First-year student James T. Hart (Timothy Bottoms) enters the pressure cooker of Harvard Law School where, among other challenges, he endures humiliation from his demanding and stern contracts law professor Charles W. Kingsfield Jr. (John Houseman). Turns out that Kingsfield is the father of the young woman Hart begins dating. Hart, a hardworking student from Minnesota, finds himself struggling but adamant in his drive to please his curmudgeonly professor while maintaining a romance with his daughter.

Trivia: Harvard University allowed only three days to film on campus because the administration was unhappy after permitting crews to shoot Love Story (1970) there, which caused many disruptions.

See our August 2018 cover story: “The 25 Greatest Legal Movies.”