Movie Name: Kramer vs. Kramer
Language: English
Genre: Family/Courtroom Drama
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep
Director: Robert Benton
Year Of Release: 1979
One fine day, when Ted Kramer, a workaholic advertising executive, gets home to his wife Joanna and son Billy, to announce that he's been assigned a new and important account, Joanna tells him that she's leaving him in order to find herself. She leaves Billy with Ted, telling him that she'll be back for him later. Billy has never been close to his father and now the two face a life ahead of them without one's mother and the other's wife. Gradually they learn to love each other and slowly begin to bond well. Even though his work suffers, Ted begins to look after Billy well, with the help of his neighbor Margaret. Margaret was the very same neighbor who had advised Joanna to leave Ted if she's unhappy.
When Joanna comes back to take Billy, a custody battle ensues. Both the Kramers are unprepared for the character assassination that their respective lawyers unleash on the other. Ted invests all that he has on the case and Joanna invests all the emotions she has. Exhausted but determined, both continue to fight the case against each other, at the same time realizing the feelings that they have for each other.
What happens to Billy? Will Ted have to give him up after finally developing a bond with his son? What happens to Ted and Joanna once the court delivers its verdict?
What I loved about it:
Dustin Hoffman as Ted and Meryl Streep as Joanna, do I need to say more? When two brilliant actors set the screen of fire, you cannot not love the story. Although this movie was released in the 70s, it was way ahead of its time, talking about motherhood and fatherhood in the same parlance. It gave equal importance and weight to both the main characters and did not reduce the woman to being the caretaker and the man to a breadwinner. The movie is based on a book of the same name by Avery Corman. I haven't read this book and honestly, I didn't feel the need to. I know for sure that the movie is definitely better than the book. The way the lead pair show their emotions, their body language, the way they look at each other; all of it is so natural and beautiful.
This is a movie about love and separation and the impact it has on everyone around as well as the couple. The lead pair won Oscars for their respective roles as did the director, the screenplay and the movie. Everything about this movie is brilliant. Dustin Hoffman is one of my favorite actors and he's impeccable as Ted, both in the good and bad parts. A young Meryl Streep as Joanna is a treat to the eyes. Her eyes and her voice, they just blew my mind! She's so good in the movie, especially the last elevator scene. There are so many scenes in the movie that are tearjerkers. The final breakfast with the father and son, the court allegations and finally the climax. As poignant as the story is, no movie has told the story of love, relationships and parenthood this beautifully.
This movie was made in Hindi as Akele Hum Akele Tum with Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala in the lead. Honestly, I did love this one too. But it is the original that takes the cake, the cream and the cherry!
Runners-up: Kaminey (Hindi), The King's Speech (English), Kung-Fu Panda series (English).
This post is a part of the A To Z Challenge for April, where my theme for this year is Movies I Love.
