Secondhand Lions (2003)

This comedic and touching family film follows the adventures of a shy young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who is sent to spend the summer with his eccentric uncles (Michael Caine, Robert Duvall). At first shocked by his uncles' unconventional behavior that includes ordering African lions through the mail, the boy soon becomes enthralled with unraveling the mystery that has followed the uncles for years. Hearing tales of their exotic adventures involving kidnapped princesses, Arabian sheiks and lost treasure, not only brings him closer to his uncles but also teaches him what it means to believe in something... whether it's true or not.

Family Adventure (UMD Mini for PSP)

This movie proves that you can have adventure, action and humor with but a PG rating. There are a few places where the images may be a bit disturbing, such as when Garth McCann (Michael Caine) and Hub McCann (Robert Duvall) shoot at salesmen that have arrived at their front step uninvited. They generally miss; as it turns out they are great shots, even with shotguns. Very young family members may find some of the scenes a bit too violent or threatening; children eight and above should find this movie funny and even touching. Adults especially will like the interplay between veteran actors Caine and Duvall and relative newcomer Haley Joel Osment playing their grand-nephew Walter.

Walter ends up with his eccentric and, as it turns out, wealthy, pair of great-uncles when his mother Mae (Kyra Sedgwick) dumps him. She is supposedly on her way to court reporter school but, as Walter soon discovers, the school is another if his mother's frequent lies.

At first Walter's uncles appear bizarre, and a bit scary. However, as the movie progresses it turns out they just want to be left alone and are more normal than they first appear, though they are definitely eccentric. As an example, their favorite method of fishing involves shotguns.

Walter soon discovers there is much more to his uncles than first appears. Uncle Garth tells Walter their story throughout the first portion of the movie in a series of flashbacks. We discover that Garth and Hub have been in multiple wars, principally in Africa as members of the French Foreign Legion. Or have they? The stories all seem nearly cartoonish and larger-than-life. Given Walter's history with his mother's lies, Walter and we have a hard time believing which of the multiple stories about his uncles is true. Another part of the storyline is the source of his uncle's wealth and where that wealth is kept. All these issues are resolved to the audience's satisfaction by the end of the movie.

At first a viewer might be put off by the nearly fairy tale fashion in which the story is told. Consider that Walter becomes a cartoonist as an adult, and the story is essentially a flashback for Walter. Our memories as children are often biased, with the rough edges smoothed and events that did not fit completely eliminated. Thus some of the scenes of the uncle's adventures are more like a B-movie than modern cinema, but Walter was a boy in 1960s Texas, with memories to match. The images of the movie fit Walter's viewpoint.

The stars of this movie are Caine and Duvall. Osment gets very little chance to do real acting until near the end of the movie. Most of the rest of the movie Osment is in awe of his adventuresome uncles and his acting is kept principally to facial expressions. Caine and Duvall, on the other hand, act as they appear, curmudgeonly and eccentric. Yet, they are honorable and ethical in their own strange way.

I recommend this movie as a family movie. No blood, minimal violence, with few special effects, yet enough humor to keep all but the most jaded movie viewer smiling.
September 25, 2006

They really lived

Walter (Haley Joe Osment) an introverted kid gets to stay with his two eccentric great-uncles, Garth (Michael Caine) and Hub (Robert Duvall.) While there He is told of their robust adventures and how they came to be there and rich. However everyone else tells a different story. He comes to understand them and some of life through several events. One of those events is befriending an over the hill lion which just may represent a couple of uncles.

It is not so much the bonding formula of the story as the way the tail of exotic places and heroic acts is intertwined with everyday life. I think of stories my own parents and grand parent told of such things as encounters with Poncho Via in Mexico where they sold him horses and were invited to leave.

It is not so much the stories as the goodness of man that was being portrayed, moving back and forth in time, with a few adjustments to history, made you feel that they were your great-uncles who could believe such tales. And yet...

If you find that this movie moved you then it is time to try two others that are similar. "Dust" (2001) with Joseph Fiennes and David Wenham. "Little Buddha" (1993) with Keanu Reeves.

September 13, 2005

More reviews at Amazon.com ...