The movie follows the Kramer family, in particular husband and father
Ted (Hoffman), who at the beginning of the movie is excited, having
just won a promotion at work. Upon arriving home, his wife, Joanna (Streep),
informs him that she's leaving him. Refusing to talk about it, she leaves
her keys and rushes out of the apartment, leaving behind their son,
Billy. This forces Ted, who until then had been a career-minded advertising
executive, into a new role: single father.
Just as Ted and Billy are getting comfortable with their life together,
she returns and demands custody. Thus, the two battle it out in court.
Now I'll be honest with you: I had never watched this movie before
because the premise sounded so excruciating. Why would I want to sit
through a protracted, ugly, personal court battle? So imagine my surprise
when I saw the film: although there are often high emotions, the divorce
was far from nasty. The lawyers, in fact, are the only ones in that
go for blood. Perhaps I'm influenced by having attended an all-women
dinner party a few weekends ago, where several guests shared terrible
stories of their own divorces. The Kramers, by contrast, are remarkably
civil. Ted, in particular, is ever the diplomat when he explains to
Billy what is going on in their family. He never says a bad word about
Joanna in front of their son, except for one accidental outburst immediately
after she leaves.
The movie seems to be an argument for giving men greater consideration
for custody. Although he had to learn on the fly, Ted does everything
expected of a parent. While Hoffman plays Ted as flawed, he imbues the
character with humanity and empathy.
Streep only spends 15 minutes on screen, and yet she creates a sense
of Joanna as being uncomfortable in her own skin. She looks down a lot,
shifts her gaze away from people who are talking to her, and generally
uses body language to portray a lack of confidence, a perpetual anxiety.
In the behind-the-scenes documentary that was on this DVD, Streep reveals
that she felt Joanna was dealing with some mental health issues, so
she worked that into her portrayal.
Notable, as well, is Justin Henry, who plays Billy Kramer. He holds
his own against acting heavyweights Hoffman and Streep, delivering his
lines with such naturalism it seems like he isn't acting. Sometimes,
this is heartbreaking. And that is one of this movies flaws: at times
it is too weepy, and at times, too saccharine, with loving close-ups
of Ted and his son, bonding. All the better to make an emotional appeal.
When I tried to find this movie for this project, I discovered that
there was a long wait to rent it from Blockbuster.com, usually meaning
there's either a high demand or they have few copies. In this case,
I'm guessing the latter. The clerk in the local retail store said there
were no copies in the entire Philadelphia area, so I purchased a used
DVD online. In my online searching, I came across a couple articles
revealing that Kramer vs. Kramer is not terribly well-regarded
in film circles. I think I know why.
When this movie came out, 30 years ago, it was a more groundbreaking
film. Until the '60s and '70s, divorce was not the subject of polite
conversation and certainly no subject matter for a film. In the late
1970s, the Women's Liberation Movement brought up issues of women's
rights within marriage and divorce. This movie shows, however, that
women aren't the only ones hurt when a marriage goes wrong. Back then,
the movie must have seemed important (and everyone knows Academy voters
are a sucker for important films).
Today, sadly, divorce is no longer shocking. With a TV schedule crammed
full of legal shows ranging from fiction (such as The Practice)
to reality TV (Divorce Court), it's no longer a rarity to see
such cases play out on screen. Hoffman's portrayal of a caring but flawed
father was eye-opening at the time, but in today's world, his role is
no longer unique.
The documentary provided interesting insights into the filmmaking process,
emphasizing the fact that the actors brought a lot of themselves to
their roles. Hoffman, for example, was going through a divorce at the
time and did not have to work very hard to get himself character. He
worked hard to form a bond with Henry, so that their on-screen bonding
seemed more genuine. Streep was going through personal grief over the
death of her lover, actor John Cazale. Director Benton allowed the actors
free range to bring ideas to scenes and improvise lines (including the
famous ice cream scene), which helped make the dialogue feel more naturalistic.
Yet, the movie's deus ex machina ending feels unrealistic, serving
as a sort of wish fulfilment. No matter how much pain a divorce brings,
the film says, everything will eventually turn out all right. If only
that were always true in real life.
