Rating: 
Summary: Subtle and brilliant
Review: As another movie might have brought to life the sounds, sights and smells of some exotic location, this one evokes the endless gray carpet, xerox fumes, and soft shuffling paper sounds of the office. If you've ever had a pointless, boring office job you hated, you'll find yourself saying "yes, oh my god, that's exactly how it is" over and over again. From the dress code to the ticking wall clock, this movie succeeds in capturing the dreary office limbo that so many 20-something women (and not few 30-somethings) toil away in every day, waiting for the mysterious something better that is presumably lurking down the road. Everything in their lives is temporary, superficial, without substance - even friendship. There's not much of a plot, it's 'slice of life' style - a single temp job, some minor office intrigue, a few happy hours, and a lot of clock watching. In a category with Office Space and In the Company of Men, it's by far the darkest of the three, with a mordant wit that's more mordant than witty. It wasn't hilarious or "fun," like Office Space, or quite as edgy and downright evil as In the Company of Men, but it resonated more strongly with me than either one. I give it a five because was such a brilliant, stingingly accurate statement about being 20-something, single, and female at the turn of the millenium.
Rating: 
Summary: True to life
Review: You don't need to be an office temp to relate with Clockwatchers. Anyone who has ever worked will understand it. I can relate to everything Iris (Colette) goes through in the film. When someone starts a job, it begins as fun. Then, something comes along to turn it into just another job. That's what makes Clockwatchers a spot on interpretation of our lives. The performances are also great: Colette as the shy one; Kudrow as the man wanting, actress; Posey as the fiesty, outspoken one; and Ubach as a pampered, unknowing bride-to-be. I'm usually not a fan of independant films, but once in a while, one comes along to grab my attention and never let's go until the very end. This one did that. This movie also makes it's point without using excessive language, violence, or sex. After the last indy film I watched (Happiness), I needed a cleansing. This was a nice change of pace. lately, people have been writing discouraging remarks about this film. OK, then, why don't you rent some box office moneymaker for the 10,000th time? That's really original.
Rating:
Summary: Funny, yet can hit a little close to home
Review: As someone who has been both a "perm" and a "temp," I find much in "Clockwatchers" to be completely truthful. Where "Office Space" (a movie I also loved) offered a cathartic revenge fantasy, "Clockwatchers" dares to tell it like it is -- that dead-end jobs really have no way out or up -- even if it is dreary and depressing. There is humor, but rather than the cartoonish humor of "Office Space," "Clockwatchers" shows the ridiculous in little everyday workplace happenings: playing with the adjustment mechanisms on your chair, popping sheets of bubble wrap, or using Liquid Paper as nail polish. The weird combination of emotions that these temps go through -- hopelessness and ambition, despair and frivolity, anger mixed with s**t-eating grins -- are extremely realistic and something that those in a similar work situation can probably easily relate to. The performances are outstanding, especially Toni Collette and Parker Posey. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Unique satire
Review: "Clockwatchers" is not just a comedy about bitter temps, in actuality, it's a satire about people's lives and how they can be totally crushed under the oppression of the work force. It's a film that exposes, with no mercy, the tedious, soul-draining routine that workers, especially temps, go through every day, and how they can feel totally trapped, with no chance at freedom. Sure, it's wickedly funny in it's observations of soulless companies and their rules and policies, but beneath it lies a bleak look at how people can totally lose their identity when devoted to their job, when everything always boils down to pleasing others and maintaining a decent salary. Like Parker Posey's character says in one scene, "I feel like I'm floating, with no connection to the outside world". The actresses in "Clockwatchers" are great, they all express their characters perfectly, especially during the second half of the movie, when all of their friendships crumble. The transformation of Toni Collette's character is chilling, especially at the end. The only thing that bothered me were the last twenty minutes, they dragged on, focusing on a plotline that didn't need to be explored. However, "Clockwatchers" is definitely worth watching, a perceptively funny and depressingly honest film.
Rating:
Summary: Satire on Temp Hell
Review: Clockwatchers is a movie about four office temps who work at a dreary, mind numbing assignment. The temps are basically treated like the scum off the earth. They bond but then are sadly drawn apart. If you have ever temped or even worked at a boring office job, you will probably laugh and nod your head at some of its humor. It captures the craziness better than some of the more recent office comedies like Office Space. It's not for everyone and is very unusual film. It's not a "laugh out loud" comedy. The characters are a sad set and the humor is subtle and may be go "over the head" for some non-temps. It is not pretty either. The set design is gray and depressing. Have heard some people call it boring. Temping is boring. In other words, it is a lot like like temping.
I am so glad someone made this movie. Can't believe it got made, but am glad. It is a story that needed to be told. As someone who used to temp, it brought back a lot of memories. I knew people like these characters. People who stayed in these jobs because they lacked the confidence or education to change jobs. Being Hollywood, they exaggerate a bit, but get much of it right. Temping is one of the biggest scams the business world has ever created. I was disappointed that they did not explore in detail some of the other problems with temping, like the relationship between the temp and the agency. There is some satire there, trust me. As a temp, you basically forfeit basic worker's rights. Little or no benefits, no sick time, no "wrongful" termination, never knowing if you will even have a job tomorrow, doing all sorts of busy work to keep your job. I suggest that anyone who "wants" to temp see this film and run like hell.
