RATING:
PG for thematic material, language, and
action violence
GENRE:
Drama
DIRECTOR:
Tim McCanlies
WRITER:
Tim McCanlies
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
David Kirschner
STARRING:
Academy Award winner Michael Caine as "Garth"
(Austin Powers: Goldmember, 2002; Miss Congeniality,
2000; The Cider House Rules, 1999)
Academy Award winner Robert Duvall as "Hub"
(Gods and Generals, 2003; The Apostle, 1998)
Academy Award nominee Haley Joel Osment as "Walter"
(A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, 2001; Pay It Forward,
2000; The Sixth Sense, 1999)
Golden Globe nominee Kyra Sedgwick as "Mae"
(Behind the Red Door, 2003; Phenomenon, 1996;
Born on the Fourth of July, 1989)
DISTRIBUTOR:
New Line Cinema
Secondhand Lions Official Web site
Please Note
In providing movie reviews on our site, CBN.com is not endorsing or recommending films we review. Our goal is to provide Christians with information about the latest movies, both the good and the bad, so that our readers may make an informed decision as to whether or not films are appropriate for them and their families.
MOVIE REVIEW
Secondhand Lions
By Laura Bagby
CBN.com Producer
CBN.com
– BASIC SYNOPSIS:
Tender, young Walter (Osment) is nervous about spending the summer
with his two eccentric great-uncles who he hardly knows, Garth (Caine)
and Hub (Duvall), on their desolate Texas ranch. Walter's irresponsible
and untrustworthy mother, Mae (Sedgwick), tells Walter that she will
be enrolling in college to study court reporting and will be back
to get him in a couple of months.
Faced with two hardened, gruff men as his caretakers who don't believe
in owning telephones or television sets, Walter seems destined for
a boring and lonely summer. Day in and day out, Walter's crotchety,
gun-toting great-uncles sit on their rustic porch of their rundown
Victorian-style farmhouse and scare away traveling salesmen who get
word of the pair's family fortune.
But then as Walter befriends Garth and hears exotic tales of his
two great-uncles when they were young and discovers that the family
fortune might be stolen mafia money, the scene quickly gets exciting.
Walter must decide whether to believe in and trust his uncles, though
their stories are outlandish and their care-taking skills dubious,
or believe the outside world, including his mother, who see the two
great-uncles as fortune-seeking criminals.
Walter ultimately learns what it means to stand up and be a man in
the face of incredible odds.In the process, Garth and Hub also learn
that they have a second chance at life and another opportunity to
make their lives count for something greater than themselves.
MY TAKE:
I highly recommend this warmhearted, coming-of-age drama for several
reasons.
First, it is worth it just to enjoy the stellar performances.
Michael Caine and Robert Duvall are brilliantly paired as the two
comedians of the show. Michael Caine redoes himself as a believable
small-town diehard Texan, complete with Southern drawl and cowboy
hat. Robert Duvall does a fantastic job of bringing out the gruff-yet-loveable
side of Hub and making him out to be a strong hero and father figure.
Haley Joel Osment is engaging and endearing as the introverted and
sympathetic Walter.
Second, the film contains no sex, and the violence
is not gratuitous or graphic. This is good news for parents. However,
there is some foul language. Fortunately, it isn't excessive and tries
to steer clear of anything seriously grotesque or blasphemous, a fact
that should put parents once again at ease. Chivalry, bravery, faith,
true love, and the importance of brotherhood are values upheld in
this film, as is living life to the fullest.
This film is well worth the ticket price and one destined to be slated
for next year's Academy Awards ballot. Don't miss it!
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