Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Ted Kramer's wife leaves him, allowing for a lost bond to be rediscovered between Ted and his son, Billy. But a heated custody battle ensues over the divorced couple's son, deepening the wounds left by the separation.

Director:

Robert Benton

Writers:

Avery Corman (from the novel by), Robert Benton (written for the screen by)

Stars:

Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander

Won 5 Oscars. Another 33 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dustin Hoffman	...	Ted Kramer
Meryl Streep	...	Joanna Kramer
Jane Alexander	...	Margaret Phelps
Justin Henry	...	Billy Kramer
Howard Duff	...	John Shaunessy
George Coe	...	Jim O'Connor
JoBeth Williams	...	Phyllis Bernard (as Jobeth Williams)
Bill Moor	...	Gressen
Howland Chamberlain	...	Judge Atkins
Jack Ramage	...	Spencer
Jess Osuna	...	Ackerman
Nicholas Hormann	...	Interviewer
Ellen Parker	...	Teacher
Shelby Brammer	...	Ted's Secretary
Carol Nadell	...	Mrs. Kline

Storyline

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. When he has learned to adjust his life to these new responsibilities, Joanna resurfaces and wants Billy back. Ted, however, refuses to give him up, so they go to court to fight for the custody of their son.

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Plot Keywords:

divorce | marriage | child custody | divorcee | single parent | 

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Taglines:

There are three sides to this love story!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 December 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kramer Versus Kramer

Filming Locations:

The Mall, Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$106,260,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Stanley Jaffe Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The length of time that the marriage between Ted and Joanna Kramer had gone was a duration of around eight years.

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Goofs

Ted is talking to his son after the first hearing to determine custody, and in so doing is speaking as if he grew up in the 1920's. Presumably, given Ted's age and the age when he was his son's (Billy) age, in the 1950's, Ted tells billy they didn't have television, Burger King or McDonalds, or diet soda, which is all false. Diet Rite Soda came out in the 1950's, the first McDonalds was in 1938 and they were prolific by the 1950's, Most affluent families had television in the 1950's and the first Burger King was in 1954. "Mostly we just listened to the radio," Ted tells Billy, which is more akin to living in the 1920's, so Ted's exaggerations are flagrant.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Joanna Kramer: I love you, Billy.
Billy Kramer: I love you too, Mommy.

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Connections

Referenced in Strangler vs. Strangler (1984)

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Soundtracks

The Gordian Knot Untied 3. Rondo Minuet
Henry Purcell
Adapted by John Kander
Conducted by Paul Gemignani

User Reviews

Dustin Hoffman rocks & gets rocked in 1970's NYC Ad World

This is probably the best cinematic depiction of life in a Manhattan ad agency: the pressure to perform; client and agency demands; the parties; the creativity; the money; the cool surface with powerful corporate undercurrents.

Toss in parenthood for Dustin Hoffman.

The movie is textured and deep. It follows his internal relationship as he tries to understand and live with what's going on; his relationship with Meryl Streep (and her friend, who becomes his friend), and his the relationship with his son.

While Meryl Streep was great, did she set the record for least screen time to win an Oscar? She sure can deliver when she is on, though.