Editing Kramer vs. Kramer

{{Short description|1979 film by Robert Benton}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Kramer vs. Kramer
| image          = Oscar posters 79.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Robert Benton]]
| producer       = Richard Fischoff<br /> [[Stanley R. Jaffe]]
| screenplay     = Robert Benton
| based_on       = {{Based on|''Kramer Versus Kramer''<br>1977 novel|[[Avery Corman]]}} <!-- when originally published, the title of the novel had "versus" spelled out: (1) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1773827.Kramer_Versus_Kramer (2) https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1366364434l/3289066.jpg (3) https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441175782l/6434368._SY475_.jpg  -->
| starring       = {{plainlist|
* [[Dustin Hoffman]]
* [[Meryl Streep]]
* [[Jane Alexander]]
}}
| music          = [[Paul Gemignani]]<br />Herb Harris<br />[[John Kander]]<br />Erma E. Levin<br />Roy B. Yokelson<br />[[Antonio Vivaldi]]
| cinematography = [[Néstor Almendros]]
| editing        = [[Gerald B. Greenberg]]
| studio         = [[Stanley R. Jaffe|Stanley Jaffe Productions]]
| distributor    = [[Columbia Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1979|12|19}}
| runtime        = 105 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $8 million<ref>{{cite web|url=http://academyhistory-oscarblogger.blogspot.com/2012/06/kramer-vs-kramer1979.html |website=Oscarblogger |title=Kramer vs. Kramer |date=June 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140815041631/http://academyhistory-oscarblogger.blogspot.com/2012/06/kramer-vs-kramer1979.html |archive-date=2014-08-15 |url-status=live |access-date=April 1, 2013}}</ref>
| gross          = $173 million
}}

'''''Kramer vs. Kramer''''' is a 1979 American [[legal drama]] film written and directed by [[Robert Benton]], based on [[Avery Corman]]'s 1977 novel. The film stars [[Dustin Hoffman]], [[Meryl Streep]], [[Justin Henry]] and [[Jane Alexander]]. It tells the story of a couple's [[divorce]], its impact on their young son, and the subsequent evolution of their relationship and views on parenting. ''Kramer vs. Kramer'' explores the psychology and fallout of divorce, and touches on emerging and prevailing social issues such as [[Gender role#Changing roles|gender roles]], [[fathers' rights movement|fathers' rights]], [[work-life balance]], and [[Single parent#Impact on parents|single parents]].

''Kramer vs. Kramer'' was theatrically released December 19, 1979, by [[Columbia Pictures]]. The film emerged as a major  commercial success at the box office, grossing more than $173 million on an $8 million budget, becoming [[1979 in film|the highest-grossing film of 1979]] in the United States and Canada. It received widespread critical acclaim upon release, with high praise for its direction, story, screenplay and performances of the cast, with major praise directed towards Hoffman and Streep's performances.

''Kramer vs. Kramer'' received a leading 9 nominations at the [[52nd Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] (for Henry) and [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] (for Alexander and Streep), and won a leading 5 awards – [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] (for Benton), [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] (for Hoffman), [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]] (for Streep) and [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]]. At the [[37th Golden Globe Awards]], the film received a leading 8 nominations, including [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director]] (for Benton), [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture]] (for Henry) and [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture]] (for Alexander), and won a leading 4 awards, including [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]], [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama]] (for Hoffman) and Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (for Streep). It also received 6 nominations at the [[34th British Academy Film Awards]], including [[BAFTA Award for Best Film|Best Film]], [[BAFTA Award for Best Direction|Best Direction]] (for Benton), [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|Best Actor in a Leading Role]] (for Hoffman) and [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress in a Leading Role]] (for Streep).

==Plot==
<!--- PLOTS ARE GENERALLY 400-700 WORDS; CURRENT COUNT: 694-->
Ted Kramer, a [[workaholic]] advertising executive in [[New York City]], has just landed an important account and job promotion. However, when he shares the news with Joanna, his wife of eight years, she shocks him by announcing she is leaving him. She walks out of the apartment without Billy, the couple's seven-year-old son, because she feels she is unfit to be a mother. The next morning when Billy asks about his mother, Ted explains that she went away to be alone for a while.

Ted drops Billy at his elementary school by asking him what grade he attends and leaving him with a woman at the entrance, before rushing to work. At the ad agency, Ted confides about the situation to Jim O'Connor, his boss and friend. Jim is understanding, but makes clear that Ted's new situation must not interfere with his new responsibility as the lead person on the Mid-Atlantic Airlines account.

