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Kramer vs Kramer, 1979
Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman), who works in a high-profile advertising firm, is shocked when his wife Joanna (Meryl Streep) declares that she's leaving him. Saying that she believes that their son, Billy (Justin Henry) will be better off without her, she leaves him behind with Ted. Ted experiences a sharp learning curve of single fatherhood as he must juggle work and child-care. But over a year later, after Ted and Billy have found a routine, Joanna arrives back in New York, suing for custody of Billy.
This drama, centered on great performances from both Hoffman and Streep, gives a sympathetic look at the way that assumptions about gender roles within the family and in society can lead to unfairness and injustice.
What I liked most about this film is that it didn't take any shortcuts in terms of getting the audience's sympathies on the side of either parent. While it's true that we spend almost all of our time with Ted, the writing and Streep's performance keep Joanna from being anything close to a one-dimensional villain.
The film also doesn't sugarcoat what life is like for Ted and Billy once Joanna exits their lives. There's the very stereotypical "dad trying to parent" stuff at the beginning: Ted struggles with making breakfast without burning it, loses his temper when Billy tests boundaries, and tries to keep his work happy while dealing with all the little fires that come with having a kid. But even once they settle into a routine, things can be challenging. Ted's workplace isn't at all understanding about Ted's parenting responsibilities, and right as he prepares to go into his custody battle with Joanna, he is fired. I appreciated that the movie didn't go down that simple route of saying that, hey, if you just try you can totally balance a kid and a job! That's just not reality.
Once things get into the courtroom, Ted has to push back against the idea that women are more naturally suited to be parents. What's ironic about this injustice is the fact that this very assumption is what led to Joanna being so miserable. Ted never took her desire to go back to work seriously and just assumed that she'd carry on in just the role of "wife-mother" in perpetuity. Both Ted and Joanna experience unfairness and hurt because of this assumption. I loved the little startle that Ted gives when he hears Joanna's salary. Despite all he's learned, it's clear that some part of him still didn't quite believe that she could successfully go back to the work force.
I found Streep's performance to be very interesting. She's clearly someone who is having to work through some serious issues. She misses her son and wants to be with him, but there's obviously a lot still going on in her head. Despite having gone off on her own and worked on herself, she's still deferential in a way that seems almost pathological.
I also really loved the way that the film portrayed the friendship that develops between Ted and his neighbor, Margaret (Jane Alexander), who is also recently divorced from her husband. While he initially blames her for putting the idea into Joanna's head, the two eventually bond over their shared experiences and become allies. (Though, interestingly, we only really see her helping him with his child and not the other way around. Hmm.)
Despite the film's being famous for the courtroom showdown in the last act, those were my least favorite scenes. So much yelling! So much interrupting! I can't speak to the realism of these sequences, but they felt over the top in ways that were not enjoyable. I did appreciate the painful element of Ted and Joanna having to watch their lawyers go after the other. (Though only Joanna actually apologizes for the behavior of her lawyer. Again: hmmm.) I was also pretty mixed on some of what we see from Ted that the film seems to think is okay. Let's set aside the part where he kisses a woman--a stranger--without asking her first because he's jazzed about getting a new job. I did not care for the part where Joanna first talks about wanting custody of Billy and Ted yells at her and then throws and breaks a glass against the wall. Like, sorry. Are we just supposed to see this as a passionate outburst? Combined with what we know about Joanna's self-esteem issues, and considering that this takes place in public, this feels more adjacent to abuse. (Yes, the film makes sure to have Joanna testify that she was never physically abused. But for a third time: hmmm.).
For the performances alone, this one is worth a watch. The story's relatively even-handed portrayal of the characters also makes for good viewing.
Kramer vs Kramer, 1979
Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman), who works in a high-profile advertising firm, is shocked when his wife Joanna (Meryl Streep) declares that she's leaving him. Saying that she believes that their son, Billy (Justin Henry) will be better off without her, she leaves him behind with Ted. Ted experiences a sharp learning curve of single fatherhood as he must juggle work and child-care. But over a year later, after Ted and Billy have found a routine, Joanna arrives back in New York, suing for custody of Billy.
This drama, centered on great performances from both Hoffman and Streep, gives a sympathetic look at the way that assumptions about gender roles within the family and in society can lead to unfairness and injustice.
What I liked most about this film is that it didn't take any shortcuts in terms of getting the audience's sympathies on the side of either parent. While it's true that we spend almost all of our time with Ted, the writing and Streep's performance keep Joanna from being anything close to a one-dimensional villain.
The film also doesn't sugarcoat what life is like for Ted and Billy once Joanna exits their lives. There's the very stereotypical "dad trying to parent" stuff at the beginning: Ted struggles with making breakfast without burning it, loses his temper when Billy tests boundaries, and tries to keep his work happy while dealing with all the little fires that come with having a kid. But even once they settle into a routine, things can be challenging. Ted's workplace isn't at all understanding about Ted's parenting responsibilities, and right as he prepares to go into his custody battle with Joanna, he is fired. I appreciated that the movie didn't go down that simple route of saying that, hey, if you just try you can totally balance a kid and a job! That's just not reality.
Once things get into the courtroom, Ted has to push back against the idea that women are more naturally suited to be parents. What's ironic about this injustice is the fact that this very assumption is what led to Joanna being so miserable. Ted never took her desire to go back to work seriously and just assumed that she'd carry on in just the role of "wife-mother" in perpetuity. Both Ted and Joanna experience unfairness and hurt because of this assumption. I loved the little startle that Ted gives when he hears Joanna's salary. Despite all he's learned, it's clear that some part of him still didn't quite believe that she could successfully go back to the work force.
I found Streep's performance to be very interesting. She's clearly someone who is having to work through some serious issues. She misses her son and wants to be with him, but there's obviously a lot still going on in her head. Despite having gone off on her own and worked on herself, she's still deferential in a way that seems almost pathological.
I also really loved the way that the film portrayed the friendship that develops between Ted and his neighbor, Margaret (Jane Alexander), who is also recently divorced from her husband. While he initially blames her for putting the idea into Joanna's head, the two eventually bond over their shared experiences and become allies. (Though, interestingly, we only really see her helping him with his child and not the other way around. Hmm.)
Despite the film's being famous for the courtroom showdown in the last act, those were my least favorite scenes. So much yelling! So much interrupting! I can't speak to the realism of these sequences, but they felt over the top in ways that were not enjoyable. I did appreciate the painful element of Ted and Joanna having to watch their lawyers go after the other. (Though only Joanna actually apologizes for the behavior of her lawyer. Again: hmmm.) I was also pretty mixed on some of what we see from Ted that the film seems to think is okay. Let's set aside the part where he kisses a woman--a stranger--without asking her first because he's jazzed about getting a new job. I did not care for the part where Joanna first talks about wanting custody of Billy and Ted yells at her and then throws and breaks a glass against the wall. Like, sorry. Are we just supposed to see this as a passionate outburst? Combined with what we know about Joanna's self-esteem issues, and considering that this takes place in public, this feels more adjacent to abuse. (Yes, the film makes sure to have Joanna testify that she was never physically abused. But for a third time: hmmm.).
For the performances alone, this one is worth a watch. The story's relatively even-handed portrayal of the characters also makes for good viewing.