This 2003 film is a great coming-of-age movie with just the right blend of drama, comedy, and heart-warming scenes.
Director: Tim McCanlies
Writer: Tim McCanlies
Main Characters: Michael Caine (Garth), Robert Duvall (Hub), Haley Joel Osment (Walter), and Kyra Sedgwick (Mae).
Synopsis
Young Walter is being raised by his flighty and self-centered single mother Mae. The movie opens with Walter and Mae driving to visit Mae’s uncles Garth and Hub, who have recently appeared after a 40-year disappearance. Rumors circulating about the uncles indicate they have millions of dollars of loot hidden on their property.
Mae introduces Walter to her uncles and says she’ll be back in a few weeks, and takes off to go to school. Garth and Hub aren’t too impressed with the “sissy boy” who looks like he’d be more at home in a library than fishing, hunting, or farming. After the uncles run off several travelling salesmen, some grasping family members come to visit. Garth and Hub realize that Walter’s presence is irritating to the unwanted guests, so they discover he has some value and decide to let him stay.
It turns out that this foster placement is the best thing that could ever happen to Walter. His imagination is sparked when he finds a mysterious photo in a trunk in the attic room where he sleeps. He connects that to Uncle Hub’s sleepwalking adventures, and Garth tells the story of Jasmine (as well as other heroic adventures in far-off lands).
The entire story revolves around the rumored millions of dollars, how the uncles got it, and how Walter becomes a party of the family. There’s a bit of drama when the mother comes back with a suspicious stranger, but the secondhand lion Walter has adopted takes care of that problem.
Secondhand Lions is a family-friendly movie that will appeal to young and old alike. It will make you laugh, and might make you cry.
On a scale of 1 through 5,
1= I wasted my time, they wasted their time
5= Excellente! I want everyone to see this!
I rate Secondhand Lions a 4 (This was pretty good.)