Plot
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.
Cast
Haley Joel Osment, Michael Caine, Robert Duvall with support from Christian Kane, Emmanuelle Vaugier and brief appearance by Eric Balfour.
Verdict
When it comes to entertainment my dad is a hard man to please, he doesn't really like music (No really), and when it comes to movies and television he's so picky it's intolerable. Secondhand Lions is one of the few films he's enjoyed and perhaps the only thing he's ever recommended me. I didn't rush to watch it, based on what I'd seen and read it didn't appeal but I'm a man of my word and eventually got round to it.
To my surprise, it was not what I expected at all. And to be clear what I mean by that is that it's a remarkably good film, endearing, heartfelt, well constructed and had me unable to look away.
It's not exactly a new tale, we've seen it before and is ultimately a coming of age story but I'm not sure I've ever seen it done quite this well.
Serious when it needs to be serious, funny when it needs to be funny and positively whimsical when it needs to be whimsical.
Rants
A lot of people moan that there simply aren't enough "Innocent" films out there. No sex, little to no violence, just focusing on character development and a wholesome story. I'd agree that there aren't enough but disagree that's the only thing we need. Secondhand Lions is an "Innocent" film but it does have violence yet I'm not corrupted nor more violent as a result from watching it. Each to his/her own.
Breakdown
Great performances (Even Caine is passable)
Fantastic story
Constructed perfectly
A film that sticks with you
Sad moment that I didn't appreciate.
