tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post6306797746511120903..comments2024-03-29T03:05:28.466-07:00Comments on DREAMS ARE WHAT LE CINEMA IS FOR...: CLOCKWATCHERS 1997Ken Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-32796552055792240692018-03-15T10:52:41.726-07:002018-03-15T10:52:41.726-07:00Hi Rich
Thrilled this film is a favorite. So few o...Hi Rich<br />Thrilled this film is a favorite. So few of the people I know have even heard of it, much less seen it. <br />I love your observation of how supportive Iris' father is. It's a rare characterization. He's not pushy and he always has a nice word for her. So many of the things you site are the very things that make this movie so special to me. Your calling the office environment an isolated environment is perfect. The film does a marvelous job of making it feel as if the time spent at work operates in a separate reality with different rules and pressures.<br />Reading your comments brought back a lot of memories of my favorite moments. I haven't watched this in a while, but your perceptive take on the film's performances and themes has whetted my appetite for a revisit.<br />Thank you for visiting an older blog and sharing your thoughtful comments. I enjoy hearing from you!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-17336510607511447202018-03-14T19:22:30.292-07:002018-03-14T19:22:30.292-07:00Wow Ken you've done it again--written another ... Wow Ken you've done it again--written another great insightful essay about a movie right out of my personal collection. Somehow I missed this entry when I was reading the blog on other occasions. I recorded this film from IFC years ago and began to immediately re-watch it, placing myself in its "cult" from the start. There's so much to enjoy here: the performances by the four leads, the odd Muzak soundtrack, the sense of isolated reality about the office setting itself. I'm always moved by the emotional support Iris receives from her father: "You could end up running a company one day" he tells her. When he hears she is making new friends at the company his response is, "Well they have good taste." He also buys for Iris the power suit she wears in the film's last scene. I also love how Iris opens up around her new friends and how happy she is to bring them the cupcakes she makes at home. She knows something momentous is happening in her life and thus she is devastated when the pressures at the office cause the group to splinter. Hearing the four start to bicker is really so disheartening.<br /> I agree wholeheartedly that this is really Parker Posey's movie. In the scene where she is using her lighter to ignite the spray from her Binaca she pauses to scratch her nose as she delivers her line. I cant take my eyes off her in this segment. It reminds me of what Montgomery Clift referred to as "the accumulation of subtleties" that inform good acting. Interestingly, while Margaret is not the office thief she does pilfer things throughout the movie: the shot glasses in the bar scene, Art's rubber band ball, the post-it notes in her apt that Iris notices are "just like the ones from the office." Yet guilty or not, Margaret pays for her brashness and lack of conformity. Like the fortune-teller says to Margaret when the four pay a visit: "The nail that stands out gets pounded down". Still, it is a nice consolation when Iris maneuvers to get for Margaret the coveted letter of recommendation. It definitely seems a victory of sorts. <br /> Anyway, just wanted to add my comments. Keep up the good work. I appreciate what you do. Rich<br /> Richnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-46807913265804012552016-09-26T12:51:14.637-07:002016-09-26T12:51:14.637-07:00avoid doing the job they feel is so beneath their ...<i>avoid doing the job they feel is so beneath their talents</i><br /><br />Talented people know that the best way to 'get out of it' jobs-that-are-beneath-my-talents is to do them so well/so quickly that their resulting idleness forces management to move them onto more challenging tasks.<br /><br /><i>The average workplace is where most people’s youthful idealism cruelly collides with unflinching reality.</i><br /><br />Maybe this collision is telling us that we were misled during our youth. Managing expectations is half of life.<br /><br /><i>But if the colorless monotony of . . .</i><br /><br />What satisfies us as consumers (consistent quality), sometimes dissatisfies us as workers (the 'colorless monotony' of following consistent processes). There are no solutions, only tradeoffs.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-87655273794821151872015-07-03T03:28:14.647-07:002015-07-03T03:28:14.647-07:00Hi Nicole