Initially, Ted and Billy struggle to adapt to their new living situation as Billy misses his mother and Ted has to do the extra housework usually done by Joanna. Father and son gradually settle into a routine without Joanna, but Ted’s work suffers. Billy and Ted have a fight one evening because he refuses to eat salisbury steak and has ice cream instead which cause a big problem as in resulting in Billy crying for his mother, but they later reconcile. When Billy worries his mother’s departure is his fault, Ted assures him that Joanna left because she was not happy in the marriage.

Meanwhile, Ted has become good friends with divorced neighbor Margaret Phelps, with whom Joanna was a confidante. One day, Billy has an accident when he falls off a [[jungle gym]]. Ted rushes him to the hospital, and asks the doctor to let him stay by his son's side as he receives ten stitches.

After fifteen months, Ted receives a call from Joanna and meets her at a restaurant. Joanna reveals she is happier after working in [[California]] and seeing a therapist. When she states that she is now ready to raise her son and wants Billy to come live with her, Ted becomes furious and leaves. He consults with a divorce attorney John Shaunessy, who cautions that the court usually awards custody to the mother when the child is young.

At work, Jim notifies Ted the agency is letting him go because the Mid-Atlantic Airlines executives are displeased with his work. Knowing he has no chance at custody if he is unemployed, Ted doggedly tries to land a job within twenty-four hours, despite few ad firms hiring during the holiday season. He convinces two agency executives to consider his application immediately, and accepts a lower-salaried position for which he is overqualified.

The custody hearing begins. In court, Joanna asserts that Ted never abused her or was unfaithful, but she lost her self-esteem as a stay-at-home mother. She insists she has since "become a whole person again" and believes her son needs her more than his father. Ted states he has proven that he can parent as well as Joanna, and insists that taking Billy away from him could cause "irreparable" harm.

The legal battle becomes contentious when the attorneys resort to brutal [[character assassination]]s. Shaunessy brings Joanna to tears by forcing her to admit that she was part of the marriage's failure. Ted also admits he made mistakes as a father and husband. However, his job loss and Billy's accident are used to discredit him. Ted expresses resentment at Joanna for her attorney's aggressive tactics. Margaret testifies on behalf of Ted and implores Joanna to recognize that he has become a great father.

Later, Ted learns Joanna was awarded custody. He decides not to appeal in order to spare Billy the burden of testifying in court. Billy becomes upset as Ted explains that they will still see each other, even though Billy will be living with his mother. On the morning Joanna is scheduled to pick up Billy, she rings the apartment building's intercom and asks to see Ted in the lobby alone. She tearfully reveals that she is relinquishing custody after realizing that she does not want to take Billy away from his home. Ted reassures her as she takes the elevator up to inform their son.

== Cast ==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Dustin Hoffman]] as Ted Kramer
* [[Meryl Streep]] as Joanna (Stern) Kramer
* [[Justin Henry]] as Billy Kramer
* [[Jane Alexander]] as Margaret Phelps
* Petra King as Petie Phelps
* Melissa Morell as Kim Phelps
* [[Howard Duff]] as John Shaunessy
* [[George Coe]] as Jim O'Connor
* [[JoBeth Williams]] as Phyllis Bernard
* [[Howland Chamberlain]] as Judge Atkins
* Dan Tyra as Court Clerk
}}

==Production==
Producer [[Stanley R. Jaffe]] and writer and director [[Robert Benton]] read [[Avery Corman]]'s source novel, and were so moved by the story that they bought the rights to make it into a film. [[Dustin Hoffman]] was the only actor they envisioned in the lead role of Ted Kramer.<ref name=GG>{{cite web |last1=Nepales |first1=Janet Susan R. |title=1980: "Kramer vs. Kramer" Reflects an Intersection of Life, Art |url=https://goldenglobes.com/articles/1980-kramer-vs-kramer-reflects-intersection-life-art/ |website=Golden Globes |access-date=11 February 2024 |date=2022-11-28}}</ref>

