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Normally, movies stay out of the realm of "domestic drama," and for good reason: who wants to intentionally seek entertainment from a story about what they or those close to them have to deal with in real life? Divorce hurts an incredible percentage of American families of all classes and custody battles are ugly and necessary parts of it. That's not escapism -- the number one reason the average person turns to movies -- that's sad reality.
Normally, divorce or custody is simply part of a greater story and affects the way we understand it or relate to its characters. "Kramer vs. Kramer" focuses on it and asks us to understand why we do it and why that makes it so troubling. That's a challenge for both this film and its audience: turn something so real into something that can capture our attention and then make us not feel spiteful as the mirror is held up to our face. Writer/director Robert Benton definitely achieves both and in impressive fashion in adapting this novel by Avery Corman.
The story, as one would expect, is quite simple: Big business advertising man Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) comes home to find his wife Joanna (Meryl Streep) is leaving him and their 7-year-old son Billy (Justin Henry). Ted then must quickly learn to be an active father in the boys' life and as soon as he does, Joanna brings a custody suit upon him.
To make an Oscar-winning drama about something so generic and particularly dialogue- heavy first takes tremendous acting talent. You don't get much better than Hoffman and Streep. Hoffman is in his prime in this role: his first Oscar win after three other notable nominations. He creates a thorough character, one whose self-centered and quick-tempered ways clearly change as he learns to be a better father and the sole care-giver. Streep wins her first Oscar in only the second major role of her career as a woman who doesn't get much screen time but must communicate both inner torment at her decision to leave as well as renewed sense of identity when she returns to take custody. Streep does so effortlessly. The young boy, Justin Henry, who at his age was the youngest competitive category nominee in Academy Awards history, plays the embodiment of all 7-year-old children exceptionally well.
Benton's writing and direction takes these performances to the level where we see deeper into this family's troubles than we do our own and thus reconsider our thoughts about love and raising a family. Benton's previous notable credits ("Bonnie & Clyde" and "Superman") wouldn't indicate a strong command of family drama, but the man can flat out write. Numerous scenes give us strong visuals that show us much more than the typical family scenarios they depict. The first morning that Joanna is gone and Ted make's Billy french toast is a classic that perfectly demonstrates all the talent going into this movie in a scene that happens in Americans' kitchens every morning.
You'll rarely see a story as straightforward as "Kramer vs. Kramer" done better. There aren't any surprises at the end or twists and turns that will keep us desperately glued to the screen. The film then has to rely on its talents and they are all sure-fire, delivering a new understanding of a subject that's so familiar.


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