Thank you for such a lovely comment as w...Hi Nicole<br />Thank you for such a lovely comment as well! Glad to hear, as an office worker yourself, you find enough humor and authenticity in "Clockwatchers" for it to be a favorite.<br />I've mostly worked with worked with dance companies and gyms all my life, but EVERYTHING in these professions is just as ruled by petty trivialities and power-mad middle-management.<br />Hope you come back and visit again!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-55152966999400608382015-07-02T19:35:52.147-07:002015-07-02T19:35:52.147-07:00I decided to google reviews of this movie and foun...I decided to google reviews of this movie and found yours! You truly captured this film! As a long time "office" worker - and aspiring author who would jump at the chance to escape the grind - this movie touches the part of me that sees office life in the lens this film captures. Tedious, yet thick with office politics that serve only a temporary purpose to assuage the ego of the person best at them. Thank you for such a lovely review of one of my favorite movies!Nicole Pyleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06920135146911951755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-49710899728180837292014-06-24T01:07:39.294-07:002014-06-24T01:07:39.294-07:00A very good, well-taken point. Posey is such a gif...A very good, well-taken point. Posey is such a gifted comedienne, but you're right, when exposed to what she is capable of dramatically, it's hard not to feel that the best of her is underutilized in some of those terrific ensemble comedy films. But I've always held that after the 70s, Hollywood hasn't ever really known quite what to do with unique,quirky actresses. Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-31185676357846490422014-06-23T20:36:08.469-07:002014-06-23T20:36:08.469-07:00I think I saw this only once, about when it came o...I think I saw this only once, about when it came out, but bits have really stuck with me, and almost all of them are Posey's. She's such a manic goofball so often that it really hits hard when she isn't, as here, in The Daytrippers, and in The House of Yes. Movies where she's only goofy (Party Girl, The Misadventures of Margaret) are fun but wasting her talent.Allen Knutsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15616422252030334511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-63899543747170590392013-09-28T03:55:10.398-07:002013-09-28T03:55:10.398-07:00Hi Tay
If I may say so, I think it speaks very wel...Hi Tay<br />If I may say so, I think it speaks very well of you that you recall the sad undercurrent of this film. I think a lot of the very best and most moving <br />human comedy comes out of being asked to laugh at that which would otherwise make us cry (as in the film "For Your Consideration," or the original British version of the TV show "the Office"). <br />I love that you allowed yourself to get in touch with the poignant sadness behind the humor (that sequence you recall is a killer), I'll bet it made watching the film a richer experience. <br />Thanks very much for your comments!<br />Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-72258530604967083152013-09-27T23:24:30.610-07:002013-09-27T23:24:30.610-07:00Enjoyed being reminded of this movie, Ken. I reme...Enjoyed being reminded of this movie, Ken. I remember watching it several times on VHS or DVD or whatever we had in the 90's, but eventually stopping because of its sadness. I'll never forget the scene where the woman thinks the handsome boss is greeting her and then finds out that he's not. <br /><br /> Oh...just remembering it is making me sad. But it's a happy kind of sad. Thanks for all your reviews! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-49843057382706025922012-12-27T17:01:47.298-08:002012-12-27T17:01:47.298-08:00Thank you very much! I really enjoyed reading your...Thank you very much! I really enjoyed reading your comments and appreciate the extra insights you brought to the film: the Muzak score, the color scheme, the Hitchcockian cinematography. You sound like a real fan of the film, and as a former temp, I suppose it speaks well for the film's satire that you find so much realism behind the entertainment. I especially liked reading your appreciative words about Parker Posey. She can do no wrong as far as i'm concerned. Your observation about "permanence" is especially well-taken. Thanks for sharing your appreciation of this great little film and I thank you for your kind compliments. Come back again!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-34643004186209929952012-12-27T16:13:55.119-08:002012-12-27T16:13:55.119-08:00"Permanence" never seemed so evil, despe..."Permanence" never seemed so evil, desperately desired but diabolically elusive, mocking you in every situation, proving just how worthless you are. Your assessment that "when people work in environments where almost nothing anyone does seems to matter, EVERYTHING begins to matter..." is so true both in the film and real life. Always trying to divine from the most trivial of clues where one stands in the Grand Scheme of things. <br /><br />Superiority, that was the word I could never quiet assign to Parker, my favorite actress OF ALL TIME (besides Brittany Murphy RIP). That screen capture of the four of them getting lectured by "Barbara" (Debra Jo Rupp) and the look on her face says it all about her acting genius. I liked Parker's freak out scene too, when maligned as the "little office thief" (Tom Cruise stole & hacked it in Jerry Maguire). Pure genius, I watch EVERYTHING she makes.