Kramer vs. Kramer

Kramer vs. Kramer

17/12/1979 1h 45m 7.6/10

Overview

Ted Kramer is a career man for whom his work comes before his family. His wife Joanna cannot take this anymore, so she decides to leave him. Ted is now faced with the tasks of housekeeping and taking care of himself and their young son Billy.

Director

Robert Benton

Top Billed Cast

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep

Joanna Kramer

Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman

Ted Kramer

George Coe

George Coe

Jim O'Connor

Jane Alexander

Jane Alexander

Margaret Phelps

Howard Duff

Howard Duff

John Shaunessy

Justin Henry

Justin Henry

Billy Kramer

Reviews

r96sk

1/10/2024

9/10

Much more heart than expected! <em>'Kramer vs. Kramer'</em> is a film I've heard of for as long as I can remember, though I didn't actually know much about it itself... a quick glance at Wikipedia and I saw that they class it as a "legal drama", which is obvious given the title. With that, I was waiting for a long court battle to start so was surprised to see it not arrive until the final 30 or so minutes. The film is actually mainly about a father and son, in how they react to a certain life event. And boy do the filmmakers do a great job at making you care for the characters of Dustin Hoffman (Ted) and Justin Henry (Billy)... and even Meryl Streep's Joanna, though I could've personally done with more development for the latter's character; especially as the ending is quite predictable, so additional scenes for her side of the story would've been nice. I wouldn't say it's a big deal, however, as you see what's needed. Hoffman puts in a terrific performance, as does youngster Henry. Streep also brings a good showing, as do Jane Alexander and Howard Duff more minimally. Credit to everyone onscreen, in truth. It's, of course, sad to read about the offscreen incident(s) that occurred during the production involving Hoffman and Streep, albeit settled incident(s) between the two. In conclusion, and this won't come as a surprise given my rating and all the positive noise that this film has received in the decades since its release, I'd undoubtedly recommend this motion picture from 1979.

Similar Movies

Léon: The Professional

8.3

Léon: The Professional

1994

Million Dollar Baby

8.0

Million Dollar Baby

2004

I'm Still Here

7.9

I'm Still Here

2024

American History X

8.3

American History X

1998

A History of Violence

7.2

A History of Violence

2005

New Year Blues

6.5

New Year Blues

2021

Pauline at the Beach

7.0

Pauline at the Beach

1983

Private Number

6.5

Private Number

1936

Buddhanum Chaplinum Chirikkunnu

0.0

Buddhanum Chaplinum Chirikkunnu

2016

The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family, Play Two: What Did You Expect?

0.0

The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family, Play Two: What Did You Expect?

2017

Solo for Clarinet

5.7

Solo for Clarinet

1998

Possible Lives

5.8

Possible Lives

2008