Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

One of my all time favorites.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I saw this movie when I was 12 at the Theater with my sister who was 14 at the time. Hated it, just hated it we walked out halfway through. I can't believe people acted like it was so good. Stupid story line, ugly actors and just awful.I can't believe anyone would want to watch these two bozos !!

Kramer vs. Kramer (KvK) is the only movie which kept me sad from the beginning to the very end. It's a sad story which includes all repercussions divorce brings along. This movie highlights what husband, wife and children have to bear in such a case.Not everything is always so gloomy. That's why KvK contains comedic elements made with great care: those never steer away from the main point but rather contribute to movie's realism. Since the main focus is father-child relationship, getting rid of comedic elements would undoubtedly make the drama feel more feigned. This just is what people go through when divorcing. And that's where the quality of this movie lies: nothing feels flamboyant or made in a way to suit a certain ideology. We see how father and son deepen their relationship but we see a lot of low punches between adults as effect of lack of communication and sincerity. Anyone who talks about divorce with ease should watch this movie.Almost thirty years later, when divorce rates seem to go higher then ever before, western world is in need for such a movie. It's sincerity, seriousness, playfulness and masterful acting are, I'm sure, always going to be appreciated and relevant.

Time was, 35 years ago, when I rated this as my third-favorite movie of all time. I'd watched it a total of three times, thought Hoffman's performance was the greatest, and much later bought a Beta copy of it. Of course, in '79 I'd seen very, very few movies then; I'd be familiarized with the historical classics in a film class several months later.I watched that Beta tape once, and never felt a need to see it again. And it's rather astonishing how far down this critically hailed film's reputation has gone. For its time, it marked the emergence of a new male image: the non-macho man of the 80s who feels free to display some normally female traits, like sensitivity and shopping and seeing his child to and from school safely. As well as trials and tribulations of single parenthood. Well, that redefinition of masculinity almost immediately went out the window with the election of a new president. Testosterone and T-bone steaks still reigned supreme, and the epithet "wimp" came back stronger than ever.I still remember my second viewing of this movie, just shortly out of the theaters and available to the 16-millimeter student cinema groups at universities everywhere. The audience was booing and hissing Streep's character when she came back to claim hers and Hoffman's child, and particularly during the climactic courtroom scene. They saw her as the heavy who just up and abandoned her family. Not that I found this especially revolting, but this viewing experience was unanticipated.I saw it again just two weeks ago with my folks; my father tuned it in about a quarter of the way into the film. It still flowed beautifully right through to the end, and it seemed an utterly magnificent three-fourth's of a movie. I'd love to watch it again, complete of course; just not right now.

Reviewed October 2011Though it treads on a very familiar premise and stays predictable throughout, it is a movie that easily stands on it's own for it's terrific performances and a seamless screenplay filled with wonderful moments both joyous and otherwise. It is not for no reason this movie has catapulted two of the most critically successful actors of their generation. The story starts with an unhappy marriage between Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) & Joanne Kramer (Meryl Streep) that ends to Ted's surprise and finds himself as the lone caretaker of his son right when he has taken additional responsibility at work. He finds himself inadequate as a father and in profession even while giving his best. He gets fired eventually but makes peace with it due to his unwavering love for his son. Just when things are getting saturated, Joanne comes back for custody of her son. Rest of it is Kramer vs. Kramer in court and how it is taken care of in the most mature and audience pleasing way.The plot isn't as hard-hitting as other marriage-on-the rocks movies like 'Revolutionary Road' or 'Blue Valentine', but it adds another dimension to it for it's practicality than blind emotions. It has a tight script that connects with the audience so frequently with plenty of terrific moments and apt performances. Evaluating the lead's performances is a futile experiment here, since all know what they are capable of. They give one of their best. Enough said. Not to forget the kid, who is terrific and the one who binds all the threads in this plot. If you don't feel for him, there isn't anything much the leads could've done to satisfy on the emotional level. This isn't the first time I have watched this movie and definitely not the last. Mind you, I don't normally repeat. So this is kind of special.