Secondhand Lions (2003)

A coming-of-age story about a shy, young boy sent by his irresponsible mother to spend the summer with his wealthy, eccentric uncles in Texas.

Director:

Tim McCanlies

Writer:

Tim McCanlies

Stars:

Haley Joel Osment, Michael Caine, Robert Duvall

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Caine	...	Garth
Robert Duvall	...	Hub
Haley Joel Osment	...	Walter
Kyra Sedgwick	...	Mae
Nicky Katt	...	Stan
Josh Lucas	...	Adult Walter
Michael O'Neill	...	Ralph
Deirdre O'Connell	...	Helen
Eric Balfour	...	Sheik's Grandson
Christian Kane	...	Young Hub
Kevin Haberer	...	Young Garth
Emmanuelle Vaugier	...	Jasmine
Adam Ozturk	...	The Sheik
Jennifer Stone	...	Martha
Mitchel Musso	...	Boy

Storyline

A boy named Walter is dropped by his mother Mae at his great-uncles' house. Later, Walter will find out his great-uncles' big secret, and rumors say that Hub and Garth, Walter's great-uncles, have stolen a lot of gold and money. (some say they stole it from Al Capone) Did they really steal that money or not?

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Plot Keywords:

male protagonist | held at swordpoint | foreign legion | foreign legionaire | money | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic material, language and action violence

Details

Official Sites:

New Line Cinema [United States] Official Site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Afrikas hemligheter

Filming Locations:

Cele Store - 18726 Cameron Road, Manor, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,139,832, 21 September 2003, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$41,407,470, 9 November 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, David Kirschner Productions, Digital Domain

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although Jasmine the Lion is frequently said to be old and weary, Taureg, who played Jasmine, was a young lioness, less than two-years-old (lions in captivity can live up to twenty to twenty-two years). This is stated in the DVD special features.

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Goofs

In the beginning we see a bunch of signs such as radioactive signs on the way up the driveway but in later shots the lane isn't that long and the signs aren't there.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Adult Walter: [answering the phone] Hello?
Sheriff: Walter?
Adult Walter: Yes.
Sheriff: This is Sheriff Brady. I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. It's about your uncles.

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits, the adult Walter's cartoons depict a variety of adventures.

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Alternate Versions

For the UK cinema release, the distributors requested a PG certificate from the BBFC and 21 secs of footage was cut to remove shots of flick knives and violence. DVD releases were upgraded to a 12 certificate and the cuts were reinstated.

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Connections

Referenced in Tamara's Never Seen: The Godfather (2019)

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Soundtracks

Let Me In
Written by Yvonne Baker, Alphonso Howell and George Minor
Performed by The Sensations
Courtesy of MCA Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Put Your Hands Together, Clap and Cheer.

Cartoonist Josh Lucas (of "A Beautiful Mind") gets a phone call telling that his two great-uncles have been in an accident. Immediately we see the Lucas character in the form of young Haley Joel Osment as he is literally dropped off with great-uncles Michael Caine and Robert Duvall by lousy mother Kyra Sedgwick in the 1960s. It seems that the two supposedly have a huge fortune somewhere on their property in Texas and Sedgwick, along with several others, have been trying to find the treasures for themselves. Osment seems out-of-place completely at first and his two uncles appear to be cold and unfeeling, but soon Duvall is seen sleep-walking and acts like he is sword-fighting while he does. Osment has never seen anyone act this way before and he becomes curious. He finds a photo of the beautiful and exotic Emmanuelle Vaugier in the house's tower and his want to know the pasts of his uncles' builds. Caine tells Osment of a time at the start of World War I when the duo unwittingly became a part of the French Legion, fighting with the Allies during the war. The war comes and goes and Caine starts to tell of Duvall's love for Vaugier when he was a young man. Naturally she was also wanted by an evil sheik (Adam Ozturk) and thus he had to protect she and himself at all times. Eventually the stories conclude and Osment finds out how the two got their money. But could it be possible that what Caine has been conveying are just stories and not the true reality? "Secondhand Lions" (the title refers to an old lion that Duvall and Caine buy during the course of the picture) is one of those movies that makes you feel that there are still good people in Hollywood who really want to develop nice family-oriented films that cater to all age groups. Writer/director Tim McCanlies shows real potential here and Osment continues to amaze. He holds his own with legends Caine and Duvall from the word go. Osment, who is the most atypical youngster in Hollywood these days (never selling out to be in junk like "Freddy vs. Jason" or "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" remake), just keeps on growing and maturing as a performer. His range was amazing in "The Sixth Sense" and he has not lost his gift, instead he has cultivated it further. Definitely not a perfect film, but still a very enjoyable trip to the movies that stands tall during a year of sub-par movies. With all the shortcomings from Hollywood in 2003, the family films have been surprisingly the best productions by far. 4 stars out of 5.