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TMDB
68
IMDb
62
Rotten Tomatoes
45
Audience Score
45
Google
84

Paper Lion (1968)

Underdog chaos60s sports swaggerGonzo journalism

Overview

Comedy

Sportswriter George Plimpton poses as a rookie quarterback for the Detroit Lions for a "Sports Illustrated" article.

Flag of USUS
Content warning
sportsamerican footballbased on memoir or autobiographywriter

Standout Aspects

Acting

Alda's nervous charm vs actual Lions players' stone faces

Direction

Alex March lets real athletes roast a fake one

Writing

Plimpton's self-deprecating voice shines through

Best for:Solo: Perfect Sunday afternoon with zero commitments·Friends: For sports fans who don't take sports seriously·Rewatch: Catch the real athletes' deadpan brilliance
A

Director

Alex March

ReleasedOct 14, 1968
Runtime1h 47m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacesteady
Intensitymedium
Tonelight
Feellight
Stuart Miller Productions

Top Cast

Alan Alda

Alan Alda

George Plimpton

Lauren Hutton

Lauren Hutton

Kate

Joe Schmidt

Joe Schmidt

Joe Schmidt

Alex Karras

Alex Karras

Alex Karras

Sugar Ray Robinson

Sugar Ray Robinson

Sugar Ray Robinson

Frank Gifford

Frank Gifford

Frank Gifford

David Doyle

David Doyle

Oscar

Ann Turkel

Ann Turkel

Susan

Ask about Paper Lion

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

Plimpton really did this in 1963; the book became a massive bestseller before this film adaptation.

Cultural

This basically invented the 'average guy tries pro sports' documentary format—think 'Pro Stars' or any YouTuber now getting wrecked by actual athletes.

YouTube

Paper Lion 1968 20s TV spot

Paper Lion 1968 20s TV spot

Gallery

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