September 20, 2003 -- “Secondhand Lions” is a heartwarming, cross-generational comedy which is mythic in its proportions. While its comedy is broad and its sentimentality is a bit too strong, it does have an effective combination of tall tales and down home wisdom. Best of all, it has a great speech about what every boy needs to know to become a man. There are no fathers in this film, but yet it is all about fatherhood, and how much that means to both father and son.

The film is carried by three great actors, the two veteran award-winning actors Robert Duvall and Michael Caine (who have starred in a combined total of almost 150 films), and accomplished young actor Haley Joel Osment (“The Sixth Sense” and “Pay it Forward”). Walter (Osment) is dropped off by his irresponsible mother to stay the summer with his two great-uncles Hub (Duvall) and Garth (Caine). Walter later learns that his mother (played by Kyra Sedgwick) has lied about where she is headed. He doesn't know when, or if, his mother will return, and his uncles are decidedly eccentric.

The two uncles live in a remote farm in Texas and they don't like company, including relatives, who drop by frequently, hoping to find out where the two old men have hidden their money. Where they got their fortune is a matter of much speculation among the people in the nearby town. One rumor has it that they stole the money from the Mafia. Another story is that they got the money by collecting a reward from a rich Arabian sheikh.

After circling each other suspiciously, the boy and the two men grow to respect each other and they become an odd sort of family. Walter loves to hear Garth's mythic stories about Hub's adventures in Africa and the Middle East while the brothers were in the foreign legion. These tall tales, told in flashback, are a key part of the movie. They help establish the two older characters, particularly Hub, who is the focus of the film. It is not clear early in the film if any of these stories are true, but Hub argues it doesn't matter whether they are true or not.

Hub feels that his life is over and he has no reason to live. Caring for the boy gives him a new reason to live. He gives the boy the guidance he needs to grow up. The lion and the odd herd of dogs and a pig also play a part in the rich life on this strange farm. Everyone on the farm has a place and purpose. The whole of the farm is greater than the sum of its parts. All of them help in the healing process and all are, in turn, healed.

While the comedy is overly broad at times and the story is so sentimental it borders on being sappy, the strong characters and powerful performances help make for a compelling film. In the hands of lesser actors this film probably would not work. Writer-director Tim McCanlies got the right people for his film, and that is more than half the battle right there. The dialogue in the film, particularly the tall tales and some of Hub's speeches, is very good. The screenplay itself is also pretty compelling. I enjoyed this film mainly because I was willing to suspend my disbelief give in to the charms of it. Some viewers will not be able to do this. If you are looking for a film which is hard, edgy, cynical, with a lot of emotional pain and suffering, or cruel humor, in short, more of an art film, look elsewhere. This is not that cold and detached of a film. It is more along the lines of a touchy-feely, sentimental cross-generational film such as “On Golden Pond.” This film rates a B.

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Copyright © 2003 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
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