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Secondhand Lions takes place
in the late 50s/early 60s—and it’s a great family story starring Haley Joel Osment,
Michael Caine, and Robert Duvall.
Osment plays Walter, a 14-year-old
whose mother drops him off at his newfound great-uncles’ home in the middle of Texas.
The eccentric men disappeared 40 years earlier, and there are rumors that they have
returned with millions of dollars stashed away somewhere. Those rumors have brought
long-lost relatives and salesmen alike out of the woodwork to visit. Duvall and Caine
play the uncles who reluctantly take Walter in for the summer. As the movie progresses,
the audience finds out more about where the men have been the past 40 years. It’s a
story that Walter brings to life through his vivid imagination, and there are tales of
exotic lands, a princess, and trickery. It also becomes a subtle passing of the
generational torch.
This was a very touching story that caught me
completely off-guard for several reasons. First, Osment has become a lot bigger than he
was in The Sixth Sense, but he still seems to carry that ‘little boy’ charm.
Second, I was not prepared for the stories that were going to be told within the story.
Third, I have actually never paid much attention to Robert Duvall, but after this film
and Open
Range, I’m thinking of looking into some of his catalog titles when I have some
extra time.
Secondhand Lions is a great movie to share with family
members, and while I do not have children, I would certainly encourage those who do to
allow their kids to watch this movie.
The DVD offers the widescreen or
full screen version on a dual layered disc, and there are lots of great extra features,
including audio commentary, deleted scenes, three featurettes, trailers, and more.
GRADE: A+ (movie), A (extras)
