Kramer vs. Kramer
Columbia Pictures | Release Date: December 19, 1979
8.4
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Universal acclaim based on 100 Ratings
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91
Mixed:
7
Negative:
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
10
adityamAug 24, 2009
This, I say, is a very good movie. Hoffman and the Boy have given enough of them for us to be convinced of the Film's Premise. Meryl Streep is silently excellent.
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9
RegOzApr 5, 2012
What a great movie is this! A classic...! It raises a real issue. Well, I am not sure how is that in America now; thankfully, here in Australia the laws are more sensible. Being a mother myself, I can totally relate with the story. Although IWhat a great movie is this! A classic...! It raises a real issue. Well, I am not sure how is that in America now; thankfully, here in Australia the laws are more sensible. Being a mother myself, I can totally relate with the story. Although I haven't faced a situation like that...the feelings of parenthood are there. This film is moving, and one can't help but experience empathy for Hoffman's character. A beautiful movie! The best was the boy! Yet, to me, not quite a 10.… Expand
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8
beingryanjudeAug 27, 2014
Often painful to endure... but that's nearly the point: to become so emotionally heart-wrenched by these characters. The acting is superb... I mean, this is Meryl Streep's first Oscar after-all.
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10
DoehlMar 24, 2012
The film strikes a chord because it so effectively captures the beauty of parenthood rather than giving us a lot of corny fakeness that most sentimental films such as this are abundant with.
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8
SpangleFeb 4, 2017
Released in 1979 when female nudity was still allowed in PG-rated films, Kramer vs. Kramer is still as powerful now as it was then, even if the film is now 38 years old. About a couple - Ted (Dustin Hoffman) and Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) -Released in 1979 when female nudity was still allowed in PG-rated films, Kramer vs. Kramer is still as powerful now as it was then, even if the film is now 38 years old. About a couple - Ted (Dustin Hoffman) and Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) - who separate, divorce, and are now fighting a custody battle, the film is achingly real. Blessed with an authentic and heartbreaking script from Robert Benton, Kramer vs Kramer never ceases to both break your heart and be an absolutely riveting film. Praised for portraying the concerns of both Ted and Joanna evenly, Kramer vs Kramer may paint Joanna as a bad guy in the film, but her concerns are valid ones with regard to her marriage to Ted.

Ted, a workaholic, is a distant father. He provides financially, but misses the crucial part: emotion and low. His son Billy (Justin Henry) barely knows him. Joanna is done. She has been unhappy and forced to be a stay-at-home mom against her wishes, so she leaves. Ted is neglectful and old school with a set understanding of what a wife should be and do. This does not work for Joanna, so she leaves him and Billy to find herself and happiness. For the next 18 months, Ted and Billy fight and are forced to learn to live and love one another, while Ted is forced to parent. The end result is an unbreakable bond that Ted could never imagine having severed in the future. As such, he gets quite defensive when Joanna comes back with a job and wants to take her son back full-time. This is where Kramer vs Kramer fails to be fair, as it shows Ted and Billy for the most part. When Joanna gets Billy briefly for a visit, we only see how Ted handles giving him over. As such, we write off Joanna as a parent and start rooting for Ted to get the kid, even though this **** wants to take Billy away from him. That said, for his part, Hoffman has incredible chemistry with the young Justin Henry. Hoffman plays an incredibly sympathetic man with great gravitas and care for the nuance of parenthood. He refuses to demonize Joanna and instead begins to look inward and identify what made her run away. He knows he screwed up and feels great remorse for those errors.

On the flip side, Meryl Streep is impeccable. Her testimony is raw, powerful, and engrossing. Her delivery is always top-notch and it is hard to deny that this is a performance worthy of her first Oscar. She is limited in screen time compared to Hoffman, but she makes an impact every time she appears on the screen. As Joanna, she plays this forward-thinking mother who looks beyond the home for gratification and success. As such, a home life is at odds with what she truly wants. Though she loves Billy, having him live with her would be a mistake for the both of them, even if she is a good mother. Her realization of this is an incredibly powerful moment in the film and underscores Joanna's confusion and lack of focus in her life at the moment.

Impeccably written, as mentioned, the film's main fault is that it takes Ted's side. We understand Joanna, but never comprehend why she wants to take Billy away. Why must Ted be limited to every other weekend and she gets the kid? The film too readily cops out and blames archaic beliefs of the judge that mothers are more important when, in reality, it must explain why Joanna refuses joint custody and wants Billy full-time. The two could split him and the end result would be hard, but easy to understand. Yet, they go guns blazing at one another because Joanna wanted to. This is unfortunate and makes her hard to sympathize with, even if her reason for divorcing Ted makes sense.

