Review of Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) by Sloopy C — 18 Aug 2009

This film could have easily veered into the territory of melodramatic schlock, but this story of two parents fighting for custody of their child succeeds being well-acted and surprisingly even handed. Both Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep give outstanding performances as the two parents who are as flawed as they are admirable; Hoffman is the former workaholic who learns to value his child over his job after initially going vice versa, and Meryl Streep is the exasperated wife/mother who leaves for a year and a half only to return and want her son back.

The film shows the bond both characters have with the child, and Justin Henry is great as their son, embodying the innocent child and not taking him too over-the-top or over-articulate. My one objection to the film is its win for Best Picture in 1979; it is a great film, but NOT a better film than either Apocalypse Now or All that Jazz, and I think sentimentality was the overriding factor in its success.