Kramer vs. Kramer: An Analysis

By presenting a man as a primary caretaker in a quiet domestic drama, Kramer vs. Kramer is oddly similar to Thelma & Louise in its inversion of conventional gender roles. However, while you can treat Thelma & Louise as simply an action film or go deeper into its layers of character and theme, in Kramer you must engage with the character story because there isn’t much in the way of plot machinations to gain satisfaction from. Ted Kramer begins the story as a stunning success in the corporate environment. He’s a fighter, a winner and a “good old boy.” Then he is confronted with a situation at home that poses a serious challenge to his habitual way of being. He struggles as a single parent in the face of employer hostility and a brutal custody battle. But to succeed on the home front, he must learn how to be patient, how to listen, how to apologize and how to adapt to his son’s needs. Ultimately, to become a true parent he must be willing to give up the fight and do what’s best for his son.

Screentakes screenbooks offer screenplay analysis of time-tested great films in an innovative learning experience that uses text, photos, video, audio and interactive graphics. Unlike the “enhanced ebook,” in which the media elements are supplemental to the text, in our screenbooks the reader engages with the media as an integral part of the narrative flow. They are reading experiences designed for the screen.

Our first three screenbooks analyze the story structure of The African Queen, Thelma & Louise, and Kramer vs. Kramer. Future ebooks will cover titles such as Traffic, The Crying Game, Chinatown, Pulp Fiction, Fargo, Double Indemnity and Sunset Boulevard. For more information, visit www.screentakes.com.