Rating: 
Summary: Wow
Review: 5 Stars! This is an amazing movie about love and divorce. Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman are outstanding in their Academy Award winning roles. Little Justin Henry and Jane Alexander are also great in Kramer vs. Kramer. All I can say is WOW. I recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see a touching great film.
Rating: 
Summary: Little victory.
Review: 1970's reconsideration of *The Champ* that is somehow more dated than that Thirties movie. Yes, I said dated: this movie hardly resonates today as much as might be supposed. Meryl Streep's housewife, searching for Personal Space and Inner Growth, belongs firmly to the early period of women's lib. Today, many mothers work: young women, watching this movie, might not understand what the fuss is all about. "Why doesn't she just get a job, if she's so bored?" they might ask. "Why quit on the marriage?" Granted, Dustin Hoffman's Kramer has insufferably chauvinistic assumptions early on in the movie, but as seen today, even that seems quaint, from another era. The whole of *Kramer vs. Kramer* is probably not equal to the sum of its parts, but those parts are pretty remarkable on their own, in particular the scene where Dustin Hoffman attempts to make breakfast for his son. (Although I think most kids would love French toast prepared in a coffee mug.) The charting of a father's growing acquaintanceship and engagement with his son has probably never been better demonstrated.
Rating: 
Summary: Divorce In The 70's
Review: 1979's Kramer vs. Kramer mirrored a trend that was becoming more and more prevalent in America in the 1970's, the breakup of marriages. Dustin Hoffman & Meryl Streep star as Ted & Joanna Kramer. Ted is the prototypical yuppie. His job in an advertising company is really accelerating and it is taking up most of his time from his family that also includes eight-year old Billy (Justin Henry). Ted is so involved in his career, he knows little of the day-to day routine of his own household. One day, Ted's world is shattered when Joanna leaves him and Billy in order to find herself. Ted must learn how to raise his son, juggle his work and home life and go through a divorce trial. The film is both poignant and touching as Ted & Billy bond and form a loving relationship. Mr. Hoffman is excellent as is Ms. Streep and Jane Alexander gives a strong turn as the Kramer's woman's libber neighbor who Ted feels egged Joanna on and caused the breakup of his marriage. But the true find is young Justin Henry. He gives one of the finest performances by a preteen in movie history. The film was much lauded and praised and come Oscar time, Mr. Hoffman finally took home the Best Actor award after several failed nominations. Ms. Streep won Best Supporting Actress, director Robert Benton took home the Best Director award and the film won Best Picture.
Rating:
Summary: HOFFMAN ON THE ROCKS
Review: A harried husband (Dustin Hoffman) finds out what it's like to raise a child as a single parent after his wife (Meryl Streep) just packs up and walks out on their lives. Today, divorce stories are a dime a dozen but when "Kramer Vs. Kramer" first hit the scene on the cusp of the 1980's it was a genuine revelation. And although we've seen the story told and retold countless times since, nothing quite captures the immediacy and sheer energy of this ground-breaking American classic.
Columbia TriStar has given us the film in a pretty good looking transfer. Yes, colors are dated but they are incredibly well balanced and, at times, even vibrant. Some minor aliasing in fine details but nothing to distract. The audio has been nicely restored. There's a documentary that's pretty informative, albeit short. BOTTOM LINE: YES - A KEEPER!
Rating:
Summary: Raw and Powerful
Review: A slap of reality, sometimes too difficult to sit through
Rating:
Summary: Hoffman and Streep at their best!
Review: A well-made film about two of the most serious and ubiquitous problems in society; a marriage break-up and a child custody legal battle. This film has excellent acting and an emotionally-moving plot. Put this one on your "don't miss" list.
