Kramer vs. Kramer

Kramer vs. Kramer is a 1979 oscar winning movie about a father facing the difficulties of his wife leaving him and raising his son in a time when men were primarily responsible for "bringing home the bacon." The movie starts off with Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) kissing her son, Billy (Justin Henry), good night and then packing her suitcase. She waits anciously for her husband to return home. When Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) arrives home after staying late at work, he enters and ignores Joanna's frantic announcement that she is leaving him. His reaction of paying little attention to Joanna demonstrates the frustration that she has had to put up with for 8 years and why she is leaving him.

Ted makes an astonishing transition from the workaholic distant father into a parent that has taken on the role of both father and mother while balancing his work and personal life. After Ted learns to juggle work, life, and the gender role reversal, Joanna returns claiming she has grown and in the midst of her self discovery adventure, she believes she is now capable of raising their son. Ted's world is shattered, he is not going to give in without a fight. He knows his chances are slim. During the chaos, Ted loses his job because his new life was affecting his duties. He is determined to find another job in 24 ours on Christmas Eve. He is able to find a job that is a lower position and less money. His bold speech in his interview about how it is a one time deal. He is overqualified, willing to take a pay cut, but they must hire him now, not tomorrow, not in a few weeks, now. The gamble he took by those demands exemplifies his determination and will to keep his son. He is no longer thinking of himself and his own benefits, everything he does is for the good of his son. 

When the battle in court begins they are both aware that it will ruthless. The attorney makes it clear to Ted that in order for him to get custody of Billy, he will have to discredit Joanna and make her appear as an unfit mother. During Joanna's cross examination, she is bombarded with accusations of failing in all her relationships. She is distraught on the stand, one can see her emotion and pain. She looks over at Ted, seeing how hurt she is, he smiles and nods to her assuring her that she did not fail in their relationship. Even though they are battling each other for their son, the sincerity and compassion towards each other is apparent. 

Two scenes that I believe show the transition of time and the growth of Ted best are the scenes where he is making french toast with Billy. Everyone knows how to make french toast. The audience is able to connect and understand Ted better by seeing his struggle to make Billy French Toast for the first time. He took the simple things for granted. It was appropriate that the last meal that was shown with Ted and Billy together was them making French Toast. Instead of the chaos it once was, they have grown and matured together. It shows they have learned to take care of not only themselves but each other. 

The performances of Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman are memorable and demonstrate their awe-inspiring talents. The movie was nominated for 9 oscars and won 5, including: Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman); Best Actress (Meryl Streep); Best Director and Writing based on another medium (Robert Benton); and Best Picture (Stanley R. Jaffe). It also has received several other awards

Robert Benton did a wonderful job of writing and directing the movie. He was able to capture the human emotion involved with abandonment, custody battles, and in the end, doing what is best for the child. Joanna's decision to allow Ted to keep Billy even though she won custody illustrates how compassion, selflessness, and love prevail even when it hurts.