DIRECTOR: Robert Benton
STUDIO: Columbia Pictures
STARRING: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander
RATING: PG
GENRE: Drama
GRADE: B+
Dustin Hoffman has done it again, and although this film may not have the most Oscar-worthy performance of his career, I am glad that he won one. Those may argue that it was a career-long Oscar, not necessarily for this film in particular, but that's another topic for a different day.
Anyways, this film opens with a wife and mother (Streep) leaving her husband (Hoffman) and son (Justin Henry). The first and second act are all about Hoffman's character adjusting to his new single-parent life. But, the plot complicates when Streep's character returns and wants to fight for custody of their son.
Overall, excellent performances are across the board. Even the eight-year-old Justin Henry was excellent. I really adored the complexity of the situation, and how many people who have not experienced a divorce in a family can now understand on a certain level. Hoffman brought me to tears more than once.
The reason it received a "B+" and not higher is only because I didn't enjoy the actual story. I understand that it was an inside look at the problems and gray-area of a divorce, however it never caught my full interest. Still a very good film, but not quite "A" worthy.
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