Rating:
Summary: A great Human Resources Film
Review: I was very impressed with this little gem of a film. Toni Collette is brilliant with her role. She has come a long way from "Muriels Wedding" and has made quite a name for herself as a character actor. Lisa Kudrow plays a great cynic. Parker Posey holds her trademark dark spritely self and does a great scene where she gets fired. All in all this movie presents a excellent interpretation of todays American office politics and how people in todays workforce are underpaid, underappreciated and are continually thrown to the way side. This movie holds well and makes you feel right along with what is going on within the film. I saw this movie on Starz just recently and I recommend seeing it for free first before buying this on DVD since this movie isn't all that great on DVD with the exception of wide screen format. Cheers!
Rating:
Summary: Funny, yet can hit a little close to home
Review: As someone who has been both a "perm" and a "temp," I find much in "Clockwatchers" to be completely truthful. Where "Office Space" (a movie I also loved) offered a cathartic revenge fantasy, "Clockwatchers" dares to tell it like it is -- that dead-end jobs really have no way out or up -- even if it is dreary and depressing. There is humor, but rather than the cartoonish humor of "Office Space," "Clockwatchers" shows the ridiculous in little everyday workplace happenings: playing with the adjustment mechanisms on your chair, popping sheets of bubble wrap, or using Liquid Paper as nail polish. The weird combination of emotions that these temps go through -- hopelessness and ambition, despair and frivolity, anger mixed with s**t-eating grins -- are extremely realistic and something that those in a similar work situation can probably easily relate to. The performances are outstanding, especially Toni Collette and Parker Posey. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Small Movie, Big Kudos
Review: I liked this film a lot. Besides the fact that I like to support smaller, independent films (especially since this one features a lot of women in front of and behind the scenes), CLOCKWATCHERS is simply an entertaining show! It has a smart tone, and is a close cousin to OFFICE SPACE (featuring that *other* FRIENDS star, Jennifer Aniston). The story is engrossing and concerns a pack of temps. Toni Collette plays Iris, who starts out as a timid, shy and introverted person. Her encounters with the other girls changes her (especially with the outspoken and quirky character played by Parker Posey - she's great in this!). Toni Collette is very good here - and although she is an Academy Award nominated actress (THE SIXTH SENSE) it's funny how the director's use of a new shade of lipstick is filmatic shorthand for the character change Iris goes through! Lisa Kudrow is not quite as ditzy as she usually is on FRIENDS. It's nice to see her in a different mode. There's not much more story than that. If you've been a temp or work in an office environment you will appreciate this film. The film's theme is about sleepwalking through life and making your mark. Most of the girls cow to the corporate machine. One of them scratches "I was here" on her desk - just to make her mark. There's an interesting subplot about an office thief that gets tied into the movie's theme nicely. Please rent or buy this film. It's not SPIDERMAN, but it deserves your attention. Again, it is a "small-character-study" sort of film. But it is very well done, with excellent performances from its cast.
Rating:
Summary: One of indie comedy's biggest downers.
Review: This film is bizarrely uneven. What seems like a reasonably straight-forward comedy (albeit a pretty subdued one) gradually gives way to a depressing portrait of displacement in the inhuman contemporary work force. However, while changing gears, the film never loses the audience. The more comedic beginning commits us to these characters. We like them, we like them together, and we like them together in the ridiculous and pointless do-nothing jobs they keep. So as they drift apart and as the work conditions become more and more dehumanizing, we empathize totally and feel a disappointment in the deterioration of this little community we'd really come to like. Furthermore, most of us have had friendships drift apart, and more specifically working relationships become estranged. "Clockwatchers" preys on this and as a result is one of the more effective downers I've seen. Much of the early half of the film reminds most viewers of a more tame "Office Space," for obvious reasons. But "Clockwatchers" distinguished itself well from this movie and others of its type. Actually, I think a far closer companion film would be the early portions of "Fight Club" (another film that dramatically shifts gears but keeps the audience in tow). Like "Fight Club," "Clockwatchers" relies on cynical and ironic wit and moreso on extremely stylized sets, lighting, and camerawork. Another unusual aspect of this film is the unmistakable lack of anything resembling a romance plot whatsoever. How many girlfriend comedies - commercial or independent - can you think of that don't land boyfriends on the laps of at least one of the characters before the credits roll? "Clockwatchers" succeeds by these differences. Its a film like really no other, and it fascinates us and sticks in our memories as a result. I mean, "Clockwatchers" isn't saving lives or anything, and Bresson it ain't, but it is a film I keep going back to for its many (refreshingly) atypical handlings of a pretty well-tread concept.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, low-key, darkly comical
Review: This is a mostly overlooked and underrated portrayal of the world of office temps. The beauty of this film is that, rather than hitting us with obvious plot devices, it slowly builds an atmosphere of oppression and monotony. The nameless company that employs and exploits the temps slowly chips away at the dreams, hopes and self-esteem of the characters. They are caught in an anonymous, meaningless life where the silliest of rules are ruthlessly enforced by petty tyrants. What's refreshing about Clockwatchers is the way it exposes the alienation of modern corporate life without resorting to the usual movie cliches. There is no sex, violence or even law suits here. It is seemingly trivial events, like the theft of small personal objects, that builds tension. There is also humor, the kind that fans of Dilbert will appreciate, as when a fired worker objects, "you can't fire me, you don't even know my name!" There is an existentialist feeling to the film, most notably verbalized by Parker Posey (a great addition to any independent film), who says something like, "I don't think anyone cares if I even exist." Clockwatchers is, I think, more than a movie about office temps. It's a commentary on our whole bureaucratic, atomized society. Along with Safe, another of my favorite films of the last decade (I'll proably review that one soon), Clockwatchers is a truly significant film about the modern world.
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