Hoffman, going through a divorce at the time, initially turned down the role.<ref name="AFI" /> He has since stated that, at that time, he had wanted to quit film acting and return to the stage, due to his depression and distaste for Hollywood. While Jaffe and Benton were courting Hoffman, [[James Caan]] was offered the role, but turned it down, as he was concerned the film would be a flop.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 September 2005 |title=Caan Rues the Bad Choices That Prompted Him to Turn Down Movies |url=http://hub.contactmusic.com/james-caan/news/caan-rues-the-bad-choices-that-prompted-him-to-turn-down-movies |website=Contact Music}}</ref> [[Al Pacino]] was offered the role, but felt it was not for him.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=miUmXrLj7B8C&q=%22al+pacino%22+and+%22kramer+vs+kramer%22&pg=PA71|title = Al Pacino|isbn = 9781416955566|last1 = Grobel|first1 = Lawrence|date = 22 April 2008| publisher=Simon and Schuster }}</ref> [[Jon Voight]] also turned down the role.<ref name=GG/> Hoffman met with Jaffe and Benton at a [[London]] hotel during the making of ''[[Agatha (film)|Agatha]]'' (1979), and was convinced to accept the role. Hoffman has credited Benton and this film for rejuvenating his love of film acting, and inspiring the emotional level of many scenes. Hoffman was reminded of his love for children and "got closer being a father by playing a father".<ref name=GG/>

Benton and Jaffe selected [[Justin Henry]] to play Billy. Hoffman worked extensively with Henry, then 7 years old, in each scene to put him at ease.<ref name="Henry">{{cite news |last1=Kakutani |first1=Michiko |title=Child Star of 'Kramer' Takes Role in Stride |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/28/archives/child-star-of-kramer-takes-role-in-stride-little-toughguy.html |access-date=11 February 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=1979-12-28}}</ref> Benton encouraged Henry to improvise to make his performance more natural.<ref name="AFI" /> The ice cream scene in which Billy defies Ted by skipping dinner and eating ice cream was all improvised by Hoffman and Henry.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} Hoffman contributed many personal moments and dialogue; Benton offered shared screenplay credit but Hoffman declined.<ref name="Kemp">{{cite news |last1=Kemp |first1=Stuart |title=Dustin Hoffman Breaks Down While Recounting His Past Movie Choices |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/dustin-hoffman-breaks-down-recounting-379402/ |access-date=11 February 2024 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=October 16, 2012}}</ref>

[[Kate Jackson]] was offered the role of Joanna Kramer, but had to turn it down, as producer [[Aaron Spelling]] was unable to rearrange the shooting schedule of the TV series ''[[Charlie's Angels]]'', in which Jackson was starring.<ref name="Spelling">{{cite book |last1=Spelling |first1=Aaron |author-link1=Aaron Spelling |last2=Graham |first2=Jefferson |title=A Prime-Time Life: An Autobiography |year=1996 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-312-14268-1 |page=[https://archive.org/details/aaronspellingpri00spel/page/112 112] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/aaronspellingpri00spel/page/112 }}</ref> The part was offered to [[Faye Dunaway]], [[Jane Fonda]] and [[Ali MacGraw]] before [[Meryl Streep]] was cast.<ref name="Michael Schulman" />

Streep was initially cast as Phyllis (the role eventually taken by [[JoBeth Williams]]), but she was able to force her way into auditioning for Joanna in front of Hoffman, Benton and Jaffe. She found the character in the novel and script unsympathetic ("an ogre, a princess, an ass", as she called her), and approached Joanna from a more sympathetic point of view.<ref name="Michael Schulman">{{cite magazine| url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/03/meryl-streep-kramer-vs-kramer-oscar| title=How Meryl Streep Battled Dustin Hoffman, Retooled Her Role, and Won Her First Oscar| first=Michael |last=Schulman| magazine=Vanity Fair| date=2016-03-29| access-date=2018-01-03| archive-date=2017-12-19| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219230433/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/03/meryl-streep-kramer-vs-kramer-oscar| url-status=live}}</ref> Hoffman believed the death of Streep's fiancé, [[John Cazale]], only months earlier, gave her an emotional edge and "still-fresh pain" to draw on for the performance.<ref name="Michael Schulman"/> Streep was contracted to work only 12 days on the film.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Daily Variety]]|title=Oscar sidelights|date=April 15, 1980|page=4}}</ref>

[[Gail Strickland]] was first cast as Ted's neighbor Margaret, but departed after a week of filming (due to "artistic differences", according to Columbia Pictures), and was replaced by [[Jane Alexander]].<ref name=AFI>{{cite news| url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/56114| title=Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)|website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]] | publisher=American Film Institute| access-date=2018-01-04}}</ref> Michael Schulman claims Strickland was so rattled by the intensity of filming with Hoffman that she developed a stammer, making her lines difficult to follow.<ref name="Michael Schulman"/> Strickland disputes this account, saying she couldn't quickly memorize improvised lines Hoffman gave her, which agitated him, and she was fired two days later.<ref name="Michael Schulman"/>

