Customer Reviews

Kramer vs. Kramer

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

1979's Kramer vs. Kramer mirrored a trend that was becoming more and more prevalent in America in the 1970's, the breakup of marriages. Dustin Hoffman & Meryl Streep star as Ted & Joanna Kramer. Ted is the prototypical yuppie. His job in an advertising company is really accelerating and it is taking up most of his time from his family that also includes eight-year old Billy (Justin Henry). Ted is so involved in his career, he knows little of the day-to day routine of his own household. One day, Ted's world is shattered when Joanna leaves him and Billy in order to find herself. Ted must learn how to raise his son, juggle his work and home life and go through a divorce trial. The film is both poignant and touching as Ted & Billy bond and form a loving relationship. Mr. Hoffman is excellent as is Ms. Streep and Jane Alexander gives a strong turn as the Kramer's woman's libber neighbor who Ted feels egged Joanna on and caused the breakup of his marriage. But the true find is young Justin Henry. He gives one of the finest performances by a preteen in movie history. The film was much lauded and praised and come Oscar time, Mr. Hoffman finally took home the Best Actor award after several failed nominations. Ms. Streep won Best Supporting Actress, director Robert Benton took home the Best Director award and the film won Best Picture.

A career-driven man, insensitive to his wife and son's needs, is suddenly immersed in parenting when his wife (Meryl Streep) leaves him and their son to find herself. Throughout the film, as Ted adjusts to the demands of parenting, his career suffers, but his relationship with his young son grows. Over a year later, when his wife returns and tries to regain custody of the boy, Ted fights to retain custody.

The movie presents a well-done portrait of a family - the conflicting demands of a relationship, parenting and personal growth. It also tells the touching story of a father and son, and the sacrifices the father is willing to make in the name of love. A classic as powerful today as 25 years ago.

I could watch this movie a million times and never get bored because everything is so real. The acting is flawless; so flawless that it doesn't even appear that they are acting. Dustin Hoffman is simply a joy in this movie. He's superb, and the love that grows between him (Ted) and his son (Billy) is so moving and sincere. It's just as powerful, if not more, than any romantic storyline out there in the movies. This is love. A love between a boy and his father. It's deep love. The type of man which Ted grows to be is a beautiful human being, and this is all due to love. He becomes a perfect role model for what a parent should be. Hoffman is excellent. The boy actor is perfect. Another reason why I like this film is because it shows that a person is capable of change, afterall. If you're moved by great actors and real storylines, then watch this film!

1970's reconsideration of *The Champ* that is somehow more dated than that Thirties movie. Yes, I said dated: this movie hardly resonates today as much as might be supposed. Meryl Streep's housewife, searching for Personal Space and Inner Growth, belongs firmly to the early period of women's lib. Today, many mothers work: young women, watching this movie, might not understand what the fuss is all about. "Why doesn't she just get a job, if she's so bored?" they might ask. "Why quit on the marriage?" Granted, Dustin Hoffman's Kramer has insufferably chauvinistic assumptions early on in the movie, but as seen today, even that seems quaint, from another era. The whole of *Kramer vs. Kramer* is probably not equal to the sum of its parts, but those parts are pretty remarkable on their own, in particular the scene where Dustin Hoffman attempts to make breakfast for his son. (Although I think most kids would love French toast prepared in a coffee mug.) The charting of a father's growing acquaintanceship and engagement with his son has probably never been better demonstrated.

