I first saw a preview for Secondhand Lions a few months ago when I went to see a movie. I thought it looked like it would be good and I decided that I wanted to see it. I was finally able to go see it. I did enjoy the movie. I was also happy to be able to see the trailed for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King before the movie.

Walter was a young teenage boy who was taken to stay with his two great uncles, Garth and Hub, by his mother Mae in the 1960's. Walter didn’t want to stay with them, but Mae told him how the two hadn’t been back in Texas for long and how they were supposed to have millions of dollars stashed somewhere. She said no one knew where the money came from for sure, but there were lots of theories. She wanted Walter to get close to them, and try to find the hidden money. The driveway was lined with signs warning people to stay away. Mae and Walter found Garth and Hub fishing in a unique way. The two weren’t happy to have visitors. Mae told them that she was going to school to learn to be a court reporter and she wanted Walter to stay with them. She managed to convince them and she left.

Walter wasn’t too happy to be with Garth and Hub, especially once he learned that they had no phone and no television. A few salesmen arrived and the brothers had a unique way of dealing with them. That night, they sent Walter upstairs to sleep. Later Walter heard something and noticed Hub walking around outside. He was sleepwalking. That happened more than once. Walter helped his uncles work in a garden, though Hub wasn’t too thrilled about the idea. Some other relatives turned up and caused a bit of trouble. Walter and his uncles started to get along better, though Hub was still grumpy at times.

Garth started to tell stories about his past with Hub to Walter, who was enjoying the stories. The two brothers had several adventures when they were younger. Walter learned about a woman named Jasmine that Hub had loved. The three continued to grow closer, and even Hub grew to like having Walter around. More questions were raised about where Hub and Garth got their money.

CAST

Michael Caine - Garth
Robert Duvall - Hub
Haley Joel Osment - Walter
Kyra Sedgewick - Mae
Josh Lucas - Adult Walter
Emmanuelle Vaugier - Jasmine
Christian Kane - Young Hub
Kevin Haberer - Young Garth

Secondhand Lions was released on September 12, 2003. The movie was 111 minutes long and rated PG. I’ve heard it advertised as a family movie. There wasn’t anything objectionable in the movie, but I don’t think that younger children would be interested in seeing the movie. I’m not even sure that older children would be that interested in it.

Secondhand Lions was a very good, entertaining movie. I really enjoyed it and I think I’ll be getting the DVD once it is out. The movie was interesting to me. I was never bored and I never knew what exactly was going to happen next. There was a bit of mystery to it since you don’t really know how Hub and Garth got their money. Garth told stories, but you’re never really sure if they were the truth or not. It seemed like everyone around had their own theories for how the two men got their money.

There were several flashbacks in Secondhand Lions. Really the whole movie was a flashback. The adult Walter was shown briefly at the beginning and then something caused him to start remembering his uncles and when he first arrived to spend the summer with them. While Walter was there, Garth told him several stories about the adventures the two brothers had in the past, and they were shown through flashbacks. They were very important to the movie. Some people don’t care for flashbacks in movies, but they didn’t bother me at all. They were entertaining and helped to tell more of the story.

There were a few scenes in Secondhand Lions that had some violence in them. They weren’t graphic in any way. There were a few different fights depicted in the movie, one during the main time frame when Walter was with the uncles, and others during the stories Garth told. Someone did hit another character later in the movie. That was a little upsetting because of who was hit. There was no gore in the movie, though something was hinted at once. This wasn’t a violent movie overall and I don’t think it was violent enough to upset anyone.

There were several funny things that happened in Secondhand Lions, but I don’t really think of it as a comedy. Hub and Garth shooting at the salesmen was really funny, as well as Walter’s reaction to it. There were a lot of little things that characters said or did that were funny. There were some sad and touching moments in the movie as well. At one point, Hub told Walter part of a speech, and that was a really good speech. It makes you think. I would have liked for the rest of it to have been in the movie.

I thought that the acting in Secondhand Lions was really good. Michael Caine and Robert Duvall were wonderful as Garth and Hub. They were very believable in the parts. I have seen both actors in other movies over the years. Robert Duvall has played some other sort of grumpy characters before, but they weren’t exactly like Hub. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Michael Caine play a part like Garth before. I did think that Haley Joel Osment was good as Walter. Osment is growing up, and he voice did seem to crack a bit at times, but that is normal for a boy his age, and Walter’s age. His face, especially his eyes, conveyed a lot of emotion at different times. I think he is well on his way to becoming a talented actor. Josh Lucas only had a few minutes in the movie as the adult Walter. There wasn’t much for him to do, but he was fine with what he had to work with. The only other thing I’ve seen him in is Sweet Home Alabama. Kyra Sedgewick was great as the self absorbed, sneaky Mae. She was very believable in the part.

CHARACTERS

Walter - Young teenage boy who is taken to spend the summer with his uncles. He isn’t happy about the situation at first, but he adapts. He did a lot of changing and growing over the summer.

Mae - Walter’s mother. She dropped him off with her two uncles, hoping he could get close to them and get their money. She had lied to Walter several times in the past, and didn’t have a problem with using her own son.

Garth - One of Walter’s great uncles. Garth shared stories about his past with Walter. Garth wasn’t as grumpy as his brother. He decided that they needed to start gardening since they were retired. Garth seemed to bond with Walter faster.

Hub - Garth’s brother. Hub was grumpier most of the time. He wasn’t as accepting of Walter as Garth was. Hub wasn’t that happy with his life since there was no adventure anymore. He bought a lion and decided to put together an old plane even though he couldn’t fly. He didn’t like getting old and he felt useless at times.

I really enjoyed Secondhand Lions. It was one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. Fans of any of the actors will probably enjoy the movie as well.

Recommended: Yes