Cinematographer [[Néstor Almendros]], a collaborator on numerous [[François Truffaut]] films, had been hired with the expectation that Truffaut would direct.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Stevens |first1=Dana |author-link1=Dana Stevens (critic) |last2=Collins |first2=Kameron |date=2020-01-12 |title=Transcript of Flashback: ''Kramer vs. Kramer'' (1979) |url=https://slate.com/transcripts/OXZyTnk3QUNxOVZ2SjFVSFp1RVVmSU14cThVRnBFSnU4RjIyZUI2ZGlQZz0= |access-date=2024-02-17 |website=slate.com |language=en}}</ref> Truffaut turned it down, as he was busy with his own projects, and suggested screenwriter [[Robert Benton]] direct the film.

JoBeth Williams worried about disrobing in the scene with a young Justin Henry. "I was afraid my nudity would traumatize the little boy", she said, but was relieved that he seemed unbothered.<ref>{{cite web |title=Scott's World: Naked Lady Finds Career |date=June 21, 1982 |last=Scott |first=Vernon |work=www.upi.com |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/06/21/Scotts-World-Naked-Lady-Finds-Career/7283393480000/ |access-date=13 February 2022 }}</ref>

==Controversy==
Hoffman has been widely reported to have harassed Streep during the making of the film, and the two had a contentious working relationship.<ref name="Michael Schulman"/><ref>{{cite magazine| url=http://www.vulture.com/2018/01/meryl-streep-calls-out-dustin-hoffman-kramer-vs-kramer-slap.html |title=Meryl Streep Calls Out Dustin Hoffman for Kramer vs. Kramer slap: 'It was overstepping' |first=Hunter |last=Harris |magazine=Vulture |date=2018-01-03 |access-date=2018-01-03}}</ref> In a 1979 [[Time (magazine)|''Time'']] magazine interview, Streep claimed that Hoffman groped her breast on their first meeting, although a representative for Streep said the article was not "an accurate rendering of that meeting".<ref>{{cite magazine| url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/11/02/meryl_streep_recalled_dustin_hoffman_groping_her_breast_during_their_first.html| title=Meryl Streep once said Dustin Hoffman groped her breast the first time they met| first=Ruth |last=Graham| magazine=Slate| date=2017-11-02| access-date=2018-01-03| archive-date=2017-11-10| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110034926/http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/11/02/meryl_streep_recalled_dustin_hoffman_groping_her_breast_during_their_first.html| url-status=live}}</ref> When Streep advocated portraying Joanna as more sympathetic and vulnerable than she was written, she received pushback from Hoffman.<ref name="Michael Schulman"/> Such was his commitment to [[method acting]],<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/31/method-acting-dustin-hoffman-meryl-streep| title=Method acting can go too far - just ask Dustin Hoffman| first=Michael |last=Simkins| work=The Guardian| date=2016-03-31| access-date=2018-01-03| archive-date=2019-12-03| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203121553/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/31/method-acting-dustin-hoffman-meryl-streep| url-status=live}}</ref> he would hurl insults and obscenities at Streep, taunt her with the name of her recently deceased fiancé, [[John Cazale]], claiming it was designed to draw a better performance from her.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/dustin-hoffman-slapped-and-taunted-meryl-streep-with-the-name-of-her-dead-boyfriend-book-claims-a6959356.html| title=Dustin Hoffman 'slapped and taunted Meryl Streep with the name of her dead boyfriend during filming', book claims| first=Olivia |last=Blair| work=The Independent| date=2016-03-30}}</ref> He famously shattered a wine glass against the wall without telling her (although he did inform the cameraman beforehand), sending glass shards into her hair. Her response was, "Next time you do that, I'd appreciate you letting me know."<ref name="Michael Schulman"/> In 2018, Streep claimed that Hoffman slapped her hard without warning while filming a scene. "This was my first film, and it was my first take in my first film, and he just slapped me. And you see it in the film. It was overstepping."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/movies/meryl-streep-tom-hanks-the-post-metoo.html| title=Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks on the #MeToo Moment and 'The Post'| first=Cara |last=Buckley| work=The New York Times| date=2018-01-03| access-date=2018-01-03| archive-date=2018-01-03| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103163503/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/movies/meryl-streep-tom-hanks-the-post-metoo.html| url-status=live}}</ref>

==Reception==
''Kramer vs. Kramer'' received widespread critical acclaim upon release, with high praise for its direction, story, screenplay and performances of the cast, with major praise directed towards Hoffman and Streep's performances.

