Review of Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) by Codie E — 06 Dec 2010

It's hard not to be impressed by a film for it's scale. Huge sets, hundreds of extras, large sweeping cameras and extravagant stuntwork. The same can be said when thisscale is transposed to humans, situations and emotions. And with this ethos, Kramer vs Kramer has the scale of Lawrence of Arabia between a couple and their young son.

Never feeling melodramatic, Robert Benton's film manages to explore tough and very moving issues that face parents the world over. When Joanna (Streep) leaves Ted (Hoffman) and son Billy (Henry), Ted must explore facets of parenting, and his son as a person, as an explorer would do so venturing into a jungle. Leaning on what he knows and adapting and improvising as he goes, the journey is remarkable.

Aided by his recent divorce, Hoffman (who made personal contributions to the script) adds a great deal of authenticity to his role. Never being afraid of coming across as unreasonable or short tempered, as he is on occasion throughout the film. Streep, who takes a character it would be easy to hate, gives Joanna a vulnerability that makes the last hour a debateable issue instead of the clear cut villification it could easily have been.

As well as these grand, life changing issues the film is dealing with, it is the little moments that most impress; Ted and Billy in the kitchen, Ted in the cafe with his lawyer, the cafe scene between Ted and Joanna. And this is great testiment to Benton. Without being too protective of his screenplay, the director allows the actors the freedom to find these moments. Add to this the hugely effective technicals (Nestor Almendros' photography, Jerry Greenberg's editing and particularly Paul Sylbert's production design) each little moment shines without ever detracting from the film as a whole.