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Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Justin Henry, Jane Alexander, Howard Duff ... see more see more... , JoBeth Williams , George Coe , Bill Moor , Howland Chamberlain , Jack Ramage , Jess Osuna , Nicholas Hormann , Ellen Parker , Joe Seneca , David Gilbert , Shelby Brammer , David Golden

Robert Benton's Oscar-winning adaptation of Avery Corman's bestseller takes on contemporary problems of divorce and shifting gender roles, as a jilted husband learns how to be a nurturing father. Manh... read more read more...attan housewife Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) walks out on her workaholic ad man husband Ted (Dustin Hoffman), leaving their young son Billy (Justin Henry) in Ted's less than capable hands. Through trial and error, Ted learns how to take care of Billy, devoting more energy to his family than to his work, and finally losing his high-powered job because of his new priorities. When Joanna returns with her own lucrative job and the intent to take custody of Billy, Ted finds employment that won't interfere with his paternal duties. Even though he proves that he can do it all, Joanna still wins in court. Joanna, however, rethinks her desires when she finally grasps how close father and son have become. Addressing the male side of the self-actualization question, previously explored from the female perspective in such 1970s movies as An Unmarried Woman (1978), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), and The Turning Point (1977), Kramer focuses on Ted's evolution from absent parent to ideal father, as he learns to balance domestic and professional lives in the shifting late-1970s social landscape. Joanna's attempt to achieve the same, however, gets buried; only Streep's sensitive performance prevents Joanna from seeming an unsympathetic harridan. Critics praised the film's realistic depiction of Ted's travails, as well as the three lead actors' work; and audiences, perhaps facing the same questions of divorce and self-realization, turned it into a box-office smash. It went on to win five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

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85% liked it

39,793 ratings

Critics

88% liked it

34 critics

PG, 1 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Robert Benton

Release Date: December 19, 1979

Keywords: touching

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DVD Release Date: August 28, 2001

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Stats: 2,022 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,022)

  • jamers2011
    November 4, 2011
    jamers2011
    A great drama film! Great performances and really good writing. Hoffman is excellent and Meryl Streep is stunning! Winner of 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. I can't recommend this one enough.
  • stormyweather980
    October 23, 2011
    stormyweather980
    Great drama film that will have the tears flowing toward the end. As one of the other reviewers said, it's very realistic (my parents divorced when I was 8, and I chose to live w/my dad, so I can relate to an extent), which is its strong point. Everything about it works, but I mu... read morest say that 1979 must have been a slow year for the movie industry, because I don't know, this film just didn't scream Best Picture award winner for me, as didn't Hoffman nor Streep's performances. They did an excellent job in their acting, don't get me wrong, but I just didn't see the performances as exceptionally great or better than their usual.
  • cosmo313
    August 21, 2011
    cosmo313
    This film, which deals with the trials and tribulations of divorce and changing ideas about gender roles, took home a bunch of Oscars back as the 70s ended and gave way to the 80s. While it does deserve a lot of the awards it got, I don't think this is a real groundbreaking maste... read morerpiece that has stood the test of time.

    Some of it still holds up, yes, but mostly this film is a real product of its time, even though the themes and isssues are still relevant now. It;s their treatment that hasn't held up quite as much. That shouldn't keep you from seeing this though, because it's still a really good film.

    The performances are terrific. Both Hoffman and Streep are fantastic, but this is truly Hoffman's film all the way. Justin Henry is also quite terrific, whih si nice since most child actors are usually terribly annoying and not good performers. Jane Alexander and JoBeth Williams also deliver in some nice supporting roles.

    Something I really appreciated about this film is how, even though most of the time is spent with Hoffman, this film is very fair, balanced, and doesn't take sides. That's probably the other best thing is has going for it aside from the acting. The writing and directing are serviceable, but a little underwhelming, and this film left me depressed. I'm glad I saw it though, and I do recommend it, though I'm not sure if I really want to see this multiple times.
  • DreamExtractor
    May 28, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    I positively love this film. The plot was a genius tearjerker that can really relate to some people. The acting is amazing, bring some of the most famous actors ever are in this. You have to see this.
  • stevenecarrier
    January 26, 2011
    stevenecarrier
    As a father torn between raising his child, a demanding job and fighting for custody with his ex-wife, Dustin Hoffman is at his chaotic best, flipping between emotions with an uncanny ease. Meryl Streep is fantastic here as well, helping the audience connect with a character whom... read more you should automatically hate, but she (and the screenplay) snap off any knee-jerk expectations one might have. It's Justin Henry as the 7 year old son who is the gravitational center to the picture, always driving the narrative and it's characters to their proper places with the nuance of a seasoned professional. This is incredible stuff. Moving, honest, funny and full of wonderfully played scenes, the 1979 Best Picture winner, "Kramer vs. Kramer", is an experience to be cherished.
  • CloudStrife84
    January 25, 2011
    CloudStrife84
    Warm, touching and endearingly acted. A down-to-earth story that's really easy to take in. Hoffman and Streep, who have never once done a lazy acting job, fill their roles to their maximum potential. As does the kid who plays Billy, who is funny in everything he does, and very be... read morelievable in his emotions. Being a child of divorce myself, I could very much relate to what his character is going through, and the psychological effects that comes with it. However, even if the plotline deals with a dysphoric occurence in life, the beauty in this film lie in its every-day moments. Such as the scene where Hoffman's character has dinner with his son, or when he converses in the park with one of his ex-wife's best friends. It all flows so naturally dialogue-wise, that it's sometimes hard to believe it's actually a work of fiction. Not great enough for me to say that I love it, but probably the best movie ever made about its subject matter. A sure recommendation from me.
  • ajv2688
    January 6, 2011
    ajv2688
    One of the saddest tearjerkers I've ever seen, probably because the story is so real and the movie realistic. The actors are fantastic in this movie too. I love this drama, and I highly recommend it.
  • Screeny
    September 1, 2010
    Screeny
    Wonderfully acted and beatifully written. "Kramer Vs. Kramer" can stand as one of the greatest drama's ever.
  • SirPant
    September 25, 2009
    SirPant
    Great film, Hoffman at his best. Streep is annoying but I think that's more to do with the character more than anything. That said, I can't help but feel her ongoing Oscar nominations are a little questionable!
  • DrZeek
    September 24, 2009
    DrZeek
    Ted Kramer: Margaret, I just need to know something. Did you put Joanna up to this?
    Margaret Phelps: No, I did not put Joanna up to this.
    Ted Kramer: Give her a little pep talk, maybe?
    Margaret Phelps: Joanna is a very unhappy woman and it took a lot of courage to walk out ... read morethis door.
    Ted Kramer: How much courage does it take to walk out on your kid?

