AllMovie

The Paper Chase was a high point in the careers of many of its promising stars, including Lindsay Wagner and James Naughton. For lead Timothy Bottoms, the film was a well-chosen follow-up to his breakthrough, 1971's The Last Picture Show; his subsequent parts never tapped his talents as these two films did. Writer-director James Bridges would achieve other successes, including The China Syndrome and Urban Cowboy, but none of his other films had such a wonderful balance of comedy and drama. The Paper Chase shows some concern for the generational conflicts of the post-Easy Rider Hollywood era, but the kids here are more interested in traditional values: going to school, fitting in, succeeding. John Houseman won an Academy Award for his first significant acting role, as the film's intimidating Professor Kingsfield.