Kramer vs. Kramer
List Price:
Our Price: $8.27
You Save: $6.68 (45%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.64 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Dustin Hoffman, Howard Duff, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry, Meryl StreepBrand: HOFFMAN,DUSTIN
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); Korean (Subtitled); Chinese (Subtitled); Thai (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Original Language); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dubbed, Subtitled
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 105 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-08-28
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Kramer vs. Kramer
Movie Review: A poignant tale of growth and parenthood that still brings tears today...
Summary: 5 Stars
There are many films about the deterioration of the marriage arrangement, but very few of them can reach the levels of emotional attachment that `Kramer vs. Kramer' manages to grasp hold of. To say that `Kramer vs. Kramer' doesn't still resonate today is a miscalculation if you ask me, for even if the eventual result is softer and or more delicate than is often the case in reality, there is so much truth in every frame that one can't help but draw comparisons to similar situations today.
The film tells the story of Ted Kramer, a successful advertising executive who just landed a huge account and a big promotion. His joyful celebration is cut short when he arrives home to find his wife Joanna packed and ready to leave. After a brief and vague explanation she walks out of Ted and their son Billy's life and Ted finds himself in a very strange and foreign situation. It is clear right from the start that Ted doesn't know how to be a caretaker, but what I love about Ted is that even at it's roughest he is always a father, for his love for Billy shines through even his most extreme shortcomings. As the months pass their relationship strengthens and Ted winds up being the parent he always was just didn't know how to express, and Billy is better off for it. But then Joanna returns, wanting custody of the son she abandoned and Ted finds himself in an even tighter spot as he fights to keep the son he's grown to appreciate.
`Kramer vs. Kramer' plays out like two films. The first have is a sweet and inspiring journey of a man coming into his own, understanding how to be a father and how to raise a child. It's the story of a man who possible took everything he had for granted, but the instant his world was turned upside down he fought to come to an accurate appreciation of life's gems.
The second half though is much more exhausting, as Joanna and Ted find themselves fighting over Billy in court. The ugly side of divorce is brought on strong, and it shifts the tone of the film drastically. It reminded me of the first time I saw `Million Dollar Baby', how the first act and the second act represented two very drastically different emotion tones; one part raising your spirits and the second part obliterating them. `Kramer vs. Kramer' surely ends on a soft and sweet note (although it still had me bawling) but that second act is still devastating in its own right.
`Kramer vs. Kramer' feels very short, which I actually believe works to its benefit. I often prefer films that really elaborate on each character and scene and build a life inside itself, but `Kramer vs. Kramer' doesn't need to stretch the clock to do that. It quickly, yet efficiently, fleshes out our main characters (namely Ted) and never allows itself to drag on long enough to bore us. It's like a sucker-punch to the gut; quick and undetectable yet brutally effective.
The performances here are amazing to say the least. Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep definitely deserved those Oscars, for their portrayals of Ted and Joanna carry this film through all of its emotional arcs. Jane Alexander is wonderful as family friend Margaret Phelps, and rightfully landed herself an Oscar nomination. Her testimony is one of the most touching scenes in the film. Oscar nominated Justin Henry is just unbelievably real as young Billy. His performance just wrecked me. His final scenes with Hoffman are some of the most tender and honest scenes in the entire film. I remember the scene where they make French Toast for the second time (probably the single greatest scene in the film for all of its symbolic expressions of growth in relationship between father and son) and feeling the tears streaming down my face because the scene was so effortless, so natural.
`Kramer vs. Kramer' is a flawless film that still stands tall as an inspiring and moving cinematic landmark. I'm so thrilled that the Academy showered this film with multiple Oscar wins, including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Lead Actor and Supporting Actress. There aren't many films out there today that have this sort of power.
Summary of Kramer vs. Kramer
A man deals with the problems of single parenthood when his wife leaves him and his son, and then the problems which arise when she returns and wants her son back.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: PG
Release Date: 1-MAY-2007
Media Type: DVD
Similar DVD Movies
Marvin's RoomEBH; Release date: 2011-05-03; DVD
Best price: $2.88
Price in other shops:
Tootsie - 25th Anniversary EditionSony; Release date: 2008-02-05; DVD
Best price: $4.88
Price in other shops:
DoubtBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2009-04-07; Published: 2009-04-01; DVD
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops:
Out of AfricaREDFORD,ROBERT; Release date: 2000-02-29; Published: 2000-02-01; DVD
Best price: $5.98
Price in other shops:
The Goodbye GirlWHV; Release date: 2010-11-09; DVD
Best price: $4.95
Price in other shops:
Terms of EndearmentPARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2009-01-20; DVD
Best price: $6.47
Price in other shops:
The Bridges of Madison CountyWarner Brothers; Release date: 2010-06-01; DVD
Best price: $4.63
Price in other shops:
The River WildUNI DIST CORP. (MCA); Release date: 1997-12-10; Published: 1997-12-01; DVD
Best price: $3.00
Price in other shops:
Falling in LoveDE NIRO,ROBERT; Release date: 2002-01-15; Published: 2002-01-01; DVD
Best price: $7.25
Price in other shops:
A Cry in the DarkSTREEP,MERYL; Release date: 1999-12-21; DVD
Best price: $1.95
Price in other shops: