Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
It’s just not possible to watch Kramer vs. Kramer with the same lenses that you would have worn in 1979. The movie stands the test of time very well, but divorce and custody battles are so commonplace, more modern children than not come from broken homes. This is still a heart-wrenching, inspiring drama of a man thrust into fatherhood and learning to love it, but it’s not as novel as it was forty years ago. In fact, in the 2010 flick How Do You Know, a character’s mother abandons her family because she watched the movie Kramer vs. Kramer.
Dustin Hoffman starts the movie at the top of his game. He’s got a high-paying job, gorgeous ’70s hair, and a wife at home content to raise his son. When wifey, played by Meryl Streep, decides her life is incomplete and leaves him in search of self-fulfillment, his whole world gets turned upside down. He no longer has a wife to run errands, cook, clean, and spend every waking moment with their sun, Justin Henry. He loses his great job and can’t get another one to accommodate his new schedule. He still has his hair, though.
Meryl Streep won her first Academy Award for her performance in this movie, and as much as you’ll absolutely hate her character, keep in mind that you’re supposed to. A woman who leaves her family to find herself is not someone you’re supposed to like, not if you’ve spent the past hour watching the husband struggle. She’s supposed to make you want to scream and throw things at the television, and she does. It’s a wonder she didn’t get typecast as villains after making such a powerful impression in this early role.
This movie is full of iconic moments, and everyone will have his own favorite scenes. In one, Dustin and Justin are shopping, and after taking his son’s directions on what type of things to buy based on the color of the bottle Mommy used to buy, he asks, “What color?” when Justin reminds him to buy cereal. In another, he’s enormously stressed and doesn’t want to show his son that he’s upset so he tries to make French toast… in a coffee cup. I love the tearjerker scene when Justin hurts himself on the jungle gym and Dustin insists on being in the room with him when the doctor sews him up. It’s a subtle movie, but it’s a tour-de-force for Dustin Hoffman, who gets to explore situations and feelings many men didn’t get to delve into in 1970s films.
More Meryl Streep movies here!
Dustin Hoffman starts the movie at the top of his game. He’s got a high-paying job, gorgeous ’70s hair, and a wife at home content to raise his son. When wifey, played by Meryl Streep, decides her life is incomplete and leaves him in search of self-fulfillment, his whole world gets turned upside down. He no longer has a wife to run errands, cook, clean, and spend every waking moment with their sun, Justin Henry. He loses his great job and can’t get another one to accommodate his new schedule. He still has his hair, though.
Meryl Streep won her first Academy Award for her performance in this movie, and as much as you’ll absolutely hate her character, keep in mind that you’re supposed to. A woman who leaves her family to find herself is not someone you’re supposed to like, not if you’ve spent the past hour watching the husband struggle. She’s supposed to make you want to scream and throw things at the television, and she does. It’s a wonder she didn’t get typecast as villains after making such a powerful impression in this early role.
This movie is full of iconic moments, and everyone will have his own favorite scenes. In one, Dustin and Justin are shopping, and after taking his son’s directions on what type of things to buy based on the color of the bottle Mommy used to buy, he asks, “What color?” when Justin reminds him to buy cereal. In another, he’s enormously stressed and doesn’t want to show his son that he’s upset so he tries to make French toast… in a coffee cup. I love the tearjerker scene when Justin hurts himself on the jungle gym and Dustin insists on being in the room with him when the doctor sews him up. It’s a subtle movie, but it’s a tour-de-force for Dustin Hoffman, who gets to explore situations and feelings many men didn’t get to delve into in 1970s films.
More Meryl Streep movies here!
Hot Toasty Rag Awards:
Best Actor of 1979: Dustin Hoffman
Juvenile Award: Justin Henry
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Supporting Actress: Meryl Streep
Best Screenplay