<br /><br />Beautifully filmed like no other, elements of Hitchcock in style. The whole score was Muzak (brilliant) and the colors a'la beige tones and muted pastels, put you right there with them in the swoons of quiet desperation. I consider these characters my friends. <br /><br />Your review is the most accurate and insightful I've ever read about this hidden gem of a film, and thats coming from a former male "Temp". Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-5202686894914958902012-10-03T15:02:38.952-07:002012-10-03T15:02:38.952-07:00Hi Andrea! Your comment made me laugh because I gu...Hi Andrea! Your comment made me laugh because I guess while I would never actually voice that opinion aloud, it's exactly what I sometimes think when I consider movies like "Clockwatchers" disappearing into oblivion while the next Kevin James idiot-fest becomes the highest grossing comedy of all time. my taste can be odd, but "Clockwatchers" is a film of genuine quality. I'm glad it has a few fans out there! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-74713270464030196072012-10-03T13:59:48.792-07:002012-10-03T13:59:48.792-07:00"It boggles the mind (an admitted, in the wor..."It boggles the mind (an admitted, in the words of All About Eve’s Addison DeWitt, “dull cliché,” since I don’t really know what a mind boggled is) how few people know about this, one of my absolute favorite workplace comedies."<br /><br />It boggles my mind too, but not really cuz most people are dummies who don't know a good movie when they see one. Andrea Ostrov Letaniahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13478113002321077670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-49311146811366274542012-03-28T21:40:23.531-07:002012-03-28T21:40:23.531-07:00Thanks Wendy. Yes, "Clockwatchers" manag...Thanks Wendy. Yes, "Clockwatchers" manages to be both quirky and bizarre without being self-consciously so, like so many indie films today. Kudrow really makes me laugh out loud in some scenes ("Shit! Shit Shit! I can't believe that skinny bitch knows how to fix a copy machine!") yet makes her character so touching. And Posey in that scene you mention is heartbreaking. That's what kills me about this movie; it is extremely funny, but never once are the characters less than real. Thanks for reading and commenting!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-55934043951186891192012-03-28T19:43:07.794-07:002012-03-28T19:43:07.794-07:00Loved reading your review, especially about the ci...Loved reading your review, especially about the cinematography, hadn't noticed what a phenomenally photographed film it was before.<br /><br />It really is one of those rare originals. So quirky and bizarre, so hilarious - but at the same time extremely bleak and lonely. Toni Collette is terrific as usual, Posey is sublime (the "you don't even know my name.." scene is amazing), and Kudrow brings an unusual complexity to her character that one might not have expected at the start of the film, as well as nailing all the comedic scenes.<br /><br />Shame this film is kind of forgotten, one of those wonderfully funny and magnetic late 90s independent comedies that seem to have disappeared from consciousness. Thanks for the review.Wendyhttp://google.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-22322591885994541332012-02-25T12:38:17.747-08:002012-02-25T12:38:17.747-08:00Hi Dorian TB
Thanks so much for taking the time to...Hi Dorian TB<br />Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my blog and comment.A former temp! My hat goes off to you! I've never worked in an office myself, but always wondered how "Clockwatchers" would play to someone who was familiar with this world. Glad to hear that there is a point of comic identification in the characters. And yes...and the ever-hilarious Parker Posey is something like a National Treasure.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-55878150259814783212012-02-25T07:08:34.350-08:002012-02-25T07:08:34.350-08:00Ken, I thoroughly enjoyed your witty, thoughtful C...Ken, I thoroughly enjoyed your witty, thoughtful CLOCKWATCHERS blog post! Having been a temp myself, I can completely identify with these women. You really got under the skin of these terrific actresses and their performances (who doesn't love Parker Posey?). Excellent review!DorianTBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01357778472575080022noreply@blogger.com