A powerful film, Kramer vs. Kramer is a riveting and thoroughly engrossing family drama that has authenticity in every line. Hoffman and Streep turns in powerful performances as the warring couple, even if the writing seems to take Hoffman's side a bit too much. That said, it is an incredibly nuanced and timeless film that rides on the back of its impeccable characters, real life drama, and acting.… Expand
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10
FanBoyCritic1Mar 24, 2016
Plot/Summary
A just divorced man must learn to care for his son on his own, and then must fight in court to keep custody of him
Director(Robert Benton) Cast Dustin Hoffman(Ted Kramer) Meryl Steep(Johanna Kramer) Justin Henny(BillyPlot/Summary
A just divorced man must learn to care for his son on his own, and then must fight in court to keep custody of him
Director(Robert Benton)
Cast
Dustin Hoffman(Ted Kramer)
Meryl Steep(Johanna Kramer)
Justin Henny(Billy Kramer)
Jane Alexander(Margaret Philips)
Howard Duff(Jhon Shaunessy)
Jobeth Williams(Phyllis Bernard)
My Review
I hate you i hate you too you little ****
Those are the words family should never say to each other. This movies Kramer vs Kramer tells the story about a divorced man who finally begins to have a bond with his child until he meets with his old wife and she wants her son back. As i heard the quotes i hate i hate you too you little **** that reminded me of the hard times i can have with my father yet we still love each other which means this motion picture gave me the real feeling of nostalgia about the bond between me and my father.Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Steep give the greatest performances in there career and it has nostalgia and reminds me of the bond between me and my father which is why i give Kramer vs Kramer a 5 out of 5.… Expand
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10
alejandro970Nov 18, 2022
A skeptic would see this as a run-of-the-mill soap opera, but it's not remotely one. It accurately and truthfully narrates the emotional pain of divorce, especially if it focuses on children. One of the iconic 1979 movies that put the namesA skeptic would see this as a run-of-the-mill soap opera, but it's not remotely one. It accurately and truthfully narrates the emotional pain of divorce, especially if it focuses on children. One of the iconic 1979 movies that put the names of Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep in neon lights.… Expand
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9
amheretojudgeJan 15, 2018
see you in the morning light.. Kramer VS. Kramer

How often do you watch a movie and fall into its world from the first frame till the end credits? Kramer VS. Kramer is one of those rare masterpiece that is innocent even though it raises somesee you in the morning light.. Kramer VS. Kramer

How often do you watch a movie and fall into its world from the first frame till the end credits? Kramer VS. Kramer is one of those rare masterpiece that is innocent even though it raises some delicate questions about society. Dustin Hofmann holds our little finger and walks us through the movie all on his own to the other side of the road where Meryl Streep is waiting for us to mesmerize us. Kramer VS. Kramer is a fine example of the art that cinema is with its unpredictable and surprisingly beautiful script.… Expand
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10
FilipeNetoSep 12, 2020
Excellent, at all levels.

There are no easy weddings. Whoever is married, let him say it for you! And there are no easy divorces. There are always moments of accusations, acid exchanges, traumatic legal struggles, and children are often theExcellent, at all levels.

There are no easy weddings. Whoever is married, let him say it for you! And there are no easy divorces. There are always moments of accusations, acid exchanges, traumatic legal struggles, and children are often the most affected. This incredible film is about that.

Ted and Joanna Kramer were just another couple in an agonizing crisis: with work increasingly demanding, Ted was no longer able to pay attention to his wife's emotional needs, and the emotional divide between them became insurmountable. She packs her bags, walks out the door. He leaves everything behind, including his own son. Ted will have to change his life and learn to be a mother and father, knowing in advance that he will not get the same time and reasoning available to work at 110% as he did before. And the ghost of a legal battle for the custody of the child will always be a sword of Damocles on him.

The film is really good, it approaches the problem with a rare elegance and we can actually follow the changes in the routine and in the behavior of that father and that son, as they adapt. The script was wonderfully constructed and the emotional bond that we are establishing with the characters is fast and solid. At times, I felt that the film sided with the father on many issues, and that the maternal figure was almost condemned by the end of the marriage. On the other hand, the film raises very serious and pertinent questions as to how the courts, often relatively informally, tend to favor the mother's side in custody disputes. I think the way in which Ted Kramer exposes himself in the scene where he is asked about it in court is a real libel for defending a father's ability to be considered as good as any mother to raise her child. It's a joke, thirty, almost forty years after the film was made, and men are still a long way from earning the right to better prospects in a legal dispute over a child.

