‘Kramer vs. Kramer’ Ending Explained: What Did Joanna Decide in the End?

Robert Benton’s 1979 classic family drama Kramer vs. Kramer is one of the best films ever made. With brilliant performances by both Dusting Hoffman (as Ted Kramer) and Meryl Streep (as Joanna Kramer), this movie tells the story of a marriage that is breaking and of a boy, their son Billy, who is torn between his mother and his father, both of whom improve significantly over the course of the film. By challenging the concept that a child is always better off with their mother when young, the film tells us about growth, love, and understanding, while also showing us some of the darker sides of a failing marriage.

The movie has been consistently listed as one of the best ones ever, which is evidenced by the numerous awards that the movie has received, including five major Academy Awards. In this article, we are going to talk about the ending of Kramer vs. Kramer, as you are going to find out what exactly happened in the end.

The majority of the movie is about Ted proving that he is a loving and caring father

The movie actually starts with a marriage that is falling apart. After eight years and a child, Ted Kramer, an advertising executive, finally lands a major job but when he comes home to share this info with his wife, she tells him that she is leaving and disappears from his life, leaving him with their young son, Billy. Initially, Ted struggles to balance out his workload and the needs of Billy, who misses his mother, which causes a lot of problems for him privately.

Initially, while he was focused on his work, Billy was the one who was suffering, and when he finally managed to find a working dynamic with Billy, he was fired because the new clients were not satisfied with him. In the meantime, after a 15-month absence, Joanna returned, revealing that she had gone to California where she found a job and a therapist, and that she is now feeling better and wants to take Billy to California with her. This, of course, angers Ted, and as he is preparing for the custody hearing, he manages to land a low-salary job, which gives him a better chance at winning the court battle.

The movie did a great job in portraying Ted’s evolution from a character who was a workaholic – he did care for his family, but work was the most important thing for him – to a character who would do anything it takes to be with his son. While doing that, it also portrayed the development of the relationship between Ted and Billy.

And while Joanna was, after her return, portrayed as somewhat of a villain in the series – she disappears and after 15 months she simply returns and wants to take Billy away from his father – the film did well in balancing out her part of the story. While the movie realistically depicted the darker sides of a custody hearing, especially the character assassinations, it also did its best to show us that there is no real bad guy here.

Both Ted and Joanna were at fault here – each for their own reasons – and while it was obvious that the focus was on Ted’s evolution, Joanna was never portrayed as a villain; even Ted never portrayed her as a villain in the series. In fact, they both acknowledged their errors from the past and reconciled, in a way, respecting their mutual decisions and choices.

Joanna’s final decision is a pivotal moment in the history of cinema

And this brings us to the final moment of the film. Namely, as Ted’s lawyer told him, the courts usually give custody to the mother and while Ted argued a strong case, the court decided in Joanna’s favor. Ted decided not to appeal the decision to spare Billy and explained that while he had to leave with his mother, they would still be seeing each other often; Billy was sad that he had to leave Ted.

The next day, as Billy was supposed to leave with Joanna, she came and confessed to Ted that she was selfish in her decision and that it would be wrong to take Billy away from him now, seeing what he had done for him. She agrees to waive her custody and leave Billy with Ted, as the former couple go back to the apartment so that Joanna can explain everything to Billy.

This decision was a happy ending for a movie that was as beautiful, as it was difficult to swallow because of the gravity of the story and the emotions involved. Joanna’s decision ultimately was the right one and it proved that she was not a villain in this movie, but a person with her own story and her own choices, which have to be respected exactly because she managed to overstep herself and her desires to provide Billy with that was best for him.

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