Today’s quick review: Secondhand Lions. A young boy, Walter, is sent to live on his uncles’ farm for the summer while his mother runs off with her new boyfriend. His uncles Garth and Hub, played by Michael Caine and Robert Duvall, occupy their time with eccentricities: brawling with neighborhood punks, buying an old circus lion, flying a biplane, and fending off greedy relatives. Their peculiar retirement is backed by a rumored fortune in gold located somewhere on their farm. As Walter gets to know his uncles, he becomes enraptured by their stories of the past, tall tales of adventure, love, and fortune in the French Foreign Legion. But the adventures strain credibility, and Walter must choose whether to believe the uncles he has come outside or the cynical world outside that says they must be lying.
Secondhand Lions is a charming and optimistic coming-of-age story. The characters are drawn in quick sketches that nonetheless capture real humanity. Walter arrives at the farm as a shy boy with a troubled home life. As he learns more about his uncles, he starts to see the adventure in life and grows more confident and self-assured. Hub is a gruff, bull-headed grouch with a good heart. A lifetime of loss has worn him down, and even his peculiar hobbies have little meaning until Walter comes along. Garth is level-headed and observant. He is the one who tells Walter about the brothers’ past, offering the boy insight into the closed-off Hub.
From a technical perspective, the execution of Secondhand Lions is not very tight. The plot is more episodic than anything. Events that are truly integral to the story only happen in a few places, and the bulk of the movie is simply an exploration of life on the farm and the relationship between Walter and his uncles. The acting is adequate but not outstanding. The tall tales are adventurous but not heavily stylized. Conflict arises but rarely lingers.
But because Secondhand Lions does not rely on its execution, none of these qualities detract from the movie all that much. The emotional heart of the movie is rock-solid, and this basic fact carries through to all other aspects of the film. As such, Secondhand Lions is an excellent choice for those looking for a light, optimistic movie with a coming-of-age story and a bit of adventure. Those who need a bit more to chew on in terms of plot, style, or themes should look elsewhere. 7.6 out of 10 on IMDB.