Secondhand Lions

Secondhand Lions, It sounds like a cliché, but I don’t know anybody who didn’t like this film. I recommended it to a number of people, and all were impressed with it as I was.

Excellent acting and an interesting low-key story make this a very enjoyable 110 minutes of entertainment. A story about two old geezers who take in a 14-year- old to their home for a month doesn’t sound too exciting but this film will surprise you.

It’s tough to find two elder gentlemen as good and appealing as Michael Caine and Robert Duvall, anyway, so you have two winners right there. Add a fine, fine young actor in Haley Joel Osment and now you have three excellent actors who comprise most of the lines of the film.

This is one of those rare “guarantee” movies in which you can safely tell your friends to watch it and not regret the recommendation.

The story is set in the early 1960s and begins with Walter (Haley Joel Osment) being dropped off at his very strange great-uncles’ home in the middle of no where Texas. The mother is a very irresponsible sort and apparently her taking off without the boy is nothing new. But in this case, she’s dropped the boy off with some folks who at first seem ill-equipped to care for a growing boy. The old men (Michael Caine and Robert Duvall) are certainly crusty old characters….who seem to have little fear or common sense. But over time, they form a sweet bond with the boy…and the story is odd, to say the least, but also very satisfying.

This film is quirky beyond belief. But it somehow works due to excellent direction, acting and an overall sweet production with lovely music and cinematography. An odd little film whose strange parts all add up to a lovely family film well worth your time.