Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

The Temp Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 17, 2022

After helming 1988’s “Child’s Play,” director Tom Holland detoured into television for a few years, working on forgettable endeavors to sustain employability. 1993’s “The Temp” was supposed to be his return to big screen mischief, this time examining the dangerous dealings of corporate life at a cookie company, where a new administrative assistant isn’t quite as docile as she initially seems to be. Instead of delivering something wicked about the business world, Holland turns in an anemic effort with the feature, which was defanged in post-production and plays like a picture that was hastily rethought during a critical step in its creative journey. Still, all the reshoots and changed ideas can’t quite cover for the movie’s inherent shortcomings, with its original lean toward laughs presenting tonal management Holland isn’t prepared for.

Peter (Timothy Hutton) is a man working on his paranoia issues, employed as an executive at the Mrs. Appleby’s Cookie Company, where he’s gunning for a promotion. Dealing with his ex-wife, Sharon (Maura Tierney), office competition from Jack (Oliver Platt), and management from Charlene (Faye Dunaway), Peter is in a state of distress, but help arrives with his new administrative assistant, Kris (Lara Flynn Boyle). Professional and eager to please, Kris greatly impresses Peter with her skills, making his life more manageable in the process. Rejecting the temptation to sleep with his employee, Peter remains close with Kris, whose arrival at the company coincides with new deaths involving co-workers connected to Peter’s climb up the corporate ladder, putting the cookie exec on edge as he considers what may be going on with his new temp.

The whole angle with Mrs. Appleby’s Cookies is a strange choice for a chiller. The screenplay (credited to Kevin Falls) hopes to tickle audiences with the concept of high-stakes dealmaking at bakery, presenting scenes where the characters take the job very seriously, arguing about ingredients and professional opportunities. Perhaps this is where “The Temp” should remain, securing an unusual atmosphere of goofiness and psychological chess games, with Jack, a smug jerk with a severe bee allergy, competing with Peter for a raise, looking to make it big in the cookie world. One can see “The Temp” was originally conceived as something near a parody of the kill-or-be-killed work ethic of the 1980s, but the picture eventually loses interest in the crazed ways of molasses measuring and corporate takeovers, settling into a slasher-lite routine with a series of mysterious deaths involving Peter’s co-workers.

“The Temp” aims for sensuality with Kris, who’s depicted as a femme fatale, ready to give Peter everything she’s got to help him succeed in the business world, also making it clear she’s open to an affair. The writing finds inspiration with her early, Mary Poppins-like presence in the office, cleaning up messes and making life easier for all, and Kris offers mystery with the hazy details of her home life and college history, forcing Peter to launch an investigation into her past. Kris is actually a fascinating character at times, revealing fatigue of jobs involving handsy bosses, and she’s extremely intelligent, presenting a natural ability to handle the fast-paced world of cookie production. And yet, “The Temp” gets away from her shading too often, as Holland as a horror movie to make, at least initially, with a handful of murders and maimings to orchestrate, though only one, involving a paper shredding machine, comes through with the bloody impact the production initially intended to provide.

The Temp Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers an older scan of "The Temp." The viewing experience offers the basics in detail, doing best with close-ups, which deliver some sense of skin texture. Softness diminishes elements of office and household decoration. Colors are slightly muted, but bright primaries on costuming are acceptable, along with Portland greenery and deep red bloodshed. Delineation encounters some solidification. Grain looks overly processed. Source is in decent condition.

The Temp Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix delivers a compelling listening experience with a pleasing sense of dialogue exchanges, which register crisply. Scoring cues offers similar authority, selling the suspense and intimacy of "The Temp" with clear instrumentation. Surrounds are quite active with atmospheric changes, including weather events, and office bustle is appreciable. Low-end isn't commanding, but power emerges with louder engines and storm activity.

The Temp Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Head Office" (17:58, HD) is an interview with director Tom Holland, who details his career at the time of "The Temp," coming off "Child's Play" and assorted horror projects. Responding to the original, cheekier screenplay, Holland was ready to follow the darkly comic blueprint, finding support from studio head Brandon Tartikoff. Casting is explored, with the interviewee labeling Faye Dunaway a "handful" while remaining supportive of her work, and crew highlights are provided, including extensive makeup effects work from Steve Johnson. A change in management turned Paramount into Holland's enemy, with the studio demanding removal of most horror elements, while a single test screening inspired a round of last-minute reshoots. Holland describes "The Temp" as "disemboweled," but he's unsure if his original cut would've made any dent at the box office.

• "Temp Effects" (14:40, HD) is an interview with the always entertaining Steve Johnson, and the makeup effects master has a surprising amount to share about a film he claims he barely remembers. Johnson charts his strained relationship with director Tom Holland, reuniting after their collaboration on "Fright Night." The interviewee describes his work on the original ending of "The Temp," passing off labor to clumsy employees to finish, and he details his original vision for ghastly violence involving a swollen, bee-stung face and a hanging man. Johnson offers some thoughts on other gags in the movie, and recalls a time when he was kicked out of a Portland strip club with Timothy Hutton and Lara Flynn Boyle.

• "Office Politics" (13:29, HD) is an interview with editor Scott Conrad, who shares his initial meeting with director Tom Holland for an early job. Prepared to make a black comedy with "The Temp," Conrad recalls his confusion when Paramount leadership changed during the editing process, demanding a straightforward thriller instead. The interviewee goes into details about reshoots, which were completed at the last minute, giving him limited time to put the theatrical cut together, resulting in a "nightmare" professional scenario. Casting is analyzed, with Conrad recalling how Faye Dunaway was a "problem from the time she got there," making constant demands. Interestingly, the editor throws out a theory that Paramount may have intentionally tanked the feature to make the previous regime look bad, and he makes it clear that no workprint of "The Temp" exists to his knowledge, with materials destroyed long ago.

• "Office Gossip" (11:34, HD) is an interview with actress Lin Shaye, who remembers her audition for "The Temp." A student of acting with stage credits, Shaye was relatively new to film work, trying her best to understand the process, including her relationship with the camera. Co-stars are recalled, and while the interviewee remembers the kindness of Faye Dunaway, she also shares her time with "a real character," getting a glimpse of a movie star who refused to be treated as anything but one.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:23, SD) is included.

The Temp Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As detailed in the Blu-ray supplements, "The Temp" was rethought and reshot right before its release, putting Holland in a difficult position of submission as Paramount decided they didn't want a gory dark comedy. They wanted a thriller. About a cookie company. And that's what this version of the film tries to become. It fails, despite decent performances, but there's not a lot of evidence that the alternative route, into macabre laughs, would've been a better choice.