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Before the women's liberation movement of the 1960s, divorce was not a subject of discussion or aptly portrayed in mainstream cinema. After the fallout of women's lib, divorce rates rose and became more common. The industry then responded. While divorce was not a familiar topic to many, it was a subject that could be depicted and portrayed on-screen, as evidenced by the films of Noah Baumbach — a child of divorce and now divorced himself — portraying the dysfunction of a marriage fallout.
In the movies of the 1970s and 1980s, which were a response to the social mores that followed the rise of women's liberation, divorce is a messy topic to write about. But, the films listed below capture a wide spectrum of emotional responses to breakups. Whether it be to laugh, to cry, or to identify with the kids affected by their parent's fallout, these are the best films about divorce.
9 Kramer vs Kramer
While more focused on the husband (played by Dustin Hoffman) and his inability to grasp fatherhood off the shell-shock decision his wife made to divorce him, Kramer vs. Kramer is a delicate balance of the court procedures that follow, and how that affects the parent's social life. Also, showing great distress to the kid (Justin Henry) as he struggles to understand the situation, the film doesn't quite give enough time to Meryl Street, the wife, to share her story. The film is more a study of fatherhood than anything, but its raw, emotional power that comes from the talent of the actors makes it one of the best. If not for also being one of the first studio films to tackle what used to be a taboo subject.
8 Mrs. Doubtfire
The warm charisma of Robin Williams was the perfect actor to cast for the ultimate divorce fantasy. Directed with a light touch by Chris Columbus (Home Alone), Mrs. Doubtfire is about Wiliams' attempt to patch up his shortcomings as a husband to Miranda (Sally Field). While the depiction of a marriage falling apart is apt, it's a film more aimed at kids with one last hope they can save their relationships. With Williams enlisting the help of his brother, they create the persona of an old British nanny so that he can be around his family while his wife is busy with work. It's another hilarious turn from the imitable Williams, whose cosmic goofiness and illicit empathy make Mrs. Doubtfire's unlikely plot a warm and rewarding watch. If not needlessly hopeful, it's hilarious to boot.
7 Crazy, Stupid, Love
A hilariously endearing look at recapturing your life after 40, Crazy, Stupid, Love is one of the better romantic comedies in recent memory, and it is a heartfelt look at divorce. Telling intertwining stories after Cal (Steve Carrell) learns his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) has been cheating on him, he goes into a spiral looking for love. The friendship between him and a young bachelor — played with a subtle, silly effusive quality by Ryan Gosling — the two embark on a makeover for Cal. Weaving in Emma Stone, who suddenly changes Gosling’s ways, the film is a messy and fun look at how hard it is to start over. But also: how hard it is for divorced parents to keep control and guidance over their kids.
6 Marriage Story
The most visually sophisticated film Noah Baumbach has made, and also one of his most personal but epic in scope. Baumbach succeeds in telling the sides in equal measure or at least an attempt to reconcile both sides of a brutal divorce. Marriage Story is a tour de force of performances from its ensemble — Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, and the late, Ray Liotta — as we see the tumult and psychological breakthroughs necessary to move on and the painstaking bureaucratic processes of legal work to make the divorce final. While the film painfully lacks in giving the child (Azhy Robertson) a say in the manner, the film succeeds in letting the audience attempt to empathize with both sides at the end of a marriage.
5 Waiting to Exhale
An ensemble of great performances led by Angela Bassett, Whitney Houston, Lela Rochon, and the supremely underrated Loretta Devine, Waiting to Exhale exhibits the messiness of divorce and the importance of friendship when your love life is complicated. Directed by long-time actor Forest Whitaker, the film embarks on giving each character their due time, but also the one-off male encounters that shape their pain and yearning for love. With the all-powerful Bassett leading the way as she struggles to keep her sanity and kids together after finding out her husband is cheating, she is the film's emotional center and has the most iconic scene in the movie. The journey is a joyful but heartfelt rendering of four Black women leading the screen as they struggle to recapture what could be.
4 Ordinary People
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A slow, hypnotic directorial debut from one of Hollywood's icons, Robert Redford showcased his ability to make a small, personal film with Ordinary People. While divorce isn’t necessarily the functioning dynamic between the characters, it's Timothy Hutton's exceptional debut acting performance as Conrad, the son who must hold his slowly dissipating family together while he deals with the aftermath of his friend's death, that makes it so. With Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore attempting to wax the surface and artifice of their marriage, pretending it's alright, they finally explode. Unfairly maligned in its reputation as the film that beat out Raging Bull at the year's respective Academy Awards, Ordinary People is an intimate look into the crumbling family dynamic in Chicago suburbia.
3 Boyhood
An unparalleled film experiment that was 13 years in the making, Richard Linklater's greatest attempt at making the slow passage of time tangible and seen on-screen, Boyhood is an ambitious epic, tracing the life of a boy becoming a man. While also expanding to create heartbreaking insights into troubled relationships, divorce, and the hardships of moving on from parenthood — with two brilliant performances from Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke — Linklater's script continued to evolve around its unknown star Ellar Coltrane as he aged, creating a beautiful look at growing up.
2 The Squid and The Whale
Baumbach’s usual brand of vile pretentiousness permeating the hurl of insults characters throws at each other met a perfect match in the realm of divorce. The Squid and The Whale is a quick 81-minute film based on the childhood experiences of Baumbach. Centering the diminishing relationships in a marriage not just between husband (Jeff Daniels) and wife (Laura Linney) but how it affects their sons' — a hilarious Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline — relationships to one another. As they spin out of control to goofball delight, The Squid and The Whale is a hilariously painful piece of self-reflection from a director who is unafraid to tackle the traumatic experiences of divorce.
1 An Unmarried Woman
A genuine depiction of heartache, unfamiliar terrain, and dealing with the loneliness of becoming yourself, but also hilariously delirious when new love does hit, An Unmarried Woman is a delicate and intoxicating look at life after marriage through the eyes of Jill Clayburgh. Groundbreaking for its therapy session scenes where Clayburgh spills her heart, but also iconic for its wandering New York scenes, An Unmarried Woman is funny as it is a tender look at the romantic life of a recent divorcée.