The Temp (1993)

Nice guy junior exec Peter doesn't play dirty but unfortunately, some of his colleagues do. In comes Kris, his new temp, who is bright and efficient and saves him. She's willing to play dirty for Peter.

Director:

Tom Holland

Writers:

Kevin Falls (story), Tom Engelman (story)

Stars:

Timothy Hutton, Lara Flynn Boyle, Dwight Schultz

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Timothy Hutton	...	Peter Derns
Lara Flynn Boyle	...	Kris Bolin
Dwight Schultz	...	Roger Jasser
Oliver Platt	...	Jack Hartsell
Steven Weber	...	Brad Montroe
Colleen Flynn	...	Sara Meinhold
Faye Dunaway	...	Charlene Towne
Scott Coffey	...	Lance
Dakin Matthews	...	Dr. Feldman
Maura Tierney	...	Sharon Derns
Lin Shaye	...	Rosemary
Michael Winters	...	Mercer
Daniel C. Swanson	...	Nathan Derns (as Danny Swanson)
Demene Hall	...	Marla Higgins (as Demene E. Hall)
Jesse Vint	...	Larry

Storyline

A cookie company takeover has employees scrambling to make a case for continued employment. An executive's administrative assistant takes paternity leave, and he gets a temp who is too good to be true, doing tasks at a fast pace and doing quite a bit of creative work for the project. The executive starts noticing that all the obstacles to his climb up the corporate ladder are disappearing, including the death of some of his rivals. When his regular admin returns to work, his temp, who has made it clear that she wishes to stay with him, begins her own accelerated climb up the ladder, and he begins wondering if she was responsible for the removal of the obstacles.

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Plot Keywords:

female stockinged legs | backseamed pantyhose | black pantyhose | suntan pantyhose | nylon feet | 

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Taglines:

Don't get mad. Get promoted.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and scenes of violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reshuffles at the studio resulted in director Tom Holland having a different ending imposed on him, largely at the behest (it was rumored at the time) of Faye Dunaway who didn't want to be seen in a bad light.

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Goofs

Less then 5 minutes into the movie we see the camera visable when "Peter" gets into the elevator. Right as the doors are closing the camera is seen reflecting on the right side.

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Quotes

Kris Bolin: He'd take off his shorts and I'd take off my bikini and we'd fuck underwater in front of the entire senior class on shore. They just thought that we were two lovers embracing. We could do that now. In front of Roger, Sara... and no one would know.

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Connections

Referenced in The Secretary (1995)

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Soundtracks

And Your Music
Written and Performed by Dave Hartley (as David Hartley)

User Reviews

Guilty Pleasures....

This is one of my "guilty pleasures" movies. A movie that has no real message and nothing profound to say. It's just fun to watch. (Con Air is another example for me.) The performances are more than adequate for this type of movie, so it is easy to watch.

Basic premise, Peter Derns (Timothy Hutton) gets a temp, Kris Bolin (Lara Flynn Boyle) that is smart, sexy and ambitious. She seems like a Godsend at first because she actually helps him in his dog-eat-dog world of marketing. His boss, Charlene (Faye Dunaway) is great in her supporting role as both mentor & menace.

One of the problems is that Peter is under mental supervision (aka: shrink) for supposed paranoia & extreme jealousy. When things start to go wrong as Kris works her way up the ladder, everyone thinks he's just paranoid. Hmm?

Well, you can probably guess what happens next. But even though this movie is predictable, it doesn't stop me from watching it whenever it's on. The actors are fun to watch, and very attractive. The sexual tension between Hutton & Boyle is believable. And there are plenty of deaths to keep it moving right along!

Just a fun movie, nothing major or worthy of the Academy of Dramatic Arts- but then not everything has to be. Just enjoy this for what it is- a guilty pleasure.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 February 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Temp

Filming Locations:

South Park Blocks, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,877,744, 15 February 1993

Gross USA:

$6,419,876

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,419,876

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbus Circle Films, Paramount Pictures, Permut Presentations

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1