I have never worked as an office temp before, but after seeing this movie, I have a very clear image as to what it must be like. The film does a perfect job of making the viewer feel like part of the office community (which isn't always a good thing to want to feel). After the movie was over, I felt somewhat void and numb - and very tired. That is the exact effect that this film should have. The business world allows for no individuality or creativity - instead, it silences one's spirit.<br /><br />Toni Collette is wonderful as Iris. I have known so many people like this character - quiet, shy, someone who lets life go by without making his/her mark. I have also known many people like Margaret (Parker Posey) - people who need to be seen and heard at all times. And this one of Parker's greatest performances. She goes from a bouncy free-spirit to an aggressive troublemaker to an outcast without warning, and her transformation is fascinating to watch. Lisa Kudrow, too, gives another great performance (and this was before her scene-stealing role in "The Opposite of Sex") as the possibly compulsive liar Paula. The fourth actress, Alannah Ubach, I have not seen in anything else, but she is absolutely a delight to watch. Smaller roles by actors such as Jamie Kennedy, Bob Balaban (Posey's costar in "Waiting For Guffman"), and David James Elliot are also performed with perfection. If you appreciate a movie about interesting characters in everyday situations, then this is a movie for you. Many people have complained about the slow pace, but I have never found this to be boring. The slow pace is effective in making viewers feel as desperate and unimportant as the temps. 9/10