The Temp is a 1993 American neo-noir[2] psychological thriller film directed by Tom Holland and starring Timothy Hutton, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Faye Dunaway.

The film was slated for a Christmastime release in December 1992, but, after Holland's original climactic sequence proved too violent for test audiences, Paramount mandated that a new ending be added.

Peter Derns is a recently-divorced father and executive for a baked goods company in Portland, Oregon, who has just been released from a clinic after being treated for paranoia.

But to Peter's good fortune, the company assigns him a temp worker, an attractive young Stanford graduate named Kris Bolin.

Simultaneously, various people around the office meet with unfortunate "accidents", beginning when Lance is maimed by a paper shredder, forcing him to take an extended leave of absence.

In conversation, Kris explains that a photo of a man and child on her desk is her estranged husband, Mark, and daughter, Lizzy.

After Peter refuses Kris's advances for a sexual relationship, he finds himself the subject of various professional troubles that threaten his career.

Kris again tries to assuage him, explaining that she presented the photo as her husband and daughter as a means of discouraging male co-workers from hitting on her.

The Temp has been identified as one of a series of neo-noir revival films from the early 1990s that focus on femme fatales within the corporate ladder, such as Basic Instinct (1992), Disclosure (1994), and The Last Seduction (1994).

"[5] Producer David Permut likened the film to "Working Girl gone bad," and stated that he had been assisting in developing the project for several years before production began.

[7] Lara Flynn Boyle, who had recently acquired fame for her portrayal of Donna Hayward on David Lynch's series Twin Peaks, was cast in the female lead role of Kris Bolin.

[7] Dunaway wrote in her autobiography that she had accepted the role as she felt the film had the potential to become a mainstream hit, and to allow her to reconnect with a larger audience.

"[16] Additionally, Hutton stated that he suspected the studio had been influenced by the success of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, released the year before, and had attempted to mould the film into something similar, thus interfering with the original screenplay, which incorporated more dark humor.

[4] Several writers devised alternate climaxes to the film, some of which had Kris as the killer, and others that revealed Charlene as the real villain, in a twist ending.

[4] Screenwriter Falls, who was not involved in writing the climax as seen in the final theatrical cut, described it as a "mess," though he conceded that the original ending was "too violent.

[4] Falls reflected on the last act of the film: "The ending is the result of a collaborative effort on the part of the filmmakers, the test audiences and the studio.

It never quite decides how evil or powerful Kris ought to be, which means the film's improbably violent moments seem tacked-on," though praised Hutton's performance as "confident and appealing.

"[21] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly panned the film, awarding it a D rating and deeming it "a lethally predictable thriller.

"[22] Writing for the Chicago Tribune, Johanna Steinmeitz noted that director Holland "deserves credit for suspenseful pacing and for eliciting committed-if one-dimensional-performances," but ultimately felt that the film "belongs on a shelf with five-and-dime windup toys.

The disc contains interviews with Tom Holland, actress Lin Shaye, special effects artist Steve Johnson and editor Scott Conrad as well as a theatrical trailer.