1979:: Kramer vs. Kramer

       Kramer vs Kramer was another one of the movies that I really wanted to see. Funny, it was only one year before Ordinary People. Unfortunately, it was not as great as I thought it was going to be. 
   This movie starts the night that Joanna (Meryl Streep) walks out on Ted (Dustin Hoffman), her husband of 7 years or so. She also leaves behind her son, Billy. Ted is a workaholic and in a major deal at work and must now take care of Billy all by himself. At first they believe Joanna will come back, but as time goes on they realize she is not coming back. So Ted and Billy get into a routine and establish a life without Joanna. Fifteen months later Joanna reappears, wanting to get Billy back. From there, Ted and Joanna must go to court to fight for custody of their son. 

   The things I liked about Kramer vs Kramer are as follows: It had great acting in it by both Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman. What I think I loved most this movie was the loving relationship between Ted and Billy and Ted's journey to really loving being with Billy. The become such great friends. I also loved that Ted never once speaks bad to Billy about his mother. 

   Unfortunately, it wasn't what I was expecting. There was not a lot of drama, which you all know I like, and it was full of a lot of dialogue. Dustin Hoffman is a wonderful actor ( he actually won Best Actor for this role), but he spoke and mumbled way too much. I'm kinda on the fence about this movie. It was a quality movie, just a little too long.
My grade for Kramer vs Kramer is B.