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|90|8.20|101|consensus=The divorce subject isn't as shocking, but ''Kramer vs. Kramer'' is still a thoughtful, well-acted drama that resists the urge to take sides or give easy answers. |access-date=March 11, 2025 |ref=yes}} It has a score of 77 out of 100 on [[Metacritic]], based on nine reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kramer vs. Kramer |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/kramer-vs-kramer/#google_vignette |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=Metacritic}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film four stars, giving praise to Benton's screenplay. "His characters aren't just talking to each other, they're revealing things about themselves and can sometimes be seen in the act of learning about their own motives. That's what makes ''Kramer vs. Kramer'' such a touching film: We get the feeling at times that personalities are changing and decisions are being made even as we watch them."<ref name=ebert>{{cite news |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/kramer-vs-kramer |title=Kramer vs. Kramer |access-date=April 29, 2010 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |first=Roger |last=Ebert |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=December 1, 1979 |archive-date=May 9, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509172109/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/kramer-vs-kramer |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Vincent Canby]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called it a "fine, witty, moving, most intelligent adaptation of Avery Corman's best-selling novel", with Streep giving "one of the major performances of the year", and Hoffman "splendid in one of the two or three best roles of his career."<ref>{{cite news|last=Canby |first=Vincent |author-link=Vincent Canby |date=December 19, 1979 |url= https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/kramer-re.html |title=Screen: Kramer vs. Kramer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605020111/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/packages/html/movies/bestpictures/kramer-re.html |archive-date=2020-06-05 |url-status=live |work=[[The New York Times]] |page=C23}}</ref>

[[Gene Siskel]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' gave the film four stars out of four, and wrote, "''Kramer vs. Kramer'' never loses its low-key, realistic touch. You will sit at the end of the film wondering why we don't see more pictures like this. After all, its story is not all that unusual." He thought that Hoffman gave "one of his most memorable performances", and "should win the Academy Award next April".<ref>{{cite news|last=Siskel |first=Gene |author-link=Gene Siskel |date=December 19, 1979 |title=An American family on trial in the '70s |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |at=Section 3, pp. 1-2}}</ref>

''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' wrote, "Stories on screen about men leaving women, and women leaving men have been abundant as of late, but hardly any has grappled with the issue in such a forthright and honest fashion as ''Kramer'' ... While a nasty court battle ensues, the human focus is never abandoned, and it's to the credit of not only Benton and Jaffe, but especially Hoffman and Streep, that both leading characters emerge as credible and sympathetic."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pollock |first=Dale |date=1979-11-28 |title=Kramer Vs. Kramer |url=https://variety.com/1979/film/reviews/kramer-vs-kramer-2-1200424569/ |access-date=2024-02-18 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Charles Champlin]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' declared it "as nearly perfect a film as can be", and "a motion picture with an emotional wallop second to none this year."<ref>{{cite news|last=Champlin |first=Charles |author-link=Charles Champlin |date=December 16, 1979 |title=Kramer vs. Kramer: Living Anguished Realities |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |page=1}}</ref>

Gary Arnold of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' called the film "a triumph of partisan pathos, a celebration of father-son bonding that astutely succeeds where tearjerkers like ''[[The Champ (1979 film)|The Champ]]'' (1979) so mawkishly failed".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Arnold |first=Gary |date=2023-12-22 |title='Kramer vs. Kramer': The Family Divided |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1979/12/19/kramer-vs-kramer-the-family-divided/324fc867-1763-445e-9396-1ebfa89468ae/ |access-date=2024-02-18 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

[[Stanley Kauffmann]] of ''[[The New Republic]]'' wrote, "All the people go through expected difficulties the way that runners take the hurdles in a track event: no surprise in it, it's just a question of how they do it. But the actors make it more."<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://newrepublic.com/article/98095/actors-kramer | title=Here Be Actors: A review of 'Kramer vs. Kramer' | first=Stanley | last=Kauffmann | author-link=Stanley Kauffmann | date=December 22, 1979 | magazine=[[The New Republic]] | access-date=June 4, 2020 | archive-date=August 3, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803104041/https://newrepublic.com/article/98095/actors-kramer | url-status=live }}</ref>

