A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

The Evaluation System Reviews by Title Reviews by Date

Reviews from Video Reviews of the Classics Personal Background

Title: Secondhand Lions

Date Viewed: 10/19/03

Details:

Michael Caine

Robert Duvall

Haley Joel Osment

Director: Tim McCanlies

Score: +

The Review: Part coming of age, part character study of old age, part mystery, part comedy, part tale out of "1001 Arabian Nights"; all spun together quite well. The title is a clever pun that won't make sense until about midway through the movie.

A slightly wimpy adolescent teenager (Osment) spends a not-so-idyllic but nonetheless fascinating summer with two crotchety old bachelor (great-) uncles (Caine and Duvall) in the isolation of rural Texas. One of their pastimes is fending off traveling salesman and relative leeches (not leeches as in the biological blood-sucking critter, but blood relatives that are slimy & conniving -- leeches). These three core roles are extremely well-done, with Osment slowly growing into his own, and the two old codgers spinning webs of intrigue or fiction while slowly warming to the kid in their midst. Although I'm not sure I buy some of the underlying (personal) philosophical messages, this is still a very good film.

Berkeley Breathed has a cameo as the (off screen) cartoonist who provides drawings for the adult Osment character.

(20-Oct-03)

Back to the chronological list of reviews