"Kramer Vs. Kramer" is a movie-of-the-week made moving by grade A+ actors. This is not to discount the film... it isn't terrible, but without the great performances by both Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep- who flesh out their rather-thin characters into nearly realistic people- it is much ado about nothing.
I was disappointed watching the film because there was nothing memorable about it... it was a slight experience marked by a lack of substance. Even on the second viewing many years later I had forgotten the film as quickly as the end credits had rolled.
What WAS important about this movie was that it represented the first-time Hollywood really acknowledged the downfall of the American family, an endangered species being increasingly torn apart by divorce in which the children emerged as victims and pawns. I'm sure it was more sensational at the time of it's release... but today a woman leaving her husband and forcing him to raise their son alone is not going to win Best Picture... a film today with a plot that tame might never get made.
I suspect in fact that "Kramer's" Oscar sweep was due more to the film's amazingly talented actors- both at the top of their game- than the actual film itself. Streep is very good in a role that is *entirely* unsympathetic... we're given no reason for her departure and no rationale for abandoning her child. A lesser actress in this role would have had the audience hissing, but Meryl Streep gives us at least some insight as to Mrs. Kramer's motivations. Dustin Hoffman is great, believable as a father and human enough to engage anyone. The film sidesteps many key issues very cleverly, such as never showing us Mr. & Mrs. Kramer happy together, a necessity since Hoffman and Streep are not only unlikely as man and wife, they also share zero chemistry, unless of course they're out-acting one another from opposite sides of the courtroom.
A film that stands the test of time will linger on your mind, bear repeated viewings, and be just as vital today as the day it was made... "Kramer Vs. Kramer" is long past its expiration date. The performances are still watchable, but not essential in either actor's canon; Hoffman and Streep have both been in many timeless films... "Kramer Vs. Kramer" is not one of them.
I was disappointed watching the film because there was nothing memorable about it... it was a slight experience marked by a lack of substance. Even on the second viewing many years later I had forgotten the film as quickly as the end credits had rolled.
What WAS important about this movie was that it represented the first-time Hollywood really acknowledged the downfall of the American family, an endangered species being increasingly torn apart by divorce in which the children emerged as victims and pawns. I'm sure it was more sensational at the time of it's release... but today a woman leaving her husband and forcing him to raise their son alone is not going to win Best Picture... a film today with a plot that tame might never get made.
I suspect in fact that "Kramer's" Oscar sweep was due more to the film's amazingly talented actors- both at the top of their game- than the actual film itself. Streep is very good in a role that is *entirely* unsympathetic... we're given no reason for her departure and no rationale for abandoning her child. A lesser actress in this role would have had the audience hissing, but Meryl Streep gives us at least some insight as to Mrs. Kramer's motivations. Dustin Hoffman is great, believable as a father and human enough to engage anyone. The film sidesteps many key issues very cleverly, such as never showing us Mr. & Mrs. Kramer happy together, a necessity since Hoffman and Streep are not only unlikely as man and wife, they also share zero chemistry, unless of course they're out-acting one another from opposite sides of the courtroom.
A film that stands the test of time will linger on your mind, bear repeated viewings, and be just as vital today as the day it was made... "Kramer Vs. Kramer" is long past its expiration date. The performances are still watchable, but not essential in either actor's canon; Hoffman and Streep have both been in many timeless films... "Kramer Vs. Kramer" is not one of them.