MAD MAGAZINE named the movie "Cry More Vs.Cry More" for the parody of the film. KRAMER VS. KRAMER is an effective tearjerker with somewhat of an unrealistic ending. The movie is manipulative but somehow manages to be a riveting divorce drama with clearly defined characters to care about. The standout character being young Justin Henry as Billy Kramer. The other issue here is the telling of a single father's trials and tribulations of suddenly taking on the responsibilities of single handedly rearing a child. The film shows the evolution Ted Kramer (Hoffman) with the relationship of his son and the definition of being a father. The film seems to be in two parts. The first being the set up of establishing the relationship of father and son, the second part is when the mother Joanna Kramer(Streep) "finds herself" (remember that catch phrase from the 70's?), has established a career, and decides that she wants her son back. She suddenly appears out of nowhere to get her son back. This is when the movie becomes a cut-throat custody courtroom battle between the Kramer's. Actor Howard Duff is excellent as Ted Kramer's/Hoffman lawyer John Shaunessy. The other standout performance is Jane Alexander as best friend (Margaret Phelps) to both the Kramer's who suddenly finds herself torn between the two sides of the custody battle. Overall, a movie that has captured a moment of time, showing some conventional if not sugarcoated problems of a bitter divorce. The film is notched up a bit because of the casting and oustanding performances of the leads.

Kramer vs. Kramer (Robert Benton, 1979)

Okay, I'll admit it, almost thirty years later I wanted to see Kramer vs. Kramer again solely for the JoBeth Williams scene. Yes, I am shallow. It's all I really remembered from the movie, other than Meryl Streep's "I make thirty-one thousand dollars" speech. And it's just as much fun this time around as it was when I originally saw the movie over twenty-five years ago. (I'm obviously not the only one who thinks so; the first keyword for the movie at IMDB is "nude wearing glasses".) I was reminded, however, of much of the reason I seem to have forgotten the rest of the movie, which has not aged well at all.

Ted (Dustin Hoffman) and Joanna (Meryl Streep) Kramer are married with child, Billy (Justin Henry). All is not well in casa de Kramer, however, and Joanna runs off to find herself, leaving Ted with Billy. Ted, who has spent much of his time working and very little of it with Billy, has to learn to connect with the lil' bugger while simultaneously learning to be a single parent. Nine months and one lost job later, that's finally happened-- and then Joanna shows back up and wants custody of her kid. Cue dirty custody battle.

As enjoyable as the movie is on the surface-- and I certainly won't deny that the film is as well-acted as one would expect from a cast that includes not only the above but a whole host of the seventies A-list-- but Benton, adapting Avery Corman's novel for the big screen, manages to work in just about as many single-parent clichés and stereotypes as he possibly can. (Whether they were present in the novel or magically appeared in the script, I don't know.) Sure, he plays them wonderfully-- the recurring French-toast theme, for example-- but that doesn't make them any less cliché or stereotyped. Oh, look, here's the doofus dad who knows nothing about parenting! At least the idiotic Mr. Mom made no bones about the fact that it was idiotic. Kramer vs. Kramer wanted to pass itself off as intelligent comedy-drama, and did so well enough that it scored a Best Picture Oscar back when such a thing actually meant something. (Assuming it ever did, your call.) These days, cast and all, I wonder whether this movie would even make it to the theaters, or whether it would be sentenced to the Lifetime Movie Purgatory-- err, Network.

Yes, it's certainly a watchable film, if dated nowadays, but in the slightly more enlightened society in which we now live, I hope the script's defects are a lot clearer to those watching it now. ** ½

This is a very good movie with three extraordinary leading performances. Much has been said about the work of Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, and Justin Henry (who plays their son) in this film. 23 years later, these peformances remain great. Everyone knows what powerful actors Hoffman and Streep are at their best. So what really stood out to me was Justin Henry. He is absolutely natural; not a "phony" moment in his performance.

I do wonder if the film would've been even better if Streep's character had been fleshed out a bit more. It's extremely hard to relate to her. We don't see anything particularly bad or intolerable in Hoffman's character, so her abandoning of their son seems unconscionable. She had to go "find herself?" I had no sympathy for her, simply because it seemed she walked away from a loving and devoted husband. I understand he was very busy with work, but he was putting food on their table. When raising kids, sacrifices must be made. Hoffman's character sacrificed most of his leisure time in order to work hard. Based on what we see in the film, Streep's character didn't want to make those kinds of sacrifices.

