Clockwatchers
Encyclopedia
Clockwatchers is an American comedy-drama film released in 1997
. Directed by Jill Sprecher
, it stars Parker Posey
, Lisa Kudrow
, Toni Collette
and Alanna Ubach
as temporary office staffers
in an office complex.
The four become misfit friends in an office environment where they are ignored and mistrusted by their co-workers.
) but her dreams are thwarted when he suddenly dies.
A series of thefts start to occur in the office and suspicion falls on the temps, particularly Margaret. When Iris finds a plastic monkey
that she thought was stolen inside Margaret's desk, she loses faith in her and believes she has been doing the stealing. Margaret suggest a one-day strike from work and her friends halfheartedly agree to join her, but on the appointed day, Margaret is ultimately the only one who does not come to work. As a result, the company's officious HR head (Debra Jo Rupp
) fires Margaret, and management begins to micromanage the remaining three employees. Iris and the other women's friendships come to an end, as result of the stress, and eventually they all go their separate ways. Paula reveals that she only heard about Jane's wedding via a newspaper article and Paula goes to temp in another department. It is later revealed that another employee, a shy, quiet young woman from a rich household who became a permanent employee on her first day, was the culprit and that Margaret simply had an identical toy in her desk. Iris confronts the young woman when her diary (from which she does the film's narration) goes missing, and later receives a new diary and note of apology. Iris later is not hired for a job she really wanted, but ironically this helps motivate her to quit the temp field and move on. But before she leaves the company, she is able to do Margaret a favor: one of the senior executives agrees to sign a letter of recommendation for Iris, but she tells him her name is Margaret and, since he had not bothered to learn any of the temps' names, he does not know the difference. Iris then mails the letter to Margaret and bids the temporary worker goodbye.
1997 in film
-Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*...
. Directed by Jill Sprecher
Jill Sprecher
-Biography:A graduate from University of Wisconsin–Madison with a degree in philosophy and literature, Sprecher relocated to New York to study film....
, it stars Parker Posey
Parker Posey
Parker Christian Posey is an American actress. She became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in several well-received independent films. As a result, she has often been referred to as the "Queen of the Indies"....
, Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress, best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the television sitcom Friends, for which she received many accolades including an Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards...
, Toni Collette
Toni Collette
Antonia "Toni" Collette is an Australian actress and musician, known for her acting work on stage, television and film as well as a secondary career as the lead singer of the band Toni Collette & the Finish....
and Alanna Ubach
Alanna Ubach
Alanna Noel Ubach is an American actress and voice actress. She is known for her roles in Legally Blonde as Serena and Meet the Fockers as Isabel Villalobos...
as temporary office staffers
Temporary work
Temporary work or temporary employment refers to a situation where the employee is expected to leave the employer within a certain period of time. Temporary employees are sometimes called "contractual", "seasonal", "interim", "casual staff", "freelance", or "part-time"; or the word may be shortened...
in an office complex.
The four become misfit friends in an office environment where they are ignored and mistrusted by their co-workers.
Plot
Iris (Collette) is a very mousy and quiet young professional who doesn't want to rock the boat at the office where she temps. Margaret (Posey) is the polar opposite to Iris and a catalyst to help her change and speak up for herself. Paula (Kudrow) eagerly awaits post-work Happy Hours and the chance to hook up with the company's executives. And Jane (Ubach) is engaged to marry a jerk who is already cheating on her. Margaret hopes to become a permanent employee as an assistant to Mr. Lasky (Bob BalabanBob Balaban
Robert Elmer "Bob" Balaban is an American actor, author and director.-Personal life:Balaban was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Eleanor and Elmer Balaban, who owned several movie theatres and later was a pioneer in cable television...
) but her dreams are thwarted when he suddenly dies.
A series of thefts start to occur in the office and suspicion falls on the temps, particularly Margaret. When Iris finds a plastic monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
that she thought was stolen inside Margaret's desk, she loses faith in her and believes she has been doing the stealing. Margaret suggest a one-day strike from work and her friends halfheartedly agree to join her, but on the appointed day, Margaret is ultimately the only one who does not come to work. As a result, the company's officious HR head (Debra Jo Rupp
Debra Jo Rupp
Debra Jo Rupp is an American film and television actress, perhaps best known for her role as Kitty Forman on the long-running Fox sitcom, That '70s Show...
) fires Margaret, and management begins to micromanage the remaining three employees. Iris and the other women's friendships come to an end, as result of the stress, and eventually they all go their separate ways. Paula reveals that she only heard about Jane's wedding via a newspaper article and Paula goes to temp in another department. It is later revealed that another employee, a shy, quiet young woman from a rich household who became a permanent employee on her first day, was the culprit and that Margaret simply had an identical toy in her desk. Iris confronts the young woman when her diary (from which she does the film's narration) goes missing, and later receives a new diary and note of apology. Iris later is not hired for a job she really wanted, but ironically this helps motivate her to quit the temp field and move on. But before she leaves the company, she is able to do Margaret a favor: one of the senior executives agrees to sign a letter of recommendation for Iris, but she tells him her name is Margaret and, since he had not bothered to learn any of the temps' names, he does not know the difference. Iris then mails the letter to Margaret and bids the temporary worker goodbye.