"Secondhand Lions" is a movie that my wife has wanted us to watch for years. It was made in 2003, and I think late that year is about when she started mentioning she wanted to see it. After I got a Netflix subscription, it was one of the first movies I added to my queue, though it never quite made it to the top. A couple of weeks ago, it was all the way up to #2, and the #1 movie in my queue was not available, so "Secondhand Lions" showed up in our mailbox.
Starring Robert Duvall, Michael Caine and Haley Joel Osment, "Secondhand Lions" is a coming of age type of story. Duvall and Caine play brothers Hub and Garth McCann, who have returned to Texas after being gone for 40 years. Rumor has it, they have money and lots of it. And, as it turns out, they have a very adventurous spirit. Enter Mae, played by Kyra Sedgwick, a deadbeat mom who drops her 14 year old son Walter (Osment) with the brothers for the summer. Mae gives Walter one mission...find the money. The Brothers are none too pleased about this arrangement, but eventually they warm to Walter and he to them. Along the way, they have a series of adventures in which the 3 grow closer together and we learn, through stories, about the mysterious past of the McCann brothers.
"Secondhand Lions" is a great movie. I think it's easily 4.5 stars. I wish more movies were made like this one. It's a terrific story, filled with top notch acting, and enough action/comedy to keep things interesting for even the most non-thinking movie watcher. I think it's the kind of flick that a husband and wife can watch together, and neither walk away disappointed. This is sort of in line with movies like Forrest Gump.
I thought the acting in "Secondhand Lions" was terrific. But what do you expect from an "all-star" cast? Duvall and Caine are great...I especially liked Michael Caine's character. Caine did a remarkable job losing his British Accent for this movie. I also like Haley Joel Osment. Not sure what he's up to now that he's an adult, but definitely one of the most accomplished child actors out there.
I would rate "Secondhand Lions" as a great date night movie, if you and your significant other are staying in for the evening.
1 comment:
This movie was GREAT! I can't wait to watch it without all of the commercials, editing for content and time. The Uncles behavior towards all of the salespeople was priceless.
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