Shortly after the film's release, ''The New York Times'' and ''Time'' magazine published separate articles in which members of the bar and bench criticized the court battle scenes as "legally out of date". According to the legal experts interviewed for the articles, a modern judge would have made use of psychological reports, and also would have considered the wishes of the child. Another criticism was that the option of [[joint custody]] was never explored.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dullea |first=Georgia |date=December 21, 1979 |title=Child Custody: Jurists Weigh Film vs. Life |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/12/21/archives/child-custody-jurists-weigh-film-vs-life-fiction-and-fact.html |access-date=2024-02-11 |work=The New York Times |page=B6}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Law: Custody: Kramer vs. Reality |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=February 4, 1980 |page=77 |url= https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,954539,00.html |accessdate=2024-02-11}}</ref>

In 2003, ''The New York Times'' placed the film on its ''Best 1000 Movies Ever'' list.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-04-29 |title=Movies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/section/movies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612032429/https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html |archive-date=2008-06-12 |access-date=2020-09-27 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Box office===
''Kramer vs. Kramer'' grossed $5,559,722 in its opening week from 534 theaters.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=Christmas Pix Are Perking; 'Star Trek,' 'Jerk' Pacing Field|last=Pollock|first=Dale|date=January 2, 1980|page=9}}</ref> It went on to gross $106.3 million in the United States and Canada.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=kramervskramer.htm | title=Kramer vs Kramer (1979) | website=Box Office Mojo | access-date=2008-11-17 | archive-date=2009-03-01 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301050024/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=kramervskramer.htm | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sternbergh |first=Adam |date=2014-10-03 |title=Why Was ''Kramer vs. Kramer'' the Top-Grossing Movie of 1979? |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/10/how-did-kramer-vs-kramer-make-so-much-money.html |access-date=2024-02-17 |website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]] |language=en}}</ref> In its first 13 weeks overseas, it grossed more than $67 million.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=Kramer vs. Kramer (advertisement)|date=June 11, 1980|pages=10–11}}</ref> It went on to become Columbia's highest-grossing film overseas, with [[theatrical rental]]s of $57 million, until surpassed in 1990 by ''[[Look Who's Talking]]'' (released by Columbia TriStar internationally).<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=With $55-mil rentals, 'Look Who's Talking' becomes Col's No. 2 moneymaker o'seas|date=August 15, 1990|page=42}}</ref>

