Then, the reveal: these are letters they wrote to each other as they begin the process of divorcing, in order to get off on a positive note. The film stars Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander and Justin Henry.It tells the story of a couple's divorce, its impact on their young son, and the subsequent evolution of their relationship and views on parenting. I was a weird, loner kid and “Kramer vs. Kramer” was one of my favorite films growing up, a film I watched when I was probably too young to watch it, … 40 years ago, 'Kramer vs. Kramer' wasn't the 1st film about the pain of divorce and custody fights but it spoke to post-feminist times. ... 40 years before 'Marriage Story… When the movie begins, Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) are in the process of splitting up. Marriage Story & Kramer vs. Kramer, 40 Years Later. But at 50, he has arrived. Marriage Story, directed by Noah Baumbach and starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, explores the tenuousness of familial relationships once the couple at the core no longer loves each other. Or faces. With divorce rates at an all-time high, 1979's 'Kramer vs. Kramer,' starring Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep, redefined what it meant to be a parent. That, in many ways, highlights a critical difference between Marriage Story and the superior 1980 Oscar winner, Kramer vs. Kramer. Kramer vs. Kramer is a 1979 American legal drama film written and directed by Robert Benton, based on Avery Corman's novel. Dustin Hoffman’s Ted Kramer is a cheerfully oblivious ad exec. And that is the film we are watching: Kramer vs Kramer, the millennial redux. The term “yuppie” wasn’t in use yet, but … Movies like Annie Hall and Kramer vs. Kramer—even Mrs. Doubtfire in its last 20 minutes—leave viewers with an indigestion-like feeling of unresolved discomfort while critics and awards-show voters applaud louder and louder. ... who turn this tale of a contentious divorce into a Kramer vs. Kramer … The film bears some resemblance to Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), which was directed by Robert Benton and stars Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep. His Marriage Story, a masterpiece loosely based on his own divorce six years ago from actress Jennifer Jason Leigh, is the best divorce movie since A Separation, if not Kramer vs. Kramer (which it echoes). It’s as though making a movie that’s painful to watch represents some 'Marriage Story' is a career-high for Noah Baumbach and a major showcase for Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. The opening scenes of Kramer Vs. Kramer, the highest-grossing film of 1979, play out like a horror movie. ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ vs. ‘Marriage Story ... a film that critiqued culture’s archaic concept of the father as a stoic provider: Robert Benton’s divorce drama “Kramer vs. Kramer.” Marriage Story is one of the rare movies to stare divorce in the face. Much like Kramer vs Kramer, this ironically named movie follows the disintegration of a marriage and the legal processes therein of divorcing your spouse (a more contextually harmonious title would… 40 Years Apart,Marriage Story & Kramer Vs. Kramer Still Have More In Common Than You Think. This is not a portrait of a happy functional marriage, but one that is ending. 'Marriage Story' is a career-high for Noah Baumbach and a major showcase for Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. Much like Kramer vs. Kramer, this is an exploration of a marriage by autopsy. Story from Movies. Anne Cohen. Alonso Duralde of TheWrap praised the performances and Baumbach's screenplay, saying, "One wonders if Baumbach left references to Kramer vs. Kramer or Two for the Road on the cutting-room floor, but either way, Marriage Story is a film that deserves to be mentioned in their company. “Kramer vs. Kramer wouldn’t be half as good as it is—half as intriguing and absorbing—if the movie had taken sides,” Roger Ebert observed in 1979. ... Kramer vs Kramer, which won Oscars for Dustin Hoffman and … Hollywood loves breakup and divorce movies, even if the average moviegoer doesn’t.