Starring: Timothy Hutton, Lara Flynn Boyle, Dwight Schultz, Oliver Platt, Maura Tierney, Faye
Dunaway
Director: Tom Holland
Producers: David Permut and Tom Engelman
Screenplay: Kevin Falls
Music: Frederic Talgorn
Released by Paramount Pictures
Peter Derns (Timothy Hutton) is an executive at a cookie producing company. When his usual assistant becomes indisposed, Kris Bolin (Lara Flynn Boyle), a temp, arrives to help Peter get his office in order and prepare his reports on time. However, Kris isn't satisfied with being just an assistant, and is soon setting her sights on one of a number of executive jobs that become available as a result of the sudden deaths of the people who previously held them.
With the exception of a nice twist at the end, The Temp is a colossal mess. It heaps implausibility upon implausibility until the viewer is left scratching his or her head and saying, "They can't be serious about that." It's the movie's job to present its events, no matter how outlandish, in a convincing manner so that the audience can suspend disbelief. The Temp either has no idea how to do this, or doesn't care enough to make the attempt.
There are a number of subplots that are started, given some background, then inexplicably dropped, never to be heard from again. One or two actually seemed to have some promise. Likewise, the relationships between several characters are left tangled or dangling without resolution.
Of course, this film is in the "grand" tradition of second-rate garbage like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Unlawful Entry, Single White Female, etc. I keep hoping that some film will present a fresh persepective of this stale formula. Unfortunately, none do. If you've seen one, you've seen them all. In this case, The Temp doesn't even have a catchy title.
Timothy Hutton is decidedly unconvincing in his portrayal of the sometimes-paranoid Peter Derns. Hutton goes from wooden to over-the-top at fairly regular intervals. With a little more effort on his part, we might have uncovered something in Derns worth caring about. As it is, we get a dull, one- dimensional man in a business suit who has psychological, financial, and marital problems.
Two actors do reasonable jobs. Lara Flynn Boyle, who had a recurring role in the TV series Twin Peaks, is convincing in the title role. Kris is subtly menacing, using false charm to camouflage her homocidal impulses. In a smaller role, Maura Tierney gives a solid performance as Derns' estranged wife, Sharon, the only genuinely likable character in the movie.
The Temp is as unimaginative as thrillers get, with a plot-by-numbers script and insipid direction. There's also the expected blood and gore, and the familiar "did she or didn't she do it?" questions. Not that we really should have expected anything more creative from a movie with the tag line: "Don't get mad. Get promoted."
© 1993 James Berardinelli