===Awards and nominations===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
| rowspan="9"| [[52nd Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]
| [[Stanley R. Jaffe]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="9"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1980 |title=1980 Academy Awards |website=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |date=March 2022 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |language=en}}</ref>
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| [[Robert Benton]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| [[Dustin Hoffman]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]]
| [[Justin Henry]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan=2| [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| [[Jane Alexander]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Meryl Streep]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium]]
| Robert Benton
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| [[Néstor Almendros]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]
| [[Gerald B. Greenberg]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Blue Ribbon Awards]]
| [[Blue Ribbon Awards|Best Foreign Language Film]]
| Robert Benton
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="6"| [[34th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
| Stanley R. Jaffe
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="6"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1981/film/ |title=Film in 1981 {{!}} BAFTA Awards |website=[[British Academy Film Awards]] |access-date=February 11, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Direction|Best Direction]]
| Robert Benton
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|Best Actor in a Leading Role]]
| Dustin Hoffman
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress in a Leading Role]]
| Meryl Streep
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]]
| Robert Benton
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Editing|Best Editing]]
| Gerald B. Greenberg
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[6th César Awards|César Awards]]
| [[César Award for Best Foreign Film|Best Foreign Film]]
| rowspan="2"| Robert Benton
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref name="mubi">{{Cite web |url=https://mubi.com/en/films/kramer-vs-kramer/awards |title=Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) Awards & Festivals |website=[[Mubi (streaming service)|Mubi]] |access-date=February 17, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[David di Donatello|David di Donatello Awards]]
| [[David di Donatello for Best Foreign Film|Best Foreign Film]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="3"| <ref name="mubi" />
|-
| [[David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor|Best Foreign Actor]]
| Dustin Hoffman
| {{won}}{{efn|Tied with [[Jack Lemmon]] for ''[[The China Syndrome]]''.}}
|-
| [[David di Donatello|Special David]]
| Justin Henry
| {{won}}
|-
| [[32nd Directors Guild of America Awards|Directors Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures]]
| Robert Benton
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1970s/1979.aspx?value=1979 |title=Awards / History / 1979 |website=[[Directors Guild of America Awards]] |access-date=February 11, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Fotogramas de Plata]]
| rowspan="2"| Best Foreign Performer
| Dustin Hoffman
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| 
|-
| Meryl Streep{{efn|Also for ''[[Manhattan (1979 film)|Manhattan]]''.}}
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="8"| [[37th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="8"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://goldenglobes.com/film/kramer-vs-kramer/ |title=Kramer vs. Kramer |website=[[Golden Globe Awards]] |access-date=February 11, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actor - Drama|Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| Dustin Hoffman
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture]]
| Justin Henry
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture]]
| Jane Alexander
| {{nom}}
|-
| Meryl Streep
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director – Motion Picture]]
| rowspan="2"| Robert Benton
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Motion Picture]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor|New Star of the Year – Actor]]
| Justin Henry
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Hochi Film Awards]]
| [[Hochi Film Award|Best International Picture]]
| Robert Benton
| {{won}}
| align="center"| 
|-
| [[Japan Academy Film Prize]]
| colspan="2"| [[Japan Academy Prize for Outstanding Foreign Language Film|Outstanding Foreign Language Film]]
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref name="mubi" />
|-
| [[Jupiter Award (film award)|Jupiter Awards]]
| Best International Actor
| Dustin Hoffman
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| 
|-
| rowspan="4"| Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Film
| rowspan="2"| Robert Benton
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="4"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://kcfcc.org/kcfcc-award-winners-1970-79/ |title=KCFCC Award Winners – 1970-79 |website=Kansas City Film Critics Circle |date=December 14, 2013 |access-date=May 6, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| Best Director
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Actor
| Dustin Hoffman
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Meryl Streep
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Kinema Junpo|Kinema Junpo Awards]]
| Best Foreign Film
| rowspan="4"| Robert Benton
| {{won}}
| align="center"| 
|-
| [[Korean Association of Film Critics Awards]]
| Best Foreign Film
| {{won}}
| align="center"| 
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 1979|Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards]]
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="4"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lafca.net/Years/1979.php |title=The 5th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards |website=[[Los Angeles Film Critics Association]] |access-date=May 6, 2024}}</ref> <br> <ref>{{Cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QIRkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zH8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=3194%2C3307384 |title=Kramer film named best of '79 |date=December 28, 1979 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |work=[[The StarPhoenix|The Phoenix]] |page=B6}}</ref>
|-
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| Dustin Hoffman
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| Meryl Streep{{efn|name=MAN/TYNAN|Also for ''[[Manhattan (1979 film)|Manhattan]]'' and ''[[The Seduction of Joe Tynan]]''.}}
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[National Board of Review Awards 1979|National Board of Review Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]]
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1979/|title=1979 Archives |website=[[National Board of Review]] |access-date=February 11, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| [[National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| Meryl Streep{{efn|name=MAN/TYNAN}}
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="5"| [[National Society of Film Critics Awards 1979|National Society of Film Critics Awards]]
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film|Best Film]] 
| rowspan="2"| Robert Benton
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="5"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com/about-2/ |title=Past Awards |website=[[National Society of Film Critics]] |date=December 19, 2009 |access-date=May 6, 2024}}</ref> <br> <ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/01/03/archives/national-film-critics-select-breaking-away.html |title=National Film Critics Select 'Breaking Away' |last=Maslin |first=Janet |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 3, 1980 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
|-
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| Dustin Hoffman
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| Jane Alexander
| {{nom}}
|-
| Meryl Streep{{efn|name=MAN/TYNAN}}
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="5"| [[1979 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|New York Film Critics Circle Awards]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
| rowspan="2"| Robert Benton
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="5"| <ref>{{Cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6vkgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DXUFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1315%2C4381840 |title=Film critics vote top award for 'Kramer vs. Kramer' |date=December 22, 1979 |access-date=February 11, 2024 |work=[[The Day (New London)|The Day]] |pages=38}}</ref>
|-
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]
| Dustin Hoffman
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]]
| Jane Alexander
| {{nom}}
|-
| Meryl Streep{{efn|Also for ''[[The Seduction of Joe Tynan]]''.}}
| {{won}}
|-
| Online Film & Television Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Hall of Fame – Motion Picture
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.oftaawards.com/film-hall-of-fame/film-hall-of-fame-productions/ |title=Film Hall of Fame: Productions |website=Online Film & Television Association |access-date=February 18, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
| [[32nd Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Drama – Adapted from Another Medium]]
| Robert Benton
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx |title=1980 Awards Winners |website=[[Writers Guild of America Awards]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205095022/http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |archive-date=December 5, 2012 |access-date=February 11, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| [[2nd Youth in Film Awards|Young Artist Awards]]
| [[Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film|Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film]]
| Justin Henry
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms2.htm |title=2nd Youth in Film Awards |website=[[Young Artist Award]]s |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910235952/http://www.youngartistawards.org/pastnoms2.htm |archive-date=September 10, 2015 |access-date=February 11, 2024}}</ref>
|}

