Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Clockwatchers Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 8, 2024

1999’s “Office Space” is largely considered the gold standard for workplace comedies. It’s a sharp, goofy, hilarious feature, with writer/director Mike Judge finding ways to lampoon office culture while also making it feel painfully real, giving viewers an unusual viewing experience with many memorable scenes. There’s another pointed take on 9-5 drudgery, with 1997’s “Clockwatchers” also exploring the humiliations and oddities of employment, offering a darkly comedic understanding of the personalities that populate such daily responsibilities and hierarchy. Co-writer/director Jill Sprecher doesn’t have Judge’s impishness, but she retains an understanding of day job misery, concocting a slightly strange but knowing portrait of bonding and mental illness with “Clockwatchers.” It’s not huge on laughs, but the details of the writing and the performances are excellent, with Sprecher landing a lot of uncomfortable truths about relationships and behavior along the way.

It's another day at the company Global Credit, and Iris (Toni Collette) is ready to begin her corporate adventure as a new temp. She’s a shy, timid person, trying to find her footing at the company as quietly as possible, quickly spotted by Margaret (Parker Posey), a seasoned vet of the temp world, who offers friendship and an understanding of some office politics. Iris is introduced to Paula (Lisa Kudrow) and Jane (Alanna Ubach), permitted entry into this friend group, with the temps bonding over gossip, becoming inseparable companions during working hours as they navigate all sorts of rules and monitoring. When office items begin to go missing with regularity, the women suspect new temp Cleo (Helen Fitzgerald), soon experiencing a tightening of security that challenges their partnership. Iris observes the changes quietly, putting her thoughts in a notebook as she contemplates her future, while Margaret declares war on management, urging her fellow temps to rebel against increasingly hostile treatment from a company that doesn’t even know their names.

Iris is a mousy woman, introduced in “Clockwatchers” as a silent temp who doesn’t speak up for herself, doing what she’s told to such a degree, it’s hours before anyone knows she’s actually arrived for the day. What Global Credit actually does isn’t the point of the feature, with the daily system of nonsense more interesting to Sprecher, who delivers fine comedy in Iris’s first moment on the job, tasked with filling out expensive forms on a typewriter, only to make a series of mistakes she’s desperate to keep hidden from view. “Clockwatchers” isn’t broad, but there are moments of silliness, especially in the opening act, where Iris receives a lay of the land from Margaret, a sarcastic woman completely confident in her invisibility at the company, feeling free to do whatever she wants without fear being reprimanded. It’s the kind of role Posey usually plays (and still does), aptly cast as an acid-tongued person putting on a show of carefree behavior.

“Clockwatchers” introduces a number of supporting players, with strange types populating the male-dominated workplace. There’s Eddie (Jamie Kennedy), a mailroom half-wit who’s desperately trying to attract Jane’s attention. Mr. Lasky (Bob Balaban) is Margaret’s boss and a man always on the verge of disasters he refuses to take responsibility for, also drinking his daily coffee from a mug that slowly exposes the image of a nude woman. And there’s Art (Stanley DeSantis), the office supplies overlord trying to hide his foot fetish. Art is the most “Office Space”-like element in “Clockwatchers,” eerily close to the Milton character in his pushover ways.

The weirdos make for find background flavor in “Clockwatchers,” giving the four main characters something to connect over as they develop their friendship, allowing Iris into a secret temp society that’s built on office gossip and complaining. The gang also indulges some after-hours activities, working a happy hour system that allows them to eat for free. Personalities are crisply formed by the writing, finding Paula an aspiring actress of unknown reality, enjoying flirtatious ways with men, including a copier repairman that’s routinely called in thanks to her sabotaging of the machine. Jane is eagerly anticipating her upcoming wedding to fiancé Derek, enjoying make-up gifts from the man without fully processing why she has so much jewelry. And Margaret is stuck in life, lashing out at the world around her, offering actions that dazzle Iris, who doesn’t possess that type of rebelliousness. “Clockwatchers” follows Iris’s battle with herself, trying to make sense of work life, while her father (Paul Dooley), pushes her to take a career that she doesn’t want.

A plot forms in “Clockwatchers” once items begin to go missing, including kitchen donation money and Mr. Lasky’s precious nudie mug. Pressure is gradually put on the temps as they’re suspected of committing the crimes, and Iris is slowly exposed to different sides of her pals, with Margaret enraged by the treatment, looking to lead a revolution at Global Credit. A mystery forms over the identity of the culprit, and Sprecher makes it work, keeping the guessing game going as Iris finds her own belongings stolen, including a notebook filled with her thoughts. It’s a decent level of suspense for the feature, though the writing is much more interested in building a character study.

Clockwatchers Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "Clockwatchers" comes from an older scan, with a softer level of detail. Skin particulars aren't strong, losing some sense of texure. Office interiors are passably dimensional, exploring workspaces and common areas, with okay decorative additions. Exteriors are limited in the movie, but retain some depth. Color is acceptable, working with brighter primaries on clothing and makeup, while cooler looks are preserved on suits. The atmosphere of the office setting is preserved, with harsh yellows. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is chunkier, with some blockier moments. Source is in good condition.

Clockwatchers Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix delivers a comfortable listening experience. Dialogue exchanges are sharp, with defined emotionality and clear group activity. Music isn't a major component of the feature, but scoring registers as intended, with crisp instrumentation. Muzak is also appreciable as background torment for the characters. Office atmospherics are basic.

Subtitling is an issue on this release, with on-screen text frequently scrambling to keep up with dialogue, often skipping entire lines along the way, likely creating confusion for those using the subtitles. Misspellings are periodic as well.

Clockwatchers Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is no supplementary material on this release.

Clockwatchers Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Clockwatchers" delivers a sharp understanding of office politics and micromanagement, but Sprecher doesn't always look for the humor in such a situation. Instead, she tracks mental disintegration, with the main foursome starting to fray as they're treated like criminals, exposing the shallowness of their friendship as its tested by the reality of their employment status. It's a fascinating take on relationships and workplace paranoia, offering a few cutting reminders of disposability when it comes to temp work. "Clockwatchers" touches on some grim realities, especially in the final act, but it maintains approachability thanks to excellent performances from the ensemble, and critical relatability remains in place as the indignities of office life are explored once again.