Kramer vs Kramer: 1979

Before watching Kramer vs Kramer, I watched the trailer, and just from that minute and a half of the film, I was already hooked. Not only does this film have Dustin Hoffman AND Meryl Streep, it tells a realistic story of divorce and custody battles. At times, I was disgusted with the husband Ted (Hoffman) and at other times with Joanna (Streep). Both characters had flaws, and the story was completely honest with those flaws. Ted spends more time with their son Billy, as Joanna is the one who leaves the apartment and for 18 months does not see their son. What I loved about Ted is how he was a real parent, the whole time. He made mistakes, plenty of them, and struggles with raising Billy on his own. But even in the moments where Ted is incredibly frustrated there are scenes that demonstrate how much love he has for Billy, reaffirming that parenthood is a hard labor of love. And that can be cheesy, but Kramer vs Kramer doesn't go there. Instead, it presents the story of this family honestly.

I won't reveal the ending here, but you should know that Joanna returns after being gone for 18 months and now wants full custody of her son. That's when the film became heart-wrenching for me, as Ted struggles with the idea of losing Billy to a woman who deserted Billy. I started the movie thinking I would be on Joanna's side, but I quickly switched to Ted's because her desertion is so unforgivable. And as Ted changes, I didn't find myself varying from his side.

My favorite scene in the movie is the breakfast scene after Ted and Billy have settled into a routine. Breakfast the day after Joanna left was fraught with problems--disastrous french toast, swearing--but later the father and son settle into a routine that works for them. The scene begins with Billy getting up and using the bathroom. The frame is centered on the hallway and we see Billy enter the bathroom, leave, stop by his dad's room, and move down the hall to the kitchen. The camera pulls back and pans over to the breakfast table where Billy sets the table and puts out doughnuts. Meanwhile, Ted uses the bathroom, grabs milk and orange juice, and pours their drinks at the table. The two sit down and have breakfast together, each reading something. The scene is so domestic; we see that after the initial french toast disaster and the difficulties that Ted had adjusted to single-parenthood, the two are a family unit. They're making it work together.

I'm really glad this movie was on the Best Picture list because I don't know if I would have picked it up otherwise. It's such a great story, and the acting is outstanding. If you haven't seen it, you should.