    Within this greatly acted movie that has a very real story involving a just divorced man dealing with being both a workaholic and a loving father to his 7 year old child, there are two scenes towards the beginning and the end that involve French toast. A film that can have an emotional impact on me based on the contrasting elements involved in these two scenes that features French toast as the subject, means that the film has delivered.

    Dustin Hoffman plays Ted Kramer, a workaholic, who's wife Joanna, played by Meryl Streep has just left him and his son Billy, because she was unhappy. The marriage may have lasted for a number of years, but Joanna has essentially had enough and leaves Ted completely unprepared.

    Ted was about to feel much better about his life due to landing a major account for his ad company, but he must now deal with both work and being a very attentive father. The relationship between Ted and Billy takes up the majority of the story until the last act, where the film turns into a courtroom drama involving a vicious custody battle between Ted and Joanna for Billy.

    Dustin Hoffman once again shows me how great of an actor he is. I have seen him play all sorts of roles and this one is fairly straightforward compared to some of his more eccentric characters and yet, I completely believe him as this man. Everything feels right with Hoffman as Ted. The rest of the cast is wonderful as well. Streep, who had a busy year here in addition to filming Deer Hunter and Manhattan, is excellent in a supporting role that could seem one not, but isn't. Jane Alexander is very good as a neighbor for Ted to relate with. And young Justin Henry as Billy is well equipped to keep up with Hoffman.

    Set in New York, the film looks great, with a few particular scenes that convey the fact that some careful cinematography was planned out for this film, so not to just settle the film as a standard cliche drama.

    There can be more to say about this film, such as how carefully it treads on the fact that a stance could have been taken, yet it isn't, but the thing I'll emphasize most is that Hoffman is great in this movie, and everything around him works just as well.

    Ted Kramer: How was school today?
    Billy Kramer: Same as usual.
    Ted Kramer: Hey, I see the Knicks finally won a game, what do you know?
    Billy Kramer: I don't care.
    Ted Kramer: What do you mean?
    Billy Kramer: I like Boston.
    Ted Kramer: Boston? Why do you like Boston?
    Billy Kramer: 'Cause Mommy's from Boston.

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Critic Reviews

Frank Rich
February 24, 2010
Frank Rich, TIME Magazine

Benton gives his film its depth and complexity by challenging the audience's preconceptions and snap opinions at every turn. Full Review

Michael Booth
February 2, 2007
Michael Booth, Denver Post

Kramer vs. Kramer is definitely a movie to watch together -- your kids may well seek shelter under your arm, glad to know their own families enjoy more peace. Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
December 13, 2006
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

Misogynistic claptrap. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
July 25, 2006
Emanuel Levy, Variety

The sociological merits of Benton's family melodrama exceed its artitsic ones: The film reflected the confusion of many professional women who wanted to establish their identities independent of their... Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Kramer vs. Kramer wouldn't be half as good as it is -- half as intriguing and absorbing -- if the movie had taken sides. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

[A] fine, witty, moving, most intelligent adaptation of Avery Corman's best-selling novel. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
April 24, 2012
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Benton's Oscar-winning film, a middlebrow family melodrama, well acted by Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, reflected the new positions and struggles of women in American society. Full Review

Don Willmott
November 14, 2008
Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com

it remains one of the most compelling films of the decade, even if time has tarnished a bit of its sheen. Full Review

February 20, 2008
Film4

Oscar-dominating 1970s weepie that is just waiting to be rediscovered. Full Review

February 20, 2008
Empire Magazine

Hugely popular on its initial release, this looks, in retrospect, like nothing much more than a glossy soap passed off as serious drama. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Joanna Kramer: I want my son!
    • Ted Kramer: You can't have him.
    • Billy Kramer: I hate you!
    • Ted Kramer: And I hate you back, you little shit!
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Kramer vs. Kramer Trivia

  • Which actress has starred in all of the following:- - The Deer Hunter - Kramer vs. Kramer - Out of Africa - Silkwood - The Hours  Answer »
  • Which Actor/Actress were fighting over their son in the film Kramer v's Kramer?  Answer »
  • Academy winners included: Sally Field(Norma Rae),Kramer vs Kramer, director Robert Benton, Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep. Other films were Coal Miner's Daughter,Popeye,The Shining,Raging Bull, The Empire Strikes Back,Airplane. The year was_   Answer »
  • Which Actress or Actor has been in these movies? Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Death becomes her, The Deer Hunter and Kramer vs Kramer!  Answer »
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