Review of Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) by Chris H — 27 Dec 2011

Intelligent script boosted even more by fine acting.

This is how you write a film with subtext and where the characters don't flat-out say exactly what's on their mind. My favorite example of this is a trio of scenes that take place about 15-20 minutes of each other. In the first scene, the son spills juice on the father's work papers, and even though the son says "I'm sorry" multiple times, the father's still mad. Then several scenes later, the father scolds the son and says he needs to learn that when someone says "I'm sorry," he needs to accept it (advice the father doesn't even follow earlier). Then shortly after, both father and son apologize, and you can tell both truly mean it.

All in all, if you're even remotely interested in writing, this is a must-watch. It's referred to very often by the best in the biz for a reason!