Where to watch Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
Kramer vs. Kramer is available to stream in CA on Hollywood Suite. It can also be rented or bought from AppleTV and Amazon.
When a career-focused father is left to raise his young son after his wife walks out, he must learn the demands of parenthood while rebuilding their relationship. More than a year later, her return leads to a difficult custody dispute that tests both parents.
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry, Howard Duff, George Coe, JoBeth Williams, Bill Moor, Howland Chamberlain, Jack Ramage, Jess Osuna, Nicholas Hormann
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Trivia & production notes
- Dustin Hoffman initially declined the role of Ted Kramer because he was going through a divorce and wanted to quit acting to return to the stage, but agreed to take the part after meeting with the producers in London.
- James Caan, Al Pacino, and Jon Voight all turned down the role of Ted Kramer before Hoffman accepted it.
- The ice cream scene where Billy defies his father was entirely improvised by Hoffman and seven-year-old Justin Henry.
- Meryl Streep was initially offered the supporting role of Phyllis but forced her way into auditioning for the lead female role of Joanna Kramer because she found the character in the script more interesting.
- Streep was contracted to work only 12 days on the film despite playing the lead female role.
- Cinematographer Néstor Almendros was hired with the expectation that François Truffaut would direct, but Truffaut declined and suggested Robert Benton take on the directing duties instead.
- Actress Gail Strickland was replaced by Jane Alexander after just one week of filming as Ted's neighbor Margaret, with disputes over whether the reason was artistic differences, her inability to memorize Hoffman's improvised lines, or the intensity of working with him.
- Hoffman contributed many personal moments and dialogue to the film but declined Benton's offer of shared screenplay credit.
- Legal experts criticized the film's courtroom scenes shortly after release, noting that modern judges would use psychological reports and consider the child's wishes, and that joint custody was never explored as an option.
- The New York Times included Kramer vs. Kramer on its Best 1000 Movies Ever list in 2003.
Adapted from the Wikipedia article Kramer vs. Kramer, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.
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