MovieChat Forums > Clockwatchers (1998) Discussion > The Way Those Temps Were Treated

The Way Those Temps Were Treated

posted 16 years ago by dpo263
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It was totally *beep* UP! First of all, Temps are ALWAYS treated shabbily. But in this movie, they're totally treated like criminals! I didn't object to them being watched and having their desks searched and called into "the office" and questioned and having a video camera set up over their desks to keep and eye on them. What I find wrong is that they were the ONLY ones who were being treated like that! JEEZ! There were plenty of OTHER people in the office TOO!

And I also thought that it was PATHETIC that poor Iris felt so intimidated and afraid of getting fired JUST because her hem line was showing just a little bit (that filthy COW Barbara REALLY needled her about it!) that she's actually STAPELING her own clothes?!?!?

And as far as the other temps chickening out and going to work when they all AGREED to NOT go in the next day? Ok, FINE, they were human and got scared; I'll give them that. However, when Margaret was being fired, not ONE of them stood up for her, not even when Iris saw the green monkey on the other person's desk. They could have sent any ANONYMOUS note to the Office Manager, saying that Margaret was innocent!

[–] stevenackerman69 16 years ago

Well, I think it's this: When Barbara mentions to Iris about the hem problem, we can see how browbeaten Iris is that she can't stand up and say, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize it was like that. It must've broken and I'll get it fixed." It was due to her being shy in the first place and the way the place treated her that made her that way. I know, it seems a little weird that just because her hem line was showing slightly that they'd make a big deal about it, but in corporate places, they care about that. I think they don't want any sexual harrassment stuff coming back to haunt them. As to no one standing up for Margaret as she gets the ax, it was that by then, they weren't really close friends anymore. Yes, Iris could've said something, but I think she was too scared. She wished she said something, though, and the letter of recommendation she writes for Margaret at the end was a way of apologizing. The whole thing is like in Dead Poets Society, where the boys were forced to sign the paper that puts the blame on Keating. And one more thing. Yes, it is terrible that the temps were treated that way with the cameras on them and desks searched and the other permanent workers were left alone. It is a form of discrimination that occurs there. I think the movie got it right about the way they were treated.