Secondhand Lions

I was at my brother-and-sister-in-law's house two weekends ago, and as we were all sitting around playing video games, someone suggested that we watch a movie. A number of suggestions were made, all of which got shot down, and then my brother-in-law said, "Well, we did just get Secondhand Lions from Netflix. I don't remember putting it in the queue though..."

None of us had seen it, and the more cynical in the room thought it would be crap. It's the story of a young boy--Walter--who gets dumped on his two bachelor uncles, who allegedly have millions of dollars hidden away somewhere. Haley Joel Osment plays the kid, with Robert Duvall and Michael Caine as the eccentric uncles.

Surprisingly enough, we all liked it. It's a pretty simple story, but it's heartwarming and makes you wish that you got to grow up like this kid does--on a farm, with two crazy uncles who buy a lion.

It's also reasonably thought-provoking, which was a pleasant surprise as well. One of the biggest themes in the movie is that of lying versus telling the truth. At the beginning of the movie, Walter's mother tells him she's going to court reporter school, and she'll only be gone for a few months. Shortly thereafter, Walter tries to call the school to reach his mother, only to find out that they have never heard of her. On the other hand, he asks his one uncle why the other uncle stands looking at the pond every night, and the first uncle starts to tell him this fantastic story of wars, Africa, and sheiks in the Middle East. These backstory parts are filmed very much like The Princess Bride, where they look more like a fairy tale than an actual historical event. At a key moment in the film, Walter is asked to decide whether he thinks these stories are real or made-up, and it's quite poignant. Overall, the themes and issues at stake here reminded me a lot of Big Fish.

In short, I really enjoyed the movie, and I think it would be a good one for families to enjoy together. There's some mild violence, no sex, and everyone seems to like it. I'm still not sure about the ending--I think it might make Walter's choice seem less important in the long run, but hey, I'm never going to complain too much when Josh Lucas shows up on screen.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5