Secondhand Lions
2.5/4
Starring: Haley Joel Osment, Michael Caine, Robert DuVall, Kyra Sedgwick, Nicky Katt
Rated PG for Thematic Elements, Language and Action Violence
There is a good movie lurking within the 109 minutes of "Secondhand Lions." It is a wonderful, nostalgic and magical film. Alas, we don't get to see it. "Secondhand Lions" isn't a bad movie at all, but due to poor direction and the occasional stiff moment from the actors (all of them have moments where they fail to convince), the film never becomes the heartwarming family film it so desires to be.
Walter Caldwell (Osment) is entering the seventh circle of hell. His flighty mother Mae (Sedgwick) is dumping him off at his great uncles' farm in the middle of nowhere for the summer while she takes a court reporting class. He's never known them and based on the evidence, neither does Mae. They've been gone somewhere for 40 years and have just resurfaced. Rumor has it that they're sitting on a bunch of money, and Mae wants her son to get on their good side so they can inherit the money.
Walter's uncles (who are actually his great uncles) are not normal people. They are fiercely territorial (woe betide any travelling salesman who comes on their property), go fishing with shotguns, and for farmers, haven't the slightest idea of how to raise crops. Hub (DuVall) in particular loves getting in fights with teenagers while Garth is totally content to let him have his fun. And, much to Walter's horror, they don't have a phone or a television.
I have no doubt that this could have been a great family movie. In fact, there are moments where the film achieves the cinematic magic that it reaches for. But the film doesn't come together as a whole. The script is underwritten; more scenes would have landed had they been more strongly scripted, and the film goes for the obligatory "big moments" without sufficient foundation. Many scenes in the film seem to be unrehearsed (particularly the action scenes). Maybe Tim McCanlies didn't budget his time well.
Surprisingly, the performances are not up to par. All three leads disappoint, which is especially surprising since two of the leads are acting legends. Haley Joel Osment was pretty big in the early 2000's after he starred in the (overrated) box office smash "The Sixth Sense." "Secondhand Lions" was his last big movie (he's been doing TV guest spots and voicing Sora in the "Kingdom Hearts" video game series). He's effective, but has his stiff moments. Michael Caine is good, but he plays down to the script's level; the role is beneath him, and he plays it as such. Robert DuVall is miscast. At no point is his heart ever in his performance, and it's a poor fit for the actor.
I admire Tim McCanlies ambition. Done right, this kind of movie never loses its appeal. But instead of being something like "Big Fish" (a movie that is very similar to this one), it misses the mark.
Starring: Haley Joel Osment, Michael Caine, Robert DuVall, Kyra Sedgwick, Nicky Katt
Rated PG for Thematic Elements, Language and Action Violence
There is a good movie lurking within the 109 minutes of "Secondhand Lions." It is a wonderful, nostalgic and magical film. Alas, we don't get to see it. "Secondhand Lions" isn't a bad movie at all, but due to poor direction and the occasional stiff moment from the actors (all of them have moments where they fail to convince), the film never becomes the heartwarming family film it so desires to be.
Walter Caldwell (Osment) is entering the seventh circle of hell. His flighty mother Mae (Sedgwick) is dumping him off at his great uncles' farm in the middle of nowhere for the summer while she takes a court reporting class. He's never known them and based on the evidence, neither does Mae. They've been gone somewhere for 40 years and have just resurfaced. Rumor has it that they're sitting on a bunch of money, and Mae wants her son to get on their good side so they can inherit the money.
Walter's uncles (who are actually his great uncles) are not normal people. They are fiercely territorial (woe betide any travelling salesman who comes on their property), go fishing with shotguns, and for farmers, haven't the slightest idea of how to raise crops. Hub (DuVall) in particular loves getting in fights with teenagers while Garth is totally content to let him have his fun. And, much to Walter's horror, they don't have a phone or a television.
I have no doubt that this could have been a great family movie. In fact, there are moments where the film achieves the cinematic magic that it reaches for. But the film doesn't come together as a whole. The script is underwritten; more scenes would have landed had they been more strongly scripted, and the film goes for the obligatory "big moments" without sufficient foundation. Many scenes in the film seem to be unrehearsed (particularly the action scenes). Maybe Tim McCanlies didn't budget his time well.
Surprisingly, the performances are not up to par. All three leads disappoint, which is especially surprising since two of the leads are acting legends. Haley Joel Osment was pretty big in the early 2000's after he starred in the (overrated) box office smash "The Sixth Sense." "Secondhand Lions" was his last big movie (he's been doing TV guest spots and voicing Sora in the "Kingdom Hearts" video game series). He's effective, but has his stiff moments. Michael Caine is good, but he plays down to the script's level; the role is beneath him, and he plays it as such. Robert DuVall is miscast. At no point is his heart ever in his performance, and it's a poor fit for the actor.
I admire Tim McCanlies ambition. Done right, this kind of movie never loses its appeal. But instead of being something like "Big Fish" (a movie that is very similar to this one), it misses the mark.
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