Le lion de papier

A fairly good adaptation of George Plimpton's book. A young Alan Alda did pretty well playing Plimpton. But as another commenter pointed out, it was most interesting to see pro football in the days when the coaches were the bosses, the players did what they were told, and no thuggishness or criminality was tolerated. Football was tough, and masculine, and that was okay. No strutting, no trash talk. Ah, those were the days.

Paper Lion is a really good movie. Alan Alda was perfect for the role of Sports Illustrated reporter George Plimpton, and Lauren Hutton gave a strong debut performance as Plimpton's secretary. This is a classic underdog movie with Plimpton on assignment trying to make the Detroit Lion's football team. You can't help but put yourself in George's shoes. What makes this movie great is that Alda and Hutton are the only real actors, so it's as if you were a fly on the wall watching the team prepare for the season. I don't want to give anything away, so you will have to see it for yourself. But believe me it is well worth your time and will leave you smiling.

Just watched this movie on TCM. My husband highly recommended that I watch this movie to get a fill for what the players go through for training camp. He thought I'd love the movie since I just adore Alan Alda & he was right! I loved the whole movie & especially how well Alda portrayed George Plimpton. Perfect Casting! Lauren Hutton was also a delight in her movie debut. Highly recommend that women who have husband who are football junkies to watch this movie.

PS: My husband is a big KC Chiefs fan & said that this movie would have been a lot funnier if Plimpton had tried out for the Chiefs, because he says Hank Stram was the funniest coach in football at the time & would have made a great addition to the movie.

Enjoyable feel-good film for everybody-- whether you're a quarterback or an armchair quarterback. Based on the true account of George Plimpton at Detroit Lions training camp. Looks at the dream of a weekend athlete and the camaraderie of team sport. The nostalgia of the sixties comes through well. Alan Alda does a fine job as do all the pros, giving the necessary realism. Plimpton does a good job standing in for fans and giving all of us a taste of the big time. At first he tries for a meaningful experience;later he strives to earn respect as he realizes the challenges these men face in professional sports. All backyard athletes dream of the sensation of competing at the highest level. Plimpton and Alda show how it feels behind the scenes in this engaging and entertaining film.

If you are a fan of Pro football, this is a must. Before Alan Alda shot to fame in the TV series MASH, he was in Paper Lion. Many Football movies have been made, some good, some bad. Longest Yard and Brain's Song rank as two of the best, with Paper Lion a close third. One of the best scenes doesn't take place on the Football field. When Plimpton (Alda) explains his idea to Vince Lombardi, Lombardi laughs and replied " Have you thought about the AFL?" Giving him a dirty look, Alda leaves. This shows the bad blood that existed between the NFL and AFL at the time. One year after this movie was filmed, the merger of the AFL and NFL was announced.