Second Hand Lions review

Second Hand Lions stars, Robert Duvall, Michael Caine, Haley Joel Osment, and Kyra Sedgwick.


The absolute last place Walter (Haley Joel Osment) wants to be is on his great uncles' farm in rural Texas, where he is dumped off by his mother Mae (Kyra Sedgwick), in the middle of nowhere living with two crazy old men, a pack of dogs and a pig. With only the promise that she'll come back for him. Walter has been lied to enough times that he's not quiet sure what to believe in anymore.



Walter's eccentric and gruff great uncles, Hub and Garth McCaan (Robert Duvall and Michael Caine) who had been missing for 40 YEARS are rumored to have been bank robbers, mafia hit men and/or war criminals in their wild and wooly younger days. No one seems to know the truth, although the brothers do seem to have an endless supply of cash on hand. During Walter's stay he begins to see a "new" side to his great uncles when he stumbles upon a trunk with an old photograph of a very beautiful woman hidden away in the attic (known as the "Tower" in the movie) and asks his uncle Garth who she is.

Through the stories spun against the backdrop of the dusty Texas night, an amazing story comes to life through Walter's vivid and very colorful imaginings - a tale set in a very long ago exotic, very mysterious place where the men rode on powerful stallions and fought with HUGE swords. Complete with beautiful princesses mixed up with evil sheiks and where two very unlikely heros lived an adventure that only most people can dream of.

Whether the story is true or not, the uncle's tales become a "doorway" of sorts for Walter, to "experience" their many adventures. Little by little they also give Walter something true to believe in - a "world" where honor and valor mean more than money and power. A place, real or not, belonging only to him. While telling their stories to Walter, Hub and Garth begin to see their lives with a whole new set of eyes. Giving it a whole new meaning.

Over one unpredictable Central Texas summer in the early 1960’s, everything in the lives of this new family of strangers is about to change forever.

Highlights for me: The lion, and the "flashback" scenes to the uncle's younger days.
My absolute favorite "line" in the movie: "Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good. That honour, courage and virtue mean everything; that power and money ... money and power mean nothing. That good always triumphs over evil. And I want you to remember this.... that love....true love never dies! Remember that boy ... remember that. Doesn't matter if it is true or not, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in...... got that ?"