Beauty vs Beast: Daddy vs Mommy
Monday, May 11, 2015 at 3:30PM Jason from MNPP hoping your hangover from partying hard into the wee hours of Mother's Day is not too harsh. I know how it goes - when your Mom demands more shots, ya gotta do more shots. And speaking of Motherhood! As Nathaniel just told you last week this month's Supporting Actress Smackdown belongs to the year 1979, and when they get to that on May 31st a really big piece of that puzzle will be Meryl Streep's performance in Kramer vs Kramer, which brought her her first Oscar. Kramer vs Kramer... Beauty vs Beast... it's a natural fit! Consider this an appetizer to the Smackdown main course...
PREVIOUSLY Last week we also took on the breaking of familial bonds, albeit in a galaxy a bit further away than our own, when we pitted Luke Skywalker against his helmeted Papa Darth. Well you're all a bunch of evil Empire lovers becauve Vader strutted off (imagine John Williams' marching music here) with just under 70% of the vote Said Steven:
"The Dark Side is strong with this one."
Reader Comments (20)
This was a tricky one for me because Joanna has a particular unlikable arc. However, when I watched Kramer vs Kramer, I kept relating to Joanna's inner world and ended up sympathizing with her actions even if I didn't agree with them. As somebody who struggles with anxiety in the face of high pressure, I relate to the "knowing when to go". It is a self-care mechanism that may be unpopular with the rest of your world, but one that gives you a mental break to think more clearly and stop the potential of an even worse disaster.
Jones -- yeah, she's a tricky character to sympathisize with but Streep humanizes her to such a degree that she breaks through that self-imposed obstacle. But Dustin Hoffman is a marvel in this movie. As he always in that decade playing contemporary roles. I'm voting Ted. Also cuz he's a good dad.
This is maybe the one and only time I would vote against Streep. Hoffman is breathtaking here.
I've always liked the fact that Kramer vs. Kramer isn't so wholly stacked in favor of Ted. I think Jane Alexander does a lot of work to humanize Joanna's POV in Streep's long absences from the film (if that makes sense). I'm a Joanna voter, but only slightly. I just keep going back to Margaret's line at the beginning of the movie when she says to Ted "You may not want to hear this, but it took a lot of courage for her to walk out of here!" Hard POV to sympathize with, but I think Margaret's right.
"God damn her!", but I still voted for Joanna. I don't agree with how she handles things, but I get it. As lovely as it all plays out, the real doozy of a movie might've been seeing what Joanna does when she's off "finding herself." There' obvious remorse there, but you don't get a feeling that she's change anything about what she does. A difficult task, but of course Streep pulls it off. Hoffman is amazing here as well, but even at his most likable, Ted still comes off like a bit of a jerk.
All I can think about is the career Kate Jackson could have had if Aaron Spelling had given her time off to do this role, which she was offered before Meryl!!! My poor Angel.
Team Joanna because Meryl. That's All.
I was about to vote for Joanna, because the performance was so surprising and sympathetic, but ultimately, I still couldn't vote for that woman. But Team Ted.
It's a measure of Streep's performance that I even hesitated.
I can't even say enough about these two marvelous performances. Both Oscars were well deserved. Still one of my ultimate favorite performances given by Meryl.
Joanna, but maybe I'm feeling particularly sympathetic to bad mothers after Betty on Mad Men last night. (Jk, I'd also never vote for Dustin Hoffman for anything.)
Team Ted, because as a mother, I would never leave my kids. My cousins' mother walked out on them when they were 3 and 5 in the late 1960s to "find herself" and they still suffer the interior wounds. But damn this movie is a tour de force; even little Justin Henry was spectacular.
As a child of divorce, I have strong feelings about custody battles and what I feel to be a bias toward the mother. Not surprisingly then, Kramer vs. Kramer punched me in the gut when I watched it a few years back. I found myself pausing the movie during the courtroom scene to formulate an argument on behalf of Ted. And of course, the one delivered by Hoffman in the movie (though raw) is infinitely more beautiful.
So I'm Team Ted because he reminds me of my Dad-- frustrated, working hard to manage the household, but supremely, supremely loving.
I finally saw K v K years ago and have to confess it has aged badly..... and definitely not Best Picture worthy.
For me the film that still resonates all these years is Norma Rae. Sally Field was superb in that. Heck she's terrific in almost everything.
@ Bette Streep- yes I agree with you. For me the most interesting part of the movie was his relationship with Jane Alexander. They are two now single parents not by choice and have to come together to find some kind of support because both understand the other. I thought this relationship - which never cliches into lovers- was fascinating to watch. I will be voting for Alexander for the Smackdown, but kind of wish I could vote for her now.
[36 YEAR OLD SPOILER ALERT] i'm also voting Team Ted because even Team Joanna forfeits and votes "Team Ted" by the end.
As much as I love Meryl, but I still can't find myself voting for Joanna.
Heck, I wish my dad is Ted!
I think.... both are great. Ted wasn't the best father before. Just a workaholic. Of course when you're suddenly left alone with a kid you have to learn to take care of it more than ever.
And Joanna is more complex. You don't understand the sudden desire to leave and "find yourself", including leaving her child behind. Then coming back and demanding full custody can only make you seen as a monster.
But the last scene at the elevators changed the whole film imo.
And I'm not on the "Oh, that aged badly" side. It did age, but not bad.
So yeah..... I can't vote at all.
Team Ted. I remember hating Joanna when I saw this on first release. She abandonned her child. Her lawyer was a jerk. I liked alexander better and wanted her to win. Besides, Ted managed to land a corporate job on Christmas Eve. I only wish one of my parental units had wanted me as much.
"How much courage does it take to walk out on your kid?"
team Ted all the way!
Hoffman and Streep conjure up a strong sense of how marriage can destroy an individual's self-worth--Joanna is not seen as a fully rounded person and Ted is not viewed as a fully engaged dad. There's an emotional rhythm in their scenes together that crescendos in the bar. Think I'll go with Kramer.