The actors did an excellent job. The film has a relatively small cast, and everything revolves around the family in disintegration. Dustin Hoffman is an excellent protagonist and really deserves to be acclaimed for his interpretation which, moreover. Beside her, equally grandiose, Meryl Streep manages to save her character who, in the hands of an actress without her talent and ability, would become a simple villain empty of content ... the only thing that may have hindered her is to have really little time in the film. Justin Henry, who gave life to the couple's young son, also knew how to work very seriously in his role and the way he did it was truly worthwhile, considering his age. Finally, a word of appreciation and praise for the work of Jane Alexander, in the role of the neighbor and best friend of the couple.

Not being the type of film where technical details stand out, it maintained a regularity that accentuated its elegance. Cinematography contributed decisively to this by using colors and light well, and maintaining a generally neutral contrast (in some scenes this was purposely altered). The sets and costumes are also very good, and I personally would like to highlight the way the decoration of the house changes over time: the maternal figure disappears, the “feminine touch” too, things become more practical. Finally, a note of praise that seems fair and important to the soundtrack, built on a solid foundation of melodies by Vivaldi and Purcell, two giants of Baroque music. As a confessed and incorrigible music lover, I was delighted to appreciate this soundtrack.… Expand
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9
ahmedaiman9999Nov 16, 2018
I can't believe how many times I snapped my opinion! That's for the most part because the movie refused to take sides, but in a very remarkable way. Simply, the movie seems as if it had shied away from interfering with the Kramers' divorceI can't believe how many times I snapped my opinion! That's for the most part because the movie refused to take sides, but in a very remarkable way. Simply, the movie seems as if it had shied away from interfering with the Kramers' divorce subject, and therefore let its characters to compete with each other on making viewer biased towards him/her. And that's exactly what made the main characters flesh out, of course besides the fact that they are played by Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep.

Both Dustin Hoffman (one of my favorite actors of all-time), and Meryl Streep (one of, if not the best actress of all-time) gave unbelievably authentic performances that could be the best performances of their respected careers. They definitely deserved their Oscars!

The only issue I have with Robert Benton's masterpiece that I could have easily ignored is that I found the interrogation part of the courtroom scene was a bit tad monotonous only because I became totally torn between both Ted and Joanna because the baffling honesty of their justifications. I know that sounds more like a good thing, but I got tired at the end of the sequence of the constant rejections of the defense lawyers. So maybe the sequence could have been a bit shorter as we became aware how it would end.

Kramer vs. Kramer is easily the most sensitive, absorbing, and heartbreaking movie I've seen of its kind. In part because the exceptional cast, but largely because Robert Benton's significant adapted screenplay that is as simple as it's profound, and indisputably because of his tangible and nuanced direction.

(9.5/10)… Expand
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9
Offworld_ColonyFeb 19, 2020
I've never seen a Robert Benton film but now I'm hooked and not often does a film pop and resonate so much that I want to envelop myself in an entire filmography of its creators.

Additionally, I expected this film (one I have never seen) toI've never seen a Robert Benton film but now I'm hooked and not often does a film pop and resonate so much that I want to envelop myself in an entire filmography of its creators.

Additionally, I expected this film (one I have never seen) to be a comedy, the poster and the title made me look forward to a zany, light-hearted, early-80's family picture with some sentiment and darker sprinkles towards the end. Boy was I wrong. Yes, the film develops its sense of humour, beautifully I might add, but it's first and foremost a serious drama about evolving gender roles, mental health, love, jobs and parenthood.

The Vivaldi music is perfectly placed and utilised, the film encompasses so many little character quirks and small moments without being unfilmic. It manages to have an intimate male/female relationship without it ever looking like it will blossom in to cliche romantic love and there's no question that Streep and Hoffman won't get back together which focus the movie. Despite the film's theatricality and ancientnesss, it's still a relevant film today I feel in many ways. Today it would be made to show a more female POV (and perhaps it should) but at the time I think it very much set out to show other Men that Men could have the same hearts.… Expand
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8
FilmGuyDudeNov 5, 2020
Gotta say, a pretty damn good film. Best Picture worthy? Well, I think there are better contenders. But this summarization of real life problems most certainly makes an impact on the planet. Bravo to the acts behind the Kramers as well as theGotta say, a pretty damn good film. Best Picture worthy? Well, I think there are better contenders. But this summarization of real life problems most certainly makes an impact on the planet. Bravo to the acts behind the Kramers as well as the magnificent dialogue.… Expand
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9
Brickwall_May 1, 2023
I find it truly disturbing the number of times these characters use the bathroom without ever washing their hands. Hoffman uses the bathroom and then is immediately dunking his dirty penis fingers in the kid's french toast batter, yuck.I find it truly disturbing the number of times these characters use the bathroom without ever washing their hands. Hoffman uses the bathroom and then is immediately dunking his dirty penis fingers in the kid's french toast batter, yuck.

Here's a video essay that I talk about this film in: youtu.be/iQYPMFknG1Y… Expand
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