Temps

I've really liked this movie - it's delicate, thoughtful, charming with the good performances. It contrasts two ways of living, which in their utmost are both self-destructive, though in different manners. The day for day living and the living with the job only for the future. The film focuses on the first and catches it very good.

I've really enjoyed the play of Grant Rosenmeyer and Lindsey Shaw and think they both have a great part in the authentic atmosphere of the story and the persuasiveness of the main characters.

It's also psychological truthful, it expresses excellent the fear that you're off with something only after you become aware that you've lost it.

A true movie doesn't need to end as a fairy-tale. It's out of the cliché and it's good for it.

The rom-com has become a whirlpool for clichés over the years. Boy and girl meet, they hit it off, they become close until an event causes friction between them, they eventually realise what they had and reconcile as the film fades into an up-tempo pop song to play out over the closing credits. Sound familiar? Just on occasion however, the sub-genre throws a curve ball into the mix ensuring a crucial part of the formula is turned upside-down creating a domino effect for the rest of the story to follow. TEMPS tries to do this, and should be commended for it. However, in the end TEMPS offers very little to ensure itself a status as anything that will linger in the memory

Jefferson (Rosenmeyer) and Steph (Shaw) meet while working as temps. They quickly establish a romance which, once the honeymoon period is over, leads the two of them to revaluate their life choices and priorities.

Billed as a romantic comedy, TEMPS goes easy on the comedy, instead opting to focus on the different stages of a blossoming romance. From the initial honeymoon period right up until the inevitable Facebook relationship request which of course will ensure panic is had by the one who has difficulty "putting a label on things". In this case that honour falls to Jefferson (Rosenmeyer). The character is very difficult to like or at times even take seriously as a potential love interest of the ambitious and forward-thinking Steph (Shaw). A rather desperate side plot involving Jefferson's friction-riddled relationship with his father (played by Chris Bauer) fails as an attempt to get us onside and just comes off as clumsy.

In contrast, Lindsey Shaw fares a lot better as Steph. She is convincing as a young woman at a crossroads in her life and she's also quite likable in the role, commendable considering the shortcomings of the uneven script she has to work with. In the key supporting role of male lead's humorous best friend (another rom-com cliché), Reid Ewing does what he can with a confusingly written character, coming off as part-Napoleon Dynamite and part-Spike; Rhys Ifans' roommate to Hugh Grant in NOTTING HILL. He might not want to put this one at the top of his resume.

TEMPS is simply trying to have too much of everything that is ends up not really having much of anything. As such, the majority of the run time is spent being unsure about whether to try and look for the humour in the situation or revel in the sadness. This rather unfocused driving force is largely prevalent throughout.

TEMPS does at least attempt to offer something a little different. Genre convention dictates that everything will be alright in the end and it may sound somewhat superficial to state that sometimes an unhappy ending can be the more satisfying one. TEMPS at least dares to tread in these waters and a breakaway from the formula is always a welcome one when more often it's easier to play it safe. Unfortunately in this instance, by the time we've got to that point the journey has not been worth the destination.

20 somethings in search of the meaning for their very existence.

Get a job and do as little productive work as you possibly can, seems to be their credo.

This romantic comedy has its highlights in spite of the mostly hollow characters.

Jeff and Curtis are so phony, no straight guys go out dressed in almost the same colors to drink the same beer sitting at the bar side by side.

And their den, while with a broken screen door and a few unfinished bottles on the table, does not a convincing man cave make. How about a dart board, movie posters or a few stolen traffic signs on the wall? Maybe a pinball machine?

There are a few free spirits, though, like Jeff's father having left the rat race to live in a sailboat to grow weed and get high, or the dildo shop salesgirl "I'll kill you laughing" Lorelei.

20 minutes or more of her laughter would certainly exceed the human LD50 threshold.

But actually the only character making this movie worth seeing is Stephanie by the übercute Lindsey Shaw.

A 6/10 with 2 points for Lindsey, one for Jeff´s father and Lorelei and the rest is worth 3.

After i watched the movie trailer, i decided i will loose my time watching this romantic comedy, with probably no story and bad jokes... And i was wrong ! This movie is about a young man, scared of adult life and true love, who thinks he will only be happy with sex and funny moments. He cant bear to loose all that happyness with no consequencies, by starting a commited relationship, or falling in love. And at some point, he loose the perspective... of what is happening to him. I won't say how the story ends, but he finds out at last, what is really important in life. When you try to connect with people, and stop living your life as a self centered teenager. The acting was good because the characters looked true and flawed as in real life. So Temps is clearly not your usual romantic comedy, and i hope you will enjoy it like i did.

A sort of rudderless comedy, possibly reflecting its Author's (Timothy A. Bennett: you can see him towards the end of the movie, uncredited, introducing Reid Ewing's dance performance) personality.

It has some good scenes and some good dialogue but in the end it fails to catch: none likes when a story doesn't tell anything. That makes you feel like you have wasted your time watching.

The film is not completely bad, though. Even if I would not recommend it, it has its good parts: after the least inspired 'before the mirror' scene I've seen in the last 20 years (just few minutes after the beginning of the flick), Grant Rosenmeyer redeems himself with a convincing performance, and so does the whole cast. Ryan Sage's work (editing and direction) seems OK and the same ingredients in a less confused recipe would have produced a different result.