Everyone should see Kramer vs. Kramer, including parents and children of broken families. I first viewed the movie only a short time ago and I was blown away at how pertinent it still is to today’s culture. This is an account of a man who falls in love with his son, more than a film about divorce. He begins to understand that their relationship is the only thing that holds any value in his life. By delighting in being a father, he becomes more than just the breadwinner. Dustin Hoffman and Justin Henry are fantastic together as two guys trying to deal with a life without their wife and mother. The journey of their relationship is the foundation of the film and will be sure to make you emotional.
Set in Manhattan's Upper East Side, the movie begins with flourishing advertising expert Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman) just having experienced a predominantly exhilarating day at the office. Everything in his life is working out as planned, and as he says a few minutes later, “This has been one of the five best days of my life.” When he returns home, he’s so elated about his wonderful news he doesn’t notice his wife Joanna (Meryl Streep), firm-jawed and teary-eyed, has a bag packed and ready by the door. She then interrupts him, destroying his celebration with news of her own: She’s leaving for good, with no intention of returning. She has lost herself somewhere inside their monotonous, bland marriage, leaving her with no other way to end her pain. She is not only leaving Ted to fend for himself and come home to an empty apartment, but she is also leaving their six-year-old son Billy (Justin Henry) behind. Ted is beyond angry; he is infuriated. How can she take away one of the five best days of his life? She can't walk out when