Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Recently divorced Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) learns how to care for his young son until having to fight his ex-wife (Meryl Streep) in court to keep him.  

This was an interesting movie.  The topic of child custody was/is a very relevant issue with the increase in divorced spouses.  Seeing the effects that it has on a young child is pretty hard to watch.  Especially one as cute as Justin Henry who you can see later as the funny/douchy brother in Sixteen Candles with one of the best lines: "What the hell are you bitchin' about? I gotta sleep under some Chinaman named after a duck's dork."  Just a little fun fact for you!  Anyway, Kramer Vs. Kramer was a really great, real interpretation of repairing a broken family.  There are moments when you can understand and relate to both Hoffman and Streep.  Of course, you are meant to sympathize more with Hoffman.  The best scene in the whole movie is Ted, his first day without his wife, trying to make French Toast for his son while frazzled, late, and stressed. Great scene.  Overall, I was pretty surprised.  The ending was uplifting and hopeful to the future of the Kramer family without being, as Tim says later, schmaltzy.  

I had never seen this film prior to this blog as a form of (completely useless) silent protest as this was the film that famously beat Apocalypse Now, one of my top five favorite films for Best Picture. It actually turned out to be pretty good and manages to avoid much of the schmaltz and predictability of similar films. Hoffman and Streep both won Oscars for this film, surprising no one. I mean really, Streep has been nominated for Oscars like thirty times (and usually deserves to) and everything Hoffman is in from the late sixties to the eighties is gold and it’s a treat to see them in a movie together. Streep’s character is incredibly frustrating, albeit intentionally- she oscillates from “I don’t want this child” to “he’s my son, I love him and you can’t have him” about half a dozen times in this film but things turn out the way they probably should. The American Film Institute names this at the #3 courtroom drama of all time, after only To Kill a Mockingbird and 12 Angry Men, although it is much less a courtroom film than a domestic drama about compromise, assuming new parenting roles under pressure and what the options are after the traditional family structure falls apart. It is very interesting to see the cultural differences as Hoffman’s character receives condescension from his boss for “lowering” himself by taking care of his child and allowing family obligations to get in the way of professional ambition. I feel (and I hope) that employers in the 21^st century would be more understanding and less constrained by gender stereotypes. While Kramer Vs. Kramer still does not hold a candle to Apocalypse Now, I have an appreciation for it and can recommend it to most. Plus, my silent protest is now over so you are now free to go about your normal life- pardon the inconvenience.

Dustin Hoffman planned the moment when he throws his wine glass against the wall during the restaurant scene with Meryl Streep. The only person he warned in advance was the cameraman, to make sure that it got in the shot. Streep's shocked reaction is real, but she stayed in character long enough for the director to yell cut. In the documentary on the DVD, she recalls yelling at Hoffman as soon as the shot was over for scaring her so badly.

Margaret Phelps: Joanna is a very unhappy woman and it took a lot of courage to walk out this door.

Ted Kramer: How much courage does it take to walk out on your kid?