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Movies / On DVD / Secondhand Lions
Secondhand Lions

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Secondhand Lions (2003)

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Reviews Counted:130

Fresh:78

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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61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

A crowd-pleasing oddball comedy.

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
09/19/03
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

There's not one moment in Secondhand Lions that feels genuine or heartfelt.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
09/19/03
Timothy Knight
Timothy Knight
Reel.com

Lions' iron whimsy is a jackhammer on the heart.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
09/19/03
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer

Lions takes its cue from Garth, and it loves the colorful details of a story a little too much.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
09/19/03
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

The movie to flunk a crucial test: 'If I saw this on TV, would it involve the word Hallmark in any way?'

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
09/19/03
Steve Schneider
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly

Despite a star-studded cast and healthy helpings of sentiment, nostalgia and heart, it's a hollow affair that's content to tell the viewer how to feel rather than earning those feelings through its story and performances.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
09/19/03
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

The whole thing's just not funny enough for children. And it's far too sad for adults.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
09/19/03
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger

An air of contrivance and, worse, fraudulence, hangs over this gentle fantasy, despite some charming moments.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
09/19/03
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post

This story is so lamely conceived and presented that it's a grind.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
09/19/03
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News

Even without handicapping for the limitations of its gentle genre, the film has moments of whimsical humor and thoughtful plotting that soar tantalizingly close to something that could be enjoyed on its own merits.

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
09/19/03
Charles Savage
Charles Savage
Miami Herald

It's basically innocuous, more or less predictable and mildly diverting. And if it didn't star Michael Caine, Robert Duvall and Haley Joel Osment, it would probably be insufferable.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
09/19/03
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

It is entertaining enough, yet it seems awkward and stilted at times. Other times, it is totally loopy.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
09/19/03
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

This movie is soooooo good.

Full Review Source: Greenwich Village Gazette | comment Comment
09/19/03
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

One of those headed-for-cable oddities that must have sounded like a good idea at the time.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
09/19/03
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail

You'll leave the theater wanting to call your grandparents just to say hello.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
09/19/03
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Secondhand Lions is not a great movie, but you'd have to be an old coot not to like it at least a bit.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
09/19/03
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News

As entertaining as it is wholesome.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
09/19/03
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press

Secondhand Lions doesn't have to do much to win us over.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
09/19/03
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Secondhand Lions tries to delight, but its charms are no more credible than the swashbuckling adventure that Caine's character recounts.

Full Review Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News | comment Comment
09/19/03
Robert Denerstein
Robert Denerstein
Denver Rocky Mountain News

A gentle and sweet whimsy.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
09/19/03
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
61 - 80 (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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