Screenplay: Jill Sprecher, Karen Sprecher Cinematography: Jim Denault Music: Mader U.S. Distributor: Artistic License Films
Although working the hours of nine-to-five, five days a week can be a tremendous grind for a permanent employee, it's even more difficult for a temp. CLOCKWATCHERS, directed by first-time film maker Jill Sprecher, and written by Sprecher and her sister, Karen, has such a ring of authenticity that it's easy to believe that one or both of the Sprechers have had some experience with temporary work. The details are precise; if there's one area where the movie falls short, it's that the plot becomes a little farfetched during the second half.
CLOCKWATCHERS opens with a brilliant scene that is repeated daily, all across the country, in hundreds of work places. A secretarial temp, Iris (Toni Collette), arrives to start a new assignment with Global Credit. She gets there a few minutes early and is ignored by the receptionist, who doesn't go on duty until the clock strikes nine. Then, she is shown into the office complex, where she is told to wait until someone comes to tell her what to do. Two hours later, she's still waiting. During all that time, no one has shown the slightest interest in her; she's a temp, and, therefore, beneath notice. In terms of the office food chain, she's plankton.
Four temps work for Global Credit, filing papers, making copies, and stuffing envelopes. In addition to the meek, mousy Iris, there's Margaret (Parker Posey), a rebel who doesn't mind raising eyebrows by speaking her mind; Paula (Lisa Kudrow), an airheaded blond with acting aspirations; and Jane (Alanna Ubach), a woman with low self-esteem who is willing to marry an insensitive fiancé just to get out of the corporate rat race. For its first fifty minutes, CLOCKWATCHERS explores the developing friendship among these four as their common employment status forms a natural bond. Then, during the film's second half, Sprecher investigates how the existence of an office kleptomaniac fosters distrust and paranoia, elevating the level of tension and fragmenting friendships.
The thing I liked best about CLOCKWATCHERS is its understanding and subtly satirical presentation of life in a rigidly conservative office, where anything other than strict conformance is regarded with a frown. Many employees have so little work that, in Margaret's words, "The… real challenge is trying to look busy when there's nothing to do." One man guards his stash of pencils, pens, and rubber bands like they are precious jewels. A woman lectures the temps on grooming, absenteeism, and observing company rules. Meanwhile, everyone counts down the minutes remaining until quitting time.
Being a permanent employee offers a sense of belonging, no matter how unfriendly the company. Being a temp can be an exercise in alienation. Iris, Margaret, Paula, and Jane all have bigger plans. Whether they will ever realize their dreams is another matter altogether. Margaret observes that she feels like she could vanish and no one would notice for weeks. Iris' father encourages her to apply for a permanent job – a task that she approaches with reluctance. Paula goes to auditions, then lies about getting bit parts in plays. And Jane plans her wedding like it's a lifeline to a better existence.
All four lead actresses do fine jobs. Toni Collette (MURIEL'S WEDDING), whose natural Australian accent is completely submerged here, is believable as the shy woman who comes out of her shell as a result of her interaction with her fellow temps. Parker Posey, the reigning queen of independent films, is suitably loud as the brassy Margaret, the proverbial square peg in a round hole. Lisa Kudrow plays Paula according to type – a ditzy blond lacking a real direction in her life. (For an opportunity to see Kudrow do something completely different, check her out in THE OPPOSITE OF SEX.) Alanna Ubach (DENISE CALLS UP) emphasizes Jane's quiet desperation.
CLOCKWATCHERS is being billed as a comedy, and, in many ways, it is one. But there's also a lot of drama here, and, as the film moves along, there are fewer and fewer laughs. Essentially, this is an autopsy of a lifestyle, and, while a lot about it seems funny at first, the more we get to know the characters and understand the futility of their lives, the more disheartening it becomes. The last 30 to 40 minutes, which emphasize the kleptomaniac subplot, mark the least successful portion of the film. However, although the plot device of having an office thief can seem like a contrivance, the way the characters react to the increase in tension is both interesting and illuminating.
With CLOCKWATCHERS, Sprecher has created a setting that may be bizarre to those unfamiliar with the world of office temping, but will seem on-target for anyone who has endured a foray into this lifestyle. Like last year's IN THE COMPANY OF MEN, CLOCKWATCHERS offers a perspective of the American corporate office that is both viciously satirical and depressingly accurate.
Copyright 1998 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net
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