Secondhand Lions Review
by John Ulmer (johnulmer2003 AT msn DOT com)December 13th, 2003
SECONDHAND LIONS
4.5/5 stars
REVIEW BY JOHN ULMER
Some formulas never grow old. Like revisiting old friends, they can be a refreshing distraction from other formulas being over-used in Hollywood, and like fine wine they can sometimes grow better with age.
"Secondhand Lions" has been done many times in the past, but it seems as though the formula has finally hit the roof. It bears much resemblance to 1999's TV movie "Horse Sense," about a city kid who joined a relative's ranch and learned to appreciate hard work and life for what it had to offer.
This common fodder has even been used subtly in the great comedy "City Slickers." But unlike those films, this one is not about a city kid, but rather an unloved child who is sent to live with his great uncles on their ranch in the south. Rumor has it that they have vast wealth stored someplace on their farm, along with the dogs and pigs given free roam of the area. His mother wants him to find that money so that they can take it and run away next time she comes to visit him.
The kid is Walter, played by Haley Joel "I See Dead People" Osment, who seems to be suffering from the same childhood tragedy story as Macaulay Culkin; only Osment is a much better actor. Osment's family is starting to turn into a sort of Hollywood banking system. Remember when Mac's siblings started appearing in each and every film released onto the market? The same is starting to happen with the Osment family name -- his sister was in the two "Spy Kids" sequels, and I'm sure we'll see them both in many more films until they become drunken drug addicts when they are older and blame Hollywood for ruining their lives. (We all know how these stories end.)
Anyway, that doesn't matter. His mother insists that she is going to pursue a job while he lives with his two reluctant great uncles (Michael Caine and Robert Duvall in southern form), who disappeared for 40 years and came back into existence with rumored fortunes. Walter doesn't like the idea of trying to rip off his uncles' accumulated wealth, and his uncles don't like the idea of him staying around very long at all. But they soon realize that, unlike their other relatives always dropping by trying to milk their fortunes, Walter is not really interested in their cash, but is actually interested in them and their past.
Why the title "Secondhand Lions," then? Because there's a lion in this film, Jasmine, named by Walter after his Uncle Hub's (Duvall) dead wife, whom he met during an adventure in Egypt. The lion is secondhand, "used," and represents -- in one way or another -- Walter himself. And as Walter cares for the animal, nursing it slowly back to health on the ranch, his uncles do the same for him.
I was hesitant to go see this film because I did not, in all honesty, expect very much. But I got a lot back. Sure, it yanks the sentimentality chains a bit, but it's an enjoyable family film with an honest, good-natured moral at its core. A lot of the so-called family films these days are simply rooted in how much money they can make at the box office, but "Secondhand Lions" seems to have actually had some thought put into it, as well as a good message.
Michael Caine and Robert Duvall steal the show in this one, especially Caine, who tries his best at a southern accent and succeeds. Duvall, however, is also in his element as the rambunctious one, who gets into fights with teenagers and teaches young fools the difference between kids and men. The scene involving a group of teenagers suddenly respecting him to the point of joining the two uncles for dinner seemed a bit far-fetched, but I wouldn't want it any other way.
The film is a period piece, sorta, since it takes place sometime during the 60s. And for being a period piece, the set decoration is convincing, from surroundings to attire to stage props. Sometimes films fail at evoking the elements of the past, but "Secondhand Lions" succeeds, as it does in most areas of filmmaking.
While I would never give "Secondhand Lions" kudos for originality, it is certainly a warm and often touching film, and is probably one of the best of the year.
At the least, at the bare minimum, "Secondhand Lions" is good family (and adult!) entertainment with clean morals and a warm-hearted story at its core. In light of "The Cat in the Hat" and such other "family" film disasters, "Secondhand Lions" is something you can take your kids to. They'll get a kick out of Walter's story, and you'll be surprised to find that you will probably even get something out of it yourself.
- John Ulmer
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