Ajouter une intrigue dans votre langueThe relationship between four female temps all working for the same credit company is threatened with the arrival of a new hire, who lands a permanent position one of the women was vying for... Tout lireThe relationship between four female temps all working for the same credit company is threatened with the arrival of a new hire, who lands a permanent position one of the women was vying for.The relationship between four female temps all working for the same credit company is threatened with the arrival of a new hire, who lands a permanent position one of the women was vying for.
- Prix
- 2 victoires et 1 nomination au total
- Coffee Lady
- (as Irene Olga Lopez)
Avis en vedette
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.
Parker Posey is so perfect in this movie. Toni Collette has the perfect low-key performance to work off Posey's. Lisa Kudrow is funny, but she smartly remains in the background for most of the movie. Alanna Ubach has the thankless role of doing nothing. However, all four work so well off each other, you can easily overlook the negatives.
For the person who commented that there are no offices like the one portrayed here, let me say: WRONG! I have worked in two offices that are nearly identical to that portrayed. It was horrible, and I quit both of them quickly. Admittedly, the film does push the realism boundaries, though this is a satire. Exaggeration is key to satire.
Go rent this movie. Preferably on DVD for the widescreen. This is better than "Office Space" and is more honest in its depiction of office life. It's sad, funny, quirky, and original. Parker Posey's brilliant performance is worth the price alone. Two Thumbs Up? You bet!
As for those who think "Clockwatchers" is "dull" or "boring," it's called subtly. Look into it.
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).
Le saviez-vous
- AnecdotesLisa Kudrow postponed her honeymoon to shoot this film.
- GaffesWhen Iris attempts to retrieve the bag Paula drops on the bus, the small child who was sitting immediately in front of Paula vanishes. Iris immediately sits where the missing child was last seen.
- Citations
Iris Chapman: Everything is temporary. Everything begins and ends and begins again. When I look ahead, I imagine infinite possible futures repeated like countless photocopies, a thousand blank pages, and in each one I see myself, never hiding, never sitting silently, and never just waiting and waiting and watching the world go by.
- Générique farfeluThe opening credits are shown over the sound of the loud ticking of a clock.
- Bandes originalesSnooky's Theme
Written by Joey Altruda
Performed by Joey Altruda
Published by Josho Publishing/Careers-BMG Music Publishing, Inc. (BMI)
Courtesy of Ocean Park Music Group
Meilleurs choix
- How long is Clockwatchers?Propulsé par Alexa
Détails
- Date de sortie
- Pays d’origine
- Langue
- Aussi connu sous le nom de
- Esperando la hora
- Lieux de tournage
- 110 East Union St, Pasadena, Californie, États-Unis(former Clothes Heaven location; Jane's fiance picks her up)
- sociétés de production
- Consultez plus de crédits d'entreprise sur IMDbPro
Box-office
- Brut – États-Unis et Canada
- 537 948 $ US
- Fin de semaine d'ouverture – États-Unis et Canada
- 34 838 $ US
- 17 mai 1998
- Brut – à l'échelle mondiale
- 538 338 $ US