I don’t remember who recommended Kramer vs. Kramer to me. 

I’m not even sure why they suggested I watch it. It’s not like I’ve seen a lot of Dustin Hoffman or Meryl Streep films. Tootsie, Rain Man, The Deer Hunter and The River Wild might be it. I hadn’t even heard of Kramer vs. Kramer, and didn’t remember it showing up on must-watch lists or hearing recommendations on podcasts. 

Yet I sat through this roughly two-hour movie and quite enjoyed it.

The opening sequence did a good job of setting everything up and letting me know if I should keep watching or back out. I learned that Ted Kramer (Hoffman) is a workaholic, and his wife (Streep) is leaving him with their kid. I felt like I knew where the story might go, and decided to stick with it and see if I was right.

What stopped me from backing out was that the story didn’t play out like a Hollywood movie. You know what I mean. A father and son who don’t really get along suddenly become best friends. Eventually, the father learns what being a dad is all about. We’ve all seen these types of movies.

Kramer vs. Kramer isn’t like that, which is why I kept watching.

Ted doesn’t become the perfect dad overnight. In fact, he doesn’t really nail it throughout the movie, which was refreshing. He’s constantly messing up, whether it’s burning the French toast or letting a date walk through the house completely naked and run into the kid. At the same time, Ted is trying to move up the ranks at work while balancing being a dad and job responsibilities. Who would have thought a movie from 1979 would highlight work-life balance?

While we’re on the topic of the kid, the actor, Justin Henry, nailed his part. I felt a lot of empathy for him, even when he was annoying. His reactions to the situation felt real and he had great chemistry with Hoffman. I was waiting for the moment where the two of them would figure things out and everything would be happily ever after, but that never happened.

There was a moment when I started to wonder why Meryl was nominated for an Oscar when she was only in it for one scene. Then she suddenly showed up. There was a scene at a cafe where they reunite for the first time, but it got out of control. Hoffman smashed a wine glass against the wall, which I didn’t see coming. It turned out neither did Streep. I later read that he only told the cameraman and she was not pleased.

She also impressed me in the court scene, which is a section of the movie I wasn’t expecting at all. It continued to build and build, going from somewhat professional banter to nasty accusations within minutes. The difference in the way Hoffman and Streep’s characters were treated was what stood out to me most. He was asked how he would provide for the child, while Streep was asked about her personal life.

The ending felt a little off to me. I got the impression they changed it because they were talking mid-hug, so I couldn’t see their mouths move. This took me out of the movie and made me want to look at what happened.

I ended up going to the Wikipedia page and learning more about the production of it. There was nothing there about the ending being changed. It did mention that filming the movie wasn’t a great experience for Streep.

After my research, it dawned on me that I got through the movie without pausing or distractions. It was only an hour and 45 minutes, but that’s still pretty good for a family/court drama that I knew absolutely nothing about.

Would I recommend it? The film has won a lot of awards and I can see why, but that doesn’t necessarily make it a must-watch. It’s one I think you need to be in the mood for, especially considering it’s not exactly light subject matter. 

Once you start, though, I don’t think you will be able to stop watching it.

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