Anyway, if a movie can spark conversations, or even debates, it must've done something right. The DVD features an insightful 50 minute documentary, loaded with interviews of all the principal participants in this well-made movie.

A powerful statement about the trauma of divorce is offered by this winner of five Academy Awards. Dustin Hoffman plays Ted Kramer, a husband and father who, in order to "bring home the bacon" is totally dedicated to his career.

His wife feels neglected, ignored, alone, and forgotten. Meryl Streep plays the wife, Joanna, and delivers an outstanding performance about the young mother, overwhelmed with what she considers a dead end. She decides to leave her husband, son and apartment in search for self-development and growth.

Ted Kramer arrives home, bringing what he thinks will be the best news ever. He has just received a promotion, landing a major advertising account. As he enters, Joanna delivers the news that she is leaving.

As it happens in many situations, we find Ted going from the sublime to the ridicule, from what he thought was the best of news, to hearing his world, as he knows it, is about to end. Ted tries hard to keep some sense of composure for tomorrow he has a major presentation to deliver at work. But... the drastic change in his personal life starts to take its toll.

Dustin Hoffman is superb. The next day scenes during his first attempt at breakfast with his son, Billy, played by Justin Henry, are some of the best movie clips in this movie, for you sense his anger, his pain, his frustration. He wants to be positive to prevent his son from having to live through the trauma of abandonment, but soon finds himself making breakfast, not knowing how, with his son trying to help, only to realize that "Daddy" has no clue as to how to make his favorite, French toast.

Father and son soon begin to adjust to this new life, the father taking on all the responsibilities of his ex-wife, and the child adjusting to a world without Mom, where he actually has to guide his father to the right products to purchase as they grocery shop.

Finally, when these two have regained some sense of composure, and life is beginning to smoothly run for father and son, Joanna returns and now she wants Billy back. Ted refuses to give him up and they go to court to battle... Kramer vs. Kramer... Husband vs. Wife...

While this movie was released in 1979, it is as good a topic today as it was then, and highly recommended for any family confronted with the issues of divorce, irreparable differences, separation, resulting anger, frustration, and pain.

Dustin Hoffman's performance as the father who attempts to do what is right for his son is brilliantly delivered. In all fairness, the movie delivers a powerful message, and that is that in cases of divorce, of a family breaking up, every individual has a certain share of responsibility. We can not blame one person entirely, and in Kramer vs. Kramer we find all parties facing the dilemma of how to proceed with life when the family unit ceases to exist. Without a doubt... this is the trauma of divorce performed to perfection!

Take an emotional theme, one that half the population can personally relate to (divorce and child custody), milk it for all it's worth, and you're sure to have a winner. Dustin Hoffman is the ad. exec. whose wife walks out on him, leaving him with their son (Justin Henry) to raise. A failure at first, Hoffman learns how to deal with it, eventually at the cost of his job, until there is a strong bond between father and son. Meryl Streep plays the wife who, just as things really start to click between Hoffman and Henry, comes back to claim custody. Playing to our emotions every step of the way, it's hard to be objective about all this. Hoffman is excellent as Kramer, but everything about the movie is very controlled and calculated toward a single effect. Well done, though, of its kind.

I first saw this movie in Manhattan the week it was released. Watching this two-hour masterpiece felt like 10 minutes. I was completely riveted to the screen. The last movie I experienced like that was "Schindler's List".

Kramer vs. Kramer is a must-see movie. I'll admit it loses a little bit on the smaller TV screen (just about all movies do). If possible, view it on a large screen TV (at least 34") and pump the audio through hi-fi speakers or headphones. If you are under 40, the movie may seem a bit dated to you but the basic emotions will touch you deeply. If, like me, you are closer to retirement years than you are to college years, then you'll enjoy this film for the classic that it is.