With a cast like this in a film that desperately wants you to like it for all it's noble qualities I found this easy to dismiss mainly because the story here practically mashes your face into it's dripping sentiment. Story takes place in either the 1950's or early 60's where 14 year old Walter (Haley Joel Osment) is dumped by his mother Mae (Kyra Sedgwick) on a farm owned by his distant uncles while she goes off to either school or Nevada. Uncles Garth (Michael Caine) and Hub (Robert Duvall) are cantankerous old coots who sip iced tea on the porch and shoot at traveling salesman who continue to snoop around after hearing the rumors that they are hiding millions in riches.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Garth and Hub don't know how to take their shy nephew at first but they eventually warm to each other and Walter takes great delight in Garth's stories about Hub being in the French Foreign Legion and stealing a desert Princess named Jasmine. Walter doesn't know if the stories are true or not and he hears rumors that his uncles stole money from Al Capone but he still enjoys them immensely and comes to learn that it's not important if they're true just as long as you believe them.
This film is directed by Tim McCanlies who after being known primarily as a writer is making his debut directing and he throws a lot of different things into the story that eventually floods the script. The script bashes you over the head with cute scenarios and the sentiment is piled on very thick and the symbolism with the old lion is just too obvious. One other thing sticks out like a sore thumb and it's the casting of Caine as a Texan which just doesn't work as his English accent is more evident than his attempt at a Texas drawl. This is the second film that Duvall and Caine have worked on together in about 25 years or so and the first was "The Eagle Has Landed" in 1977. This film strives to be both charming and sentimental but after the first 10 minutes the heavy handed script becomes painfully obvious and it loses it's appeal completely.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Garth and Hub don't know how to take their shy nephew at first but they eventually warm to each other and Walter takes great delight in Garth's stories about Hub being in the French Foreign Legion and stealing a desert Princess named Jasmine. Walter doesn't know if the stories are true or not and he hears rumors that his uncles stole money from Al Capone but he still enjoys them immensely and comes to learn that it's not important if they're true just as long as you believe them.
This film is directed by Tim McCanlies who after being known primarily as a writer is making his debut directing and he throws a lot of different things into the story that eventually floods the script. The script bashes you over the head with cute scenarios and the sentiment is piled on very thick and the symbolism with the old lion is just too obvious. One other thing sticks out like a sore thumb and it's the casting of Caine as a Texan which just doesn't work as his English accent is more evident than his attempt at a Texas drawl. This is the second film that Duvall and Caine have worked on together in about 25 years or so and the first was "The Eagle Has Landed" in 1977. This film strives to be both charming and sentimental but after the first 10 minutes the heavy handed script becomes painfully obvious and it loses it's appeal completely.