by Frank Wilkins
With a story so wonderful and imaginative, who needs a star-studded cast? In Secondhand Lions, writer/director Tim McCanlies lets his imagination run wild. And while the inclusion of such iconic and accomplished actors as Robert Duvall and Michael Caine could lift any story, McCanlies' magical tale becomes the star of the show.

Set in rural Texas, the story begins as 11-year old Walter's (Haley Joel Osment) opportunistic and irresponsible mother (Kyra Sedgewick) dumps him on his uncles' farm. Walter seems accustomed to, yet nevertheless heartbroken by, the negligent antics of his mother. However, she tells him she is going off to court reporting school and he later receives a letter from her - postmarked from Las Vegas.

It is rumored that his uncles have millions of dollars stashed on their farm and Walter's mother sees this as both an opportunity to get a share of the loot and a chance for her to snag a man in Vegas. "I'm just trying to do the best I can for you" Walter's mom snaps as she drives away, leaving Walter on the rickety front porch of his uncles' home with no telephone and no TV.

After being mysteriously gone for over 40 years, Walter's Uncle Hub (Duvall) and Uncle Garth (Caine) retired on a peaceful west Texas farm where they chew tobacco, grow vegetables and take pot shots at traveling salesmen who venture onto their property. I just loved watching Duvall and Caine interact. They are naturals for the parts and have the same magical chemistry that Lemmon and Matthau displayed in the Grumpy Old Men series.

All the local townspeople have their own versions about how the pair of old codgers attained their mysterious wealth. Some say they are mafia hit men. Others are sure they were bank robbers in their earlier days. Walter really doesn't care and is simply not interested in getting to know the two. He just wants to make it through the summer and survive until his mother comes back.

Predictably though, Walter begins to bond with two old coots and looks forward to the days he spends with them. He becomes interested in the tales of how they stole the money from an Arabian sheik while serving in the French Foreign Legion. At least that's the story his uncle Garth tells him. These adventurous tales are told in flashback style and become a wonderful little back-story, providing plenty of Indiana Jones-like action.

And then there's the lion that Garth ordered from a catalog. He and Hub wanted to release it on the property and hunt it for sport, but it turns out that the lion was handed down from a zoo - "all used up" said Walter. When released, rather than running, the lion stays in its cage and eventually becomes a pet to Walter.

Secondhand Lions is a wonderful tale of chivalry, honor and valor that provides Osment's Walter a chance to transform from a shy and neglected child into a self-confident young man, partly in thanks to Garth's "what-every-boy-needs to-know-about-being-a-man speech". And regarding Uncle Garth and Uncle Hub, it's fun for the whole family to see these two old old secondhand lions find a useful purpose in the twilight of their years.

Frank Wilkins

See what other Frank's Reel Reviews critics have to say about Secondhand Lions.
Read Eric Croas' review