The Paper Chase

"Speak louder, Mr. Hart! Fill the room with your intelligence!"

Imagine trying to sell The Paper Chase (1973) to any studio, then or now: two hours of harried twentysomethings arguing minutia in contract law and scrambling to complete exams isn't the most exciting premise. Somehow, writer-director James Bridges pulls it off.

James Hart (Timothy Bottoms) arrives at Harvard Law with endless energy and bottomless ambition. His hopes are dashed by the daily grind of legal life, capped by his contract law professor, Mr. Kingsfield (John Houseman). Hart grows ...