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Movies / On DVD / Secondhand Lions
Secondhand Lions

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Secondhand Lions (2003)

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Reviews Counted:131

Fresh:79

Rotten:52

Average Rating:6.1/10

Consensus: A wholesome but schmaltzy movie.

Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins

Genre: Childrens

Synopsis: For 14-year old Walter (Haley Joel Osment), his great uncles’ farm in rural Texas is the last place on earth he wants to spend the summer. Dumped off by his mother, Mae (Kyra Sedgwick), in the... For 14-year old Walter (Haley Joel Osment), his great uncles’ farm in rural Texas is the last place on earth he wants to spend the summer. Dumped off by his mother, Mae (Kyra Sedgwick), in the middle of nowhere with two crazy old men and the promise that she’ll come back for him, Walter doesn’t know what to believe in. Eccentric and gruff, Hub and Garth McCaan (Robert Duvall and Michael Caine) are rumored to have been bank robbers, mafia hit men and/or war criminals in their younger days. The truth is elusive, although they do seem to have an endless supply of cash. But Walter begins to see a new side to his great uncles when he stumbles on an old photograph of a beautiful woman hidden away in a trunk and asks Garth who she is. Little by little, through stories spun against the backdrop of the dusty Texas night, an amazing story comes to life via Walter’s vivid, colorful imaginings – a tale set in a long-ago exotic, mysterious place where men rode stallions and fought with swords; where beautiful princesses tangled with treacherous sheiks; and where the two unlikely heroes lived an adventure most people only dream of. Whether true or not, the uncles’ tales become a doorway to a staggering new world for the boy to live out their adventures. They also give Walter something true to believe in – a world where honor and valor mean more than money and power, and a place that, real or not, belongs only to him. Likewise, in telling their stories to their nephew, Hub and Garth begin to see their own lives with new eyes. 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. New Line Cinema presents Secondhand Lions, written and directed by Tim McCanlies, who wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed animated film, The Iron Giant. The film stars Academy Award winners Michael Caine and Robert Duvall and Academy Award nominee Haley Joel Osment. Kyra Sedgwick, Nicky Katt, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Christian Kane and Kevin Michael Haberer co-star. A David Kirschner Production in association with Digital Domain Productions, the film is produced by David Kirschner, Scott Ross and Corey Sienega. The executive producers are Toby Emmerich, Mark Kaufman, Janis Rothbard Chaskin, Karen Loop and Kevin Cooper. The co-producer is Amy Sayres. The behind-the-scenes talent includes costume designer Gary Jones, editor David Moritz, production designer David J. Bomba, director of photography Jack Green, ASC and composer Patrick Doyle. Secondhand Lions (rated PG by the M.P.A.A. for “thematic material, language and action violence”) will be released in theaters nationwide on September 19th, 2003. [More]

Starring: Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Haley Joel Osment, Kyra Sedgwick

Starring: Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Haley Joel Osment, Kyra Sedgwick, Nicky Katt

Director: Tim McCanlies

Director: Tim McCanlies
Screenwriter: Tim McCanlies
Producer: David Kirschner, Scott Ross, Corey Sienega
Composer: Patrick Doyle
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Reviews for Secondhand Lions

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41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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Where McCanlies eventually almost succeeds in demolishing his laid-back little embassy of wonder and good will is his refusal to practice what his characters preach.

Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
09/23/03
Jonathan R. Perry
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

An adorable, original and thoroughly entertaining film that might just be the best movie for adults and children to see together since…well…since The Iron Giant.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
09/23/03
Larry Carroll
Larry Carroll
FilmStew.com

... Michael Caine is badly miscast in this movie. I didn't believe him for one second in that role.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
09/22/03
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

Along the lines of a touchy-feely, sentimental cross-generational film such as 'On Golden Pond.'

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
09/22/03
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
09/22/03
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

'Corn, corn, nothin' but corn,' Duvall complains as he looks at his crops; unsympathetic viewers will feel they can relate...

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
09/22/03
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

This isn't perfect filmmaking, but it's pleasant enough and a pleasure to watch.

Full Review Source: Juicy Cerebellum | comment Comment
09/21/03
Alex Sandell
Alex Sandell
Juicy Cerebellum

A well-meaning trifle, earnestly performed but way too bland and vanilla to elicit much in the way of rooting interest or lasting memorability.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
09/20/03
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
09/20/03
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
09/20/03
Hollywood.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

When the film is over you may say (as I did), 'Great idea. Where was the script?'

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
09/20/03
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

Dvuall and Caine have such easy charm that they make this movie work, though it sags when anyone else is on screen.

Full Review Source: Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies | comment Comment
09/20/03
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Packed with adventure, humor and straight-forward drama, Lions is the type of movie I loved as a kid and clearly I haven’t outgrown the formula.

Full Review Source: Reno Gazette-Journal | comment Comment
09/19/03
Forrest Hartman
Forrest Hartman
Reno Gazette-Journal

Of little interest to anyone except those who thought Air Bud was too smutty.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
09/19/03
Michael O'Sullivan
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post

It's pretty appalling, and it's boring.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
09/19/03
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post

A sweet, tidy and ultimately forgettable story.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/19/03
Sabrina Rojas Weiss
Sabrina Rojas Weiss
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Secondhand Lions manages to squander the services of seasoned vets Michael Caine and Robert Duvall, and promising newcomer Haley Joel Osment, with a tale that is dramatically false and disturbingly vicious.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
09/19/03
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star

The film's attitude toward female characters is so relentlessly cruel and dismissive, that it's impossible to pay attention to all the supposedly sweet stuff that surrounds Lions' hard-hearted center.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
09/19/03
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Secondhand Lions is a movie you want to believe in -- original ideas, acclaimed actors -- but McCanlies uses too many broad strokes when subtlety and finesse would have had greater impact.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
09/19/03
Erik Lundegaard
Erik Lundegaard
Seattle Times

[A] schmaltz fest.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
09/19/03
Edward Guthmann
Edward Guthmann
San Francisco Chronicle
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
all

Latest News for Secondhand Lions

August 01, 2005: Haley Joel Osment Plans a "Giant" Comeback
The Hollywood Reporter brings us some news from an old (young) friend: Haley Joel Osment plans to return to the big screen in "Home of the Giants," an indie drama... More...

July 18, 2005: Trailer Bulletin: Saw 2 (teaser)
Fans of last year's indie horror hit "Saw" will want to head on over to the sequel's official site and check out the brief but tantalizing look at "Saw 2."... More...

September 19, 2002: "Had I not known that The Iron Giant and New Line's forthcoming Secondhand Lions shared the same screenwriter in Tim McCanlies, I most likely would have written off Lions as the work of a first-timer still in the process of honing his craft..." Opens in new window
More...

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