The Temp is a 1993 American neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by Tom Holland and starring Timothy Hutton, Lara Flynn Boyle and Faye Dunaway. Its plot follows troubled businessman Peter Derns, whose life is upturned after the arrival of Kris Bolin, a mysterious female temp worker in his office. Oliver Platt, Dwight Schultz, Steven Weber, and Maura Tierney appear in supporting roles.

Written by Kevin Falls and Tom Engleman, The Temp was originally conceived as a thriller with pronounced elements of dark humor, but was reshaped by its studio, Paramount Pictures, into a more straightforward thriller, based on the success of such films as The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992). Principal photography took place in Portland, Oregon, in the spring of 1992.

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. Reshoots of the climactic sequence began in January 1993, approximately one month before its rescheduled release date of February 12, 1993. The Temp was a box-office bomb, grossing only $6 million. It received generally negative reviews, with some critics praising the performances, though many commented that the film seemed tonally uneven.

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. On his first day back at work, he is upset to find that his company has been taken over by a major food conglomerate who are making cutbacks. Peter's ruthless boss and supervisor, Charlene Towne, demands a complete report by Peter on a new product the following day. When Peter's personal assistant, Lance, is unavailable, he frets that he will never make the deadline. But to Peter's good fortune, the company assigns him a temp worker, an attractive young Stanford graduate named Kris Bolin.

Kris quickly endears herself to Peter by solving product issues and proving herself unflaggingly loyal and quick-witted. 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. Peter's workplace rival, Jack Hartsell, is subsequently found dead from a wasp sting in his stalled car on the Marquam Bridge, while Roger Jasser, the vice president of the company, is later found hanging in his office in an apparent suicide. Each of these successive deaths give Peter unearned promotions in the company. When Peter inquires about why Kris would take such a low-earning position given her educational background, she tells him she prefers to work temp jobs in order to see how she fits within the company and that she has yet to find the "right fit." 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' advances for a sexual relationship, he finds himself the subject of various professional troubles that threaten his career. Believing he is being sabotaged and gaslit, Peter suspects his old friend from a rival company, Brad Montroe, as well as Charlene, whom he theorizes may be trying to save her career by destroying his; he also suspects Kris. Peter begins researching Kris' past with the help of Sara Meinhold, another secretary and discovers that Kris's former boss Ted Fine died mysteriously. He also learns that Kris never attended Stanford. Peter confronts her but she denies his accusations. The following morning, Peter is shunned in the office after someone frames him for leaking confidential company information. However, Kris comes to his aid by accepting responsibility for the "computer error," which earns Peter's promotion to vice president and Kris' promotion to marketing executive.

As a reward, Charlene sends Peter and Kris to the company's bakery on a weekend retreat. En route, they find that the brakes to Kris' car have been tampered with. After checking into the hotel, Peter gets a message from Charlene about an emergency at the bakery. Upon going there, he finds a dead security guard, and Kris, who appears to be suffering from a mild concussion. He is subsequently hit over the head by an unseen assailant. In his disoriented state, Peter wanders out of the office to see Kris struggling with Charlene along a catwalk. Peter intervenes to prevent Charlene from strangling Kris to death. In the melee, Charlene falls from a plank and is left hanging from a railing. He attempts to pull her up but she falls to her death but not before saying, "The picture".

Months later, Peter is rebuilding his relationship with his wife Sharon and their son Nathan and has been made president of the company. As he settles into Charlene's former office, he discovers several identical framed photos left behind of Kris' husband and daughter Mark and Lizzy; he is shocked when Charlene's secretary, Rosemary, explains that she bought the picture frames for Charlene, and that the pictures in them are stock photos the frames came with. Recalling Charlene's final words, Peter realizes that she too had detected Kris' duplicity. Peter confronts Kris about the photo and accuses her of orchestrating the bakery incident to kill Charlene and possibly himself. 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. Peter, finally realizing that Kris is a master manipulator and sociopath, knows he cannot prove her culpability in any of the events. To rid himself of Kris once and for all, Peter simply fires her and orders her detained until the police can escort her out.