Secondhand Lions (2003)

Originally Reviewed

Monday January 22, 2007

From seeing dead people to living with a couple of old people, Haley Joel Osment spans genres of film with Secondhand Lions. While Osment isn't a great actor by any means the odd setup of this film works out quite well as Secondhand Lions offers the viewer a nice balance of everything.

Osment plays Walter, a young boy who lives with his ditzy mother who couldn't support herself, let alone her son, if a gun was put to her head. His mother drops him off at the home of her "crazy" uncles in hopes that he might gain some sort of bond with them and discover where all their supposed wealth is hidden. Seems the long running family story is that Hub and Garth McCaan were once bank robbers and got away with millions of dollars, ever since that story began unwanted family members and traveling salesman have been passing by the house in hopes of striking it rich. But the one thing they never seem to learn is the McCaan brothers don't like people.

Walter feels completely alone with his new found uncles, yet it only takes a few days for the two grumpy old men to realize that Walter isn't like the rest of their "family". While his mother is a genuine grade "A" loser, Walter seems to be a pretty great kid and it doesn't take long for the three of them to hit it off. Walter convinces the two of them to start spending their money and enjoy life a little, so they stop shooting at the salesmen and start buying things from them. As Walter gets closer to his uncles he learns about some of their amazing adventures and the mysterious love of one of his uncles, Jasmine (Emmanuelle Vaugier). As the film progresses Walter tries to learn more about Jasmine, and finds out how his uncles obtained their large wealth.

Secondhand Lions is a very entertaining story about the coming of age of this young boy Walter and showing that even when you get old you can still be an important part in someone's life. Robert Duvall and Michael Caine play the two uncles who make this film highly entertaining, two great actors out of their usual roles in a film that brings humor, drama, romance and adventure all into one. It's great for the whole family young or old, everyone will find something to enjoy. I've seen this film a few times now and every time I watch it I find myself thoroughly enjoying it. Trying to pick out a few things I liked best would be pointless because there are so many aspects of this film that are great, plus I loved that little white dog! If anything what I like best is the films ability to give everyone something to enjoy. 

9/10