Delayed Reaction: Kramer vs. Kramer

The Pitch: A couple gets divorced and - get this - the man raises their son.

Some Oscar Best Picture winners are timeless. Return of the King or Titanic can be watched whenever and feel about the same. Others really need some context. Kramer vs. Kramer is the latter type. If someone tried to make this movie today, it would be met with a great deal of indifference (kind of like if a TV show these days tries to make a "very special episode" about a character coming out). Sure, there's still some percent of the population that would see a man trying to raise his son after an abrupt divorce as some high-concept scenario, but the vast majority of people would say "so what?". So, in the context of 1979, I quite enjoyed what the film does. It tries very hard to make the case for both sides of the failed marriage, although by nature of Dennis Hoffman being the sole lead, his side is significantly more fleshed out. We actually see his situation whereas we are mostly told Meryl Streep's situation 2/3s of the way through the movie. Elements like his difficulty at work while trying to be a single parent are on the nose, but I can see how they would need to be around 40 years ago.

There's plenty to enjoy regardless of the context. Hoffman and Streep's performances are tremendous. The "vs." in the title prepared me for a much different movie (I was thinking it would be more like The War of the Roses). Most of this is the story of a father learning to how to balance his work with his family life and become a better father. It's a little quaint, but charming nonetheless. This really is Hoffman's movie, and the film couldn't help but be in the can for him. The abruptness of Streep's departure never sat well with me. I'm sure that if the story followed her more, it could've properly shown her side. As is, it felt off. And, her deciding that Hoffman should have custody at the end plays like Hollywood wishful thinking.

Kramer vs. Kramer is damn near a "big five" Oscar Winner. The only difference is that Streep won for Supporting Actress rather than lead. I can see why it was a hit with Academy voters, however that kind of dominance is a bit much.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend