A 1973 comedy-drama film based on the 1970 novel of the same name by John Jay Osborn, adapted and directed by James Bridges.
A first-year student at Harvard Law School, James Hart (Timothy Bottoms) struggles to balance his course load and a covert romance with the daughter (Lindsay Wagner) of his most rigorous professor (John Houseman).
There was also a TV series on CBS (1978–79) and Showtime (1983–86). Houseman reprised his role, while Hart was played by James Stephens.
The Paper Chase features examples of:
- Blessed with Suck: Kevin Brooks has a photographic memory, which is absolutely useless for analyzing matters of law.
- Calling the Old Man Out: "You... are a son of a bitch, Kingsfield!"Kingsfield: Mr. Hart! That is the most intelligent thing you've said all day.
- Character Tic: If Hart is particularly pleased with himself and there's a wood surface within reach, he knocks on it twice.
- Coming of Age Story
- Consolation BackfireToombs: Kingsfield drove him mad. He's driven a lot of lawyers mad over the past 40 years that he's been teaching here. I heard he ripped up a 1-L this morning so bad, the guy lost his breakfast.Hart: That's true. That was me.
- Deer in the Headlights: Brooks, after Kingsfield asks him to analyze a hypothetical case. Brooks was relying on his photographic memory to remember the answers, but of course that does no good when being asked to analyze a case not found in the text. Brooks realizes he's hopelessly overmatched, leading to his downward spiral.
- Dramatically Missing the Point: Near the end of the school year, Bell lords his 800-page course outline over the other members of the study group as the pinnacle of what a great outline should be. However, course outlines are supposed to be around 50-80 pages in length, because they're a summary of the year-long class. Given that most textbooks are around 800 pages in length, an 800-page outline isn't "summarizing" anything and would be worthless as a study aid. You might as well just read the textbook itself.
- Dwindling Party: The study group slowly thins out over the year.
- Establishing Character Moment: The opening scene, where an arrogant Kingsfield browbeats Hart so badly the latter runs to the bathroom to throw up. Kingsfield expects his students to study hard and know the material, and an overwhelmed Hart realizes this class will be much harder than his undergraduate studies.
- Fanservice: Two group shower scenes, one solo shower scene, and a handful of scenes featuring a Speedo-clad Hart at the pool or beach.
- Freudian Trio: A short but blatant moment that overlaps with the Good Angel, Bad Angel trope. A little after the 26-minute mark, Hart is in a communal shower, standing in the middle of two students. The student on his right warns him against his new relationship, advocating chastity; the student on his left warns him against chastity, advocating that "you grab onto her boobs and you don't let go."
- Improbably High I.Q.: Ford casually tries to impress Hart by citing his IQ of 190. He fails, because Hart's genius undergrad roommate couldn't pass the LSAT.
- Insult Backfire: Hart, facing expulsion and feeling he has nothing more to lose from directly insulting Professor Kingsfield, calls him a son of a bitch to his face. Kingsfield, however, takes it as a sign that Hart may have a chance yet.
- Jerkass: Bell starts out as arrogant and then gets worse throughout the year, culminating right before Finals when he haughtily informs his study group partners that, except for Hart, they are not worthy of receiving his course outline, which he (somewhat implausibly) considers publishable. The others immediately kick him out of the group, leading to the Laser-Guided Karma below.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Kingsfield. He is extremely arrogant and demanding, but it's for a good purpose: he genuinely wants his students to learn to think analytically and do well as lawyers, and believes his no-compromises Socratic Method is the best way to accomplish this.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Several days before Finals, Hart and Ford leave campus to check into a hotel room where they can cram for the upcoming tests without distractions. The arrogant Bell, panicky over the Finals himself, begs to join them, which they casually refuse. As Bell continues begging, he holds his precious course outline (which he had previously alienated the entire study group over) out his fourth-story window and accidentally drops it, scattering the pages everywhere.
- Last-Name Basis: Hart's first name is only uttered once. Many of the other students also refer to each other by their last names.
- The Man Behind the Curtain: Hart and Ford sneak into the restricted attic of the Harvard library where all of the student class notes from current professors are kept. Hart wants to read Kingsfield's student notes, believing those notes will be the key to understanding the class. As it turns out, Kingsfield's student notes are as mundane as Hart's, leading the latter to realize Kingsfield didn't know any more as a student than Hart does.
- Ranked by I.Q.: When James Hart first meets him, Franklin Ford III boasts of having an I.Q. of 190 as a sign of his superiority.
- Signature Line: Kingfield's opening lecture contains this:Kingsfield: The study of law is something new and unfamiliar to most of you — unlike any other schooling you have ever known before...You teach yourselves the law, but I train your minds. You come in here with a skull full of mush; and if you survive, you leave thinking like a lawyer.
- Stern Teacher: Professor Kingsfield is a tough, no-nonsense teacher, but it's to ensure his students either become great lawyers or realize that their talents lie elsewhere.
- Stress Vomit: The opening scene has Kingsfield give Hart such a tongue-lashing that he runs to the bathroom to throw up.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Hart idolizes Professor Kingsfield, who doesn't even admit to recognizing him at the end of the school year.