;[[American Film Institute]] Lists
* [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies]] – Nominated<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies Nominees |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/movies400.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131026011242/http://afi.com/Docs/100Years/movies400.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-26 |access-date=2011-12-10 |website=American Film Institute}}</ref>
* [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)]] – Nominated<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) Ballot |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/Movies_ballot_06.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316140929/https://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/Movies_ballot_06.pdf |archive-date=2013-03-16 |access-date=2011-12-10 |website=American Film Institute}}</ref>
* [[AFI's 10 Top 10]] – #3 Courtroom Drama<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFI's 10 Top 10 |url=https://www.afi.com/afis-10-top-10/ |access-date=2024-02-11 |website=American Film Institute |language=en}}</ref>

==Cultural impact==
''Kramer vs. Kramer'' reflected a cultural shift that occurred during the 1970s, when ideas about motherhood and fatherhood were changing.<ref name="GG" /> The film was widely praised for the way in which it gave equal weight and importance to both Joanna and Ted's points of view.<ref name=ebert/>

The film made use of the first movement of [[Antonio Vivaldi]]'s [[Mandolin Concerto (Vivaldi)|Mandolin Concerto in C Major]], making the piece more familiar among classical music listeners.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kramer vs. Kramer: Music |url=https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/kramer-vs-kramer/music.html |access-date=2024-02-17 |website=www.shmoop.com}}</ref>

[[Daniel Balavoine]]'s {{ill|Mon fils ma bataille|fr|Mon fils ma bataille|italic=yes|lt="Mon fils ma bataille"}} (1980), a song about a painful divorce and a father's struggle to keep custody of his child, was inspired by the singer-songwriter's own parents' divorce, his guitarist Colin Swinburne's divorce, and by ''Kramer vs. Kramer''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 13, 2019 |title=Daniel Balavoine : l'histoire de son tube "Mon fils, ma bataille" |url=https://www.cheriefm.fr/artistes/daniel-balavoine/actus/daniel-balavoine-lhistoire-de-son-tube-mon-fils-ma-bataille-71390182 |access-date=February 17, 2024 |website=[[Chérie FM]] |language=fr}}</ref>

==Adaptation==
In 1990, the film was remade in Turkish as ''Oğulcan'', directed and acted by [[Cüneyt Arkın]], in Hindi as ''[[Akele Hum Akele Tum]]'' in 1995, starring [[Aamir Khan]] and [[Manisha Koirala]], and in Urdu as ''[[Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay]]'' in 2016, starring [[Sajal Ali]] and [[Feroze Khan]].

==See also==
* [[Trial film]]
* ''[[Mrs. Doubtfire]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Instructions Not Included]]'' (2013)

==Explanatory notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|40em}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0079417}}
* [https://www.allmovie.com/movie/kramer-vs-kramer-am1404 ''Kramer vs. Kramer'' at AllMovie]
* {{TCMDb title|4665}}
* {{AFI film|56114}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|kramer_vs_kramer}}

{{Robert Benton}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''Kramer vs. Kramer''
|list =
{{Academy Award Best Picture}}
{{Blue Ribbon Award for Best Foreign Film}}
{{David di Donatello Best Foreign Film}}
{{Golden Globe Award Best Motion Picture Drama}}
{{Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Foreign Language Film}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Film}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film}}
}}
{{Yearly highest-grossing US films}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kramer Vs. Kramer}}
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
[[Category:1970s American films]]
[[Category:1970s legal drama films]]
[[Category:1979 films]]
[[Category:1979 drama films]]
[[Category:1979 controversies in the United States]]
[[Category:American legal drama films]]
[[Category:American courtroom films]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Robert Benton]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Robert Benton]]
[[Category:Films about divorce]]
[[Category:Films about father–son relationships]]
[[Category:Films about parenting]]
[[Category:Films about dysfunctional families]]
[[Category:Films about lawyers]]
[[Category:Casting controversies in film]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in film]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
[[Category:Films shot in New York City]]
[[Category:Columbia Pictures films]]
[[Category:Best Picture Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Films whose director won the Best Directing Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films whose writer won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Actor Academy Award–winning performance]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award–winning performance]]
[[Category:Best Drama Picture Golden Globe winners]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Drama Actor Golden Globe winning performance]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe–winning performance]]