Paper Chase: Timothy Bottoms, Lindsay Wagner, John Houseman, Graham Beckel, James Naughton, Edward Herrmann, Craig Richard Nelson, Robert Lydiard, Lenny Baker, David Clennon, Regina Baff, Irma Hurley, Gordon Willis, James Bridges, Walter Thompson, Philip L. Parslow, Robert C. Thompson, Rodrick Paul, John Jay Osborn Jr.: Amazon.ca: Video

Product Description

From Amazon.com

Here's a movie that should convince anyone that law school is not for them--particularly Harvard Law School. Timothy Bottoms leads a group of would-be shysters through their first year at Harvard--which amounts to endless studying and backbiting as they try to memorize whole books at a sitting. As the grueling routine begins to get to them, each reacts to the stress in different way. Bottoms's character becomes consumed with winning the attention and approval of the school's crankiest teacher, the crusty Prof. Kingsfield, the role that won "newcomer" John Houseman an Oscar. Alternately funny and harrowing, it makes law school look like the academic equivalent of coal mining. --Marshall Fine

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

30 Reviews

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.4 out of 5 stars (30 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Extremely slow but good product, Feb 21 2012

By

BwayBaby - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paper Chase (DVD)

While I was very satisfied with the price of the item purchased, the wait time for it was abysmal. Amazon gives a range as to when to expect the item to arrive. The product came a day after the last day in the range given by amazon - three weeks. I probably could have gotten it much quicker with another seller. However, the product was in good, new condition, so I cannot complain about the actual product.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

4.0 out of 5 stars Bogus Hollywood Moment: Throwing Grades into Sea, Nov 5 2003

By

James P. Hunt (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paper Chase (DVD)

Yeah, great film, holds up well over the years. But no Harvard law student would have thrown his unopened grades into the ocean. Particularly one that was as dedicated and competitive as Hart. It would be like a lawyer trying a case and leaving the courtroom before hearing the verdict. One can understand and, in a mercenary way, perhaps admire Hart if he pretended not to care about the grades for the sake of impressing his erratic, anti-establishment/anti-hippy girlfriend. She doesn't make much sense, but she is cute and alluring. But to actually throw the grades into the sea? No.

Apart from that, the scenes of the workings of law school are pretty terrific. The characters of the study group are, for good and bad, very similar to people you actually find at law school. Particularly Bell. (By the way, did anyone notice that Hart's 3rd year advisor was Thirtysomething's Miles Drentell? He is exactly the type that would say, "Grades matter.") Yet, like lawyers themselves, they're not on the whole really awful people. Ford, the quintessential Harvard prepster, bails out James Naughton's character in class and even goes so far as to say that the subject is very difficult to understand. Hart himself is obviously very decent. And Kingsfield is meant to be feared, but moreover respected and admired.

So the romance is a bit unrealistic, but nothing approaching Ally McBeal silliness. That aside, it's a solid film worth seeing more than once.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Educational Experience, May 7 2001

By

AntiochAndy "antiochandy" (Antioch, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paper Chase (VHS Tape)

The closest I ever got to Harvard Law School was a graduate class in education law at UC Berkeley. The class was taught by a silver-haired Jesuit, who stood ramrod straight behind his podium at the front of the class and proceded in a manner not unlike John Houseman's Professor Kingsfield. It was only a pale shadow of what is depicted in "The Paper Chase", but it was very enlightening. The way this movie vividly brings back my student days, both the fun and the hard work, is one of the reasons I like it so much. It also shows what people can accomplish.

The plot involves a love affair between Hart, a student who idolizes Kingsfield, and Kingsfield's daughter. It has its funny moments, but is somewhat predictable. What elevates this movie is the psychological study of how the different students respond to their situation, some finding it within themselves to persevere while others fall by the wayside. The film also benefits from strong acting, particularly by John Houseman, who is the quintessential Professor Kingsfield. He is outstanding.

This is an excellent flick. It delivers a dramatic portrayal of an intense academic experience, while delivering some very funny moments along the way. Sort of like real life, sometimes. The TV series spawned by this movie was also quite good, and it's too bad it didn't last longer on its major network. Anyway, both college students and former college students will find a lot to relate to here. Those whose background isn't academic, though, will also find "The Paper Chase" quite entertaining. Highly recommended.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 30 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Want to see more reviews on this item?

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 105 reviews 4.3 out of 5 stars

Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Reminded me of my time at university. . .
This film reminded me of my days at university in the late 60's and early 70's. I had seen the film when it came out in the 70's and thought is was an extraordinary film but seen... Read more

Published on Mar 17 2010 by Lise Pigeon

3.0 out of 5 stars 70s drop-out culture clashes with law school discipline
If you want to be inspired to go to Harvard Law School or Harvard Business School (they both use the same intimidating case study technique), this is the film to watch. Read more

Published on April 13 2004 by Gavin Wilson