Secondhand Lions

~ Movie Review ~

Secondhand Lions
I don't remember exactly when I first saw this movie, but I watched it again last week and I was reminded of why I liked it so much in the first place. It stars Haley Joel Osment - slightly older, and with a squeaky voice that only boys of that age have. He plays Walter, a likable and slightly goofy kid who is essentially abandoned by his mother. She leaves him with her uncles (his great-uncles) on a dilapidated farm in the middle of nowhere, while claiming that she's going to court reporting school. Before she leaves, she tells him to look for the treasure that her uncles supposedly possess.
Hub and Garth McCann (Robert Duvall, Michael Caine) reluctantly agree to look after Walter for a while ("WE'RE OLD, DAMNIT! LEAVE US ALONE! The last thing we need is some little sissy boy hanging around all summer").
His cousins, also strong believers in the fortune, arrive a day after his mother leaves to ingratiate themselves into the good graces of Hub and Garth. They tell Hub and Garth to take Walter to the orphanage. He runs to telephone his mother, and discovers that she is not actually enrolled at the school, but has lied - again.
With no other choice, Walter returns to the farm with his great-uncles. He eventually becomes used to their eccentric mannerisms, and they become used to him and his shyness. After finding an old photo, he becomes aware of his uncles' mysterious past. Garth reveals to him that he and Hub were adventurers beginning in World War I. Hub and Garth arrived in France the day that Germany invaded the country, and toured Europe just ahead of the invading armies. After a night of drinking, they find themselves shanghaied into the French Foreign Legion. The two brothers fought in many battles, and Hub saved Garth's life several times. After having many adventures, they returned to Texas 40 years later.

Hub and Garth, looking for adventure, order a lion from a traveling salesman. When it arrives, it's not exactly what they had in mind...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I don't want to reveal too much, but I'll tell you this: there's much more to the story than meets the eye. A princess, an evil sheik, and a pile of treasure... what more could you want from an adventure movie?

I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars. *****

~*Quote of the day*~
Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this, that love... true love never dies. You remember that, boy. You remember that. Doesn't matter if it's true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in.
Hub McCann (Robert Duvall)

~*Words of the day*~

Nanika atta?

(Nah-nee-kah ah-tah?) (Japanese)

Meaning: What's up?

Currently Listening to... "Let Me Fall" - Josh Groban