
Kramer vs. Kramer
1979 · Movie · PG · 105 min · ★ 7.6 · 84% critics
When a work-focused father is suddenly left to raise his young child alone, everyday routines become a crash course in responsibility and connection. As they slowly find their footing together, the family’s separation brings painful questions about love, fairness, and what it means to be a parent.
Based on Kramer vs. Kramer
Also known as Kramer, Kramer
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Details
- Years
- 1979
- Release date
- 1979-12-07
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Critic score
- 84/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.6/10 (2,465 votes)
- Box office
- $106,000,000
- Budget
- $8,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want an intimate, tearful family drama about parenting, divorce, and hard choices, with a mostly even-handed tone; Not for you if you dislike heavy emotional conflict or courtroom tension like in The Graduate.
Pros: deeply emotional drama; strong performances; thoughtful, even-handed approach | Cons: courtroom stretch feels long; one parent underexplored; ending feels too neat
Themes
- husband wife relationship
- marriage
- custody battle
- divorce
- family
- couple
- selfishness
- manhattan, new york city
- child custody
- abandonment
- dramatic
- parents separating
- +1 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 1980
- Academy Award — Best Director · 1980
- Academy Award — Best Picture · 1980
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · 1980
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 1980
Show all 15 awards →
- Silver nugget — the best foreign film · 1980
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 1980 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actor · 1980 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Director · 1980 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Film Editing · 1980 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 1980 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography · 1980 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Picture · 1980 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay · nominated
Cast & crew

Dustin Hoffman
as Ted Kramer

Meryl Streep
as Joanna Kramer

Jane Alexander
as Margaret Phelps

Justin Henry
as Billy Kramer

Howard Duff
as John Shaunessy

George Coe
as Jim O'Connor

JoBeth Williams
as Phyllis Bernard

Bill Moor
as Gressen

Howland Chamberlain
as Judge Atkins
- JR
Jack Ramage
as Spencer
Directed by Robert Benton