One Paragraph Movie Review: Kramer vs. Kramer

Two hundred and ninety-fifth film: Kramer vs. Kramer, the 1979 Hoffman and Streep juggernaut that’s ostensibly about a divorced couple’s fight for custody of their child but is deeply and stunningly about how you have to make the best out of the flaws you’re presented with. And every element — Kramer 1, Kramer 2, the court system, and the safety of playground equipment — all flawed. When you watch you have to acknowledge that you both agree and disagree with everyone in this movie, and you watch yourself being manipulated into internal conflict. You understand why Joanna left but you judge her for it. You stress about Ted’s ineptitude but forgive him for realising he’s a workaholic asshole. You understand why Billy is a brat but want to slap the ice cream spoon out of his hand. A very dated movie when it comes to assumptions about traditional roles, you still get to watch Dustin and Meryl acting the absolute cookies out of everyone ever since time started, and end up wanting some French toast. Good. Four expensive but ultimately irrelevant court cases out of five.