Kramer vs. Kramer Movie Review
Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep Fight for son in Oscar-Winning Classic
May 4, 2009
At the start of Kramer vs. Kramer, Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) is about to reach the peak of his career, owing to the culmination of several late nights, missed dinners, distracted conversations, and emotional neglect of his family. Ted is on a high as he breezes through the door where his wife, Joanna (Meryl Streep), has just tucked their son Billy (Justin Henry) into bed for - as she imagines - the last time. She has been struggling to find herself within and apart from her role as wife and mother. Her husband’s emotional unavailability leads to her collapse of self esteem and her ultimate decision to leave her family behind in search of an identity. She stands, teary-eyed, beside her suitcase.
“Ted, I’m leaving you,” she says.
“Did you guys eat yet?” is Ted’s response.
“Ted, I’m leaving you!”
Yeah, it’s serious.
Joanna’s hysteria begins to crack through her barely-restrained cool exterior as Ted follows her to the elevator. She sobs that she can’t take their life together anymore and that Billy will be better off without her. As the doors close upon her she says “And I don’t love you anymore.”
Choosing Billy
With Joanna gone, Ted must learn how to be both a successful father while trying to maintain his coveted, high-pressure career. This is a rocky adjustment, as Ted has trouble relating to seven-year-old Billy and withstanding the emotional pressure of constantly assuring his son that his mother still loves him, all while dealing with the uncertainty of her return. Eventually, Billy begins to take precedence over Ted’s career and the boys forge a bond just as Joanna decides to return to reclaim her son.
Director Robert Benton: A Fair Judge
Kramer vs. Kramer remains a powerful and relevant film today, especially as divorce rates continue to soar. As most people are touched by divorce in some way, this may influence each one of our views on the characters, but director and screenwriter Robert Benton is careful not to take sides, striving to create an honest portrayal of all sides in this divorce—the husband, the wife, and the child. He doesn’t show Ted as the perfect parent who steps up in the midst of Joanna’s abandonment to become the ideal vision of a father who balances a career in one hand and a child in the other. Likewise, Joanna is not a monster who doesn’t love her child, nor does she plot against her husband in an evil attempt support a twisted agenda.
Benton’s use of improvisation with the actors in Kramer vs. Kramer results in natural performances and situations that are so relatable to the audience that this story becomes everybody’s story. This is our husband, our wife, our child, our friend. Out of frustration comes comedy, out of comedy comes poignancy.
Meryl Streep as Joanna Kramer
Streep’s performance succeeds as subtle and innocent as she never lets anger penetrate her character. Joanna is a particularly important character, as she must be established as sympathetic in the beginning of the film in order for the audience to support her return. Streep’s introduction is so effective that the lack of her presence throughout the bulk of the film creates a (necessary) heavy shadow upon the lives of Ted and Billy.
Father and Son: Dustin Hoffman and Justin Henry
Hoffman and Henry work brilliantly off of each other to create a realistic picture of father and son. Their emotions run high—shifting effortlessly from drama to comedy—but never over-the-top, and the audience never feels manipulated into caring for them, but bonds with them as they bond with each other.
Jane Alexander also co-stars as Margaret Phelps, a divorced friend of Joanna who finds friendship with Ted while she is away. Alexander adds an important element of support for Ted throughout the whole film, and shows how the pain of divorce overlaps into friendships.
The Verdict
Overall, Kramer vs. Kramer is a brilliant film with poignancy and depth, touching upon the many layers of the issue of divorce and its aftermath. The film touches upon how a family can exist and thrive beyond divorce, how the couple can strike a balance for the sake of each other and the child. The film does not try to wrap everything into a neat bow. Healing only just begins with the resolution of the custody battle. It does not strive to make divorce easy; it strives to show the many layers, just how deep the pain goes and extends, how many people it touches.