Rating:
Summary: Kramer vs. Kramer
Review: As I said in my review of RAIN MAN, a family drama doesn't have to be an epic (like fellow nominee APOCALYPSE NOW) to win Best Picture. (Coincidentally, Hoffman appeared in both films.) KRAMER VS. KRAMER isn't just about divorce, it's also about a father trying to connect with his son and juggle a successful career at the same time. This is something every mother, father, and even child can relate to.Dustin Hoffman is Ted Kramer, said father in this wrenching film. Meryl Streep is Joanna Kramer, the other half of the title. Jane Alexander is their friend and neighbor, Margaret Phelps. And 8-year-old Justin Henry is Ted and Joanna's son, Billy. Along for the emotional ride is Howard Duff, as Ted's lawyer John Shaunessy, and JoBeth Williams as Ted's bed partner and secretary, Phyllis. Based on the 1977 novel by Avery Corman, KRAMER VS. KRAMER deals with the effects of abandonment (this time by a mother!), divorce, estrangement, and reconnection. It is a sobering look at a successful executive who's life couldn't be better until his wife leaves him due to unsatisfaction and marital unhappiness. His attempt to connect with his little son, the boy's mother returning after "finding herself," and ending in a bittering custody battle. What can you say about this film? I'll tell you! It was something that I, a very stubborn young man, could understand and relate to. I, myself, was a child of a broken home. My parents were Ted and Joanna; and I was Billy! This film deserves every accolade it got! Anyone, who disagrees has either no heart or no common sense! (But, you're entitled to your opinion.) Winner of 5 Academy Awards including: Best Picture - Stanley R. Jaffe, producer; Best Director and Adapted Screenplay - Robert Benton; Best Actor - Dustin Hoffman; and Best Supporting Actress - Meryl Streep; along with nominations for Justin Henry for Best Supporting Actor and Jane Alexander also as Best Supporting Actress. This is a film that inspires and unlifts the spirit just by telling a realistic story without explosions, special effects, or violence. Though I did enjoy APOCALYPSE NOW, I still think KRAMER VS. KRAMER deserved to win. Why? Because it made me cry, something that is very difficult to do! That scene where Ted and Billy say their supposed good-byes (Joanna wins, of course; the mother always wins!) tore me to shreds. Incredible!
Rating:
Summary: a very fine film
Review: Do you remember a time when people made films that were well thought out and revealed elements of the human condition with stark calrity?Well,those times are gone,but "Kramer versus Kramer" is a prime example of movie-making in Hollywood's real Golden Era...the 1970's.The scenarios are realistic,the acting is brilliant,and the writing is top-notch."Kramer versus Kramer" wasn't the best movie of 1979 (that would be "Apocalypse Now",which "Kramer" beat for the Best Picture" Oscar that year).But,it is a very rewarding film.The only drawback is the ending,which seems kind of rushed and,to be honest,sloppy.However,this is a very minor quip and shouldn't prevent anyone from owning this great film.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful casting, beautiful acting, beautiful movie
Review: Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep don't make a single mistake in this movie, and neither does Justin Henry, the kid actor who plays the child torn between two parents. Hoffman plays a workaholic dad who is stunned (when his wife abruptly leaves him) to find himself the single parent of a child he barely knows. The film is beautifully book-ended between two telling events: getting breakfast for himself and his son at the beginning, we watch Hoffman hilariously, angrily, and ineptly screw it up, while by the end father and son have a quiet dance of cooperation and guy-ness all worked out. There are so many similar pivotal moments, such as a playground accident that sends Hoffman, child in arms, racing the streets of NY to the emergency room. Hoffman finds he cannot balance the demands of parenting with the high-pressure demands of his job in the advertising industry - and he chooses parenting. Then, like multitudes of single MOMS before him, he discovers how difficult it is to make ends meet.
Meanwhile, his wife, freed of parenting responsibilities, is on her own trajectory, is 'finding herself,' and becomes financially successful. Also, she watches how husband and son are doing, spying on them from a distance, and we sense her loss and her pain - yet also her pride that Ted (husband/father) is actually coming thru for the kid.
Then comes the custody battle at the end, the wrenching scene in the elevator - and Streep's final comments to the judge. Wow. Kramer vs. Kramer won 5 Academy Awards. Filmed in 1979, it is just as relevant today as it was 25 yrs ago.
People who declare this film is one of the finest movies ever made aren't lying.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Movie
Review: Dustin Hoffman, Justine Henry, Merryl Street are great in this movie
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