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Movies / On DVD / Secondhand Lions
Secondhand Lions

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Secondhand Lions (2003)

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Reviews Counted:131

Fresh:79

Rotten:52

Average Rating:6.1/10

Consensus: A wholesome but schmaltzy movie.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for thematic material, language and action violence

Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins

Genre: Childrens

Theatrical Release:Sep 19, 2003 Wide

Box Office: $41,407,470

Synopsis: For 14-year old Walter (Haley Joel Osment), his great uncles’ farm in rural Texas is the last place on earth he wants to spend the summer. Dumped off by his mother, Mae (Kyra Sedgwick), in the... For 14-year old Walter (Haley Joel Osment), his great uncles’ farm in rural Texas is the last place on earth he wants to spend the summer. Dumped off by his mother, Mae (Kyra Sedgwick), in the middle of nowhere with two crazy old men and the promise that she’ll come back for him, Walter doesn’t know what to believe in. Eccentric and gruff, Hub and Garth McCaan (Robert Duvall and Michael Caine) are rumored to have been bank robbers, mafia hit men and/or war criminals in their younger days. The truth is elusive, although they do seem to have an endless supply of cash. But Walter begins to see a new side to his great uncles when he stumbles on an old photograph of a beautiful woman hidden away in a trunk and asks Garth who she is. Little by little, through stories spun against the backdrop of the dusty Texas night, an amazing story comes to life via Walter’s vivid, colorful imaginings – a tale set in a long-ago exotic, mysterious place where men rode stallions and fought with swords; where beautiful princesses tangled with treacherous sheiks; and where the two unlikely heroes lived an adventure most people only dream of. Whether true or not, the uncles’ tales become a doorway to a staggering new world for the boy to live out their adventures. They also give Walter something true to believe in – a world where honor and valor mean more than money and power, and a place that, real or not, belongs only to him. Likewise, in telling their stories to their nephew, Hub and Garth begin to see their own lives with new eyes. Over one unpredictable Central Texas summer in the early 1960’s, everything in the lives of this new family of strangers is about to change forever. New Line Cinema presents Secondhand Lions, written and directed by Tim McCanlies, who wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed animated film, The Iron Giant. The film stars Academy Award winners Michael Caine and Robert Duvall and Academy Award nominee Haley Joel Osment. Kyra Sedgwick, Nicky Katt, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Christian Kane and Kevin Michael Haberer co-star. A David Kirschner Production in association with Digital Domain Productions, the film is produced by David Kirschner, Scott Ross and Corey Sienega. The executive producers are Toby Emmerich, Mark Kaufman, Janis Rothbard Chaskin, Karen Loop and Kevin Cooper. The co-producer is Amy Sayres. The behind-the-scenes talent includes costume designer Gary Jones, editor David Moritz, production designer David J. Bomba, director of photography Jack Green, ASC and composer Patrick Doyle. Secondhand Lions (rated PG by the M.P.A.A. for “thematic material, language and action violence”) will be released in theaters nationwide on September 19th, 2003. [More]

Starring: Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Haley Joel Osment, Kyra Sedgwick

Starring: Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Haley Joel Osment, Kyra Sedgwick, Nicky Katt

Director: Tim McCanlies

Director: Tim McCanlies
Screenwriter: Tim McCanlies
Producer: David Kirschner, Scott Ross, Corey Sienega
Composer: Patrick Doyle
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Release:

Dec 1, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

Blu-ray Disc Features:

  • Region [unknown]
  • Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo - English
  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
  • Dolby True HD 5.1 - English
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Secondhand Lions

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101 - 120 (sorted by date)
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Everything about Secondhand Lions seems unlikely, outlandish and larger than life. But director Tim McCanlies ... makes it all work by throwing in charm and likability at just the right moments.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
09/18/03
Peter Bernard
Peter Bernard
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

An enjoyable vehicle for its two stars -- and the maturing Haley Joel Osment.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
09/18/03
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

The performances of Caine and Duvall are a double-barreled blast.

Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
09/18/03
Bruce Newman
Bruce Newman
San Jose Mercury News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Secondhand Lions is a sweet remembrance about an endless summer and two old men who changed a 14-year-old boy's destiny.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
09/18/03
Sue Pierman
Sue Pierman
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

May be pure hokum, but at least it knows how to spin a yarn.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
09/18/03
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A mild family film with an excellent cast that never develops traction.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
09/18/03
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Audiences may get twitchy during some of the more obvious moments, but they'll look back on the film with a smile.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
09/18/03
Philip Wuntch
Philip Wuntch
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Maybe you should let the grandparents take the kids to this one.

Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
09/18/03
Bill Pearis
Bill Pearis
Citysearch

A saccharine, inoffensive kids movie, which might seem more at home as a made-for-cable affair.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
09/18/03
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The kind of pandering family entertainment that would make even Walt Disney roll in his grave.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
09/18/03
Jan Stuart
Jan Stuart
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There's something for everyone: comedy, drama and romance.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
09/18/03
Jeff Strickler
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Despite the considerable imagination that has gone into realizing period scenes on a modest budget, all the episodes feel hurried and clipped, like they’ve been passed through too many impatient editing-room hands, and the picture never fully absorbs you.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
09/18/03
Scott Foundas
Scott Foundas
L.A. Weekly

A movie that's smart and entertaining almost every step of the way.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
09/18/03
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

With such a bang-up cast, this setup could at least elicit some tears, but in its 107 minutes, nary a one welled up in my eyes.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
09/18/03
Allison Benedikt
Allison Benedikt
Chicago Tribune

There are too many leaden moments and odd shifts in tone to keep Lions from winning us over.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
09/18/03
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today

Secondhand Lions is an extraordinary coming-of-age movie that salutes the odd ways eccentric individuals can inspire us to become all we are meant to be.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
09/18/03
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

The quieter moments are when the actors get to do good work.

Full Review Source: Sun Publications (Chicago, IL) | comment Comment
09/18/03
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
Sun Publications (Chicago, IL)

It foregoes the sap and the lowbrow of a lesser movie in favor of engaging creativity and a message that, through some characters’ tough choices, actually resonates.

Full Review Source: State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL) | comment Comment
09/18/03
Nick Rogers
Nick Rogers
State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)

A crowd-pleaser of the most old-fashioned sort, and who cares about calculation when it's served up with so abundant a desire to please and blessed with a cast like this one?

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
09/18/03
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Pardon the cliche, but it really is that rare film that will appeal to all ages.

Full Review Source: Capital Times (Madison, WI) | comment Comment
09/18/03
Rob Thomas
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)
 
 
101 - 120 (sorted by date)
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Latest News for Secondhand Lions

August 01, 2005: Haley Joel Osment Plans a "Giant" Comeback
The Hollywood Reporter brings us some news from an old (young) friend: Haley Joel Osment plans to return to the big screen in "Home of the Giants," an indie drama... More...

July 18, 2005: Trailer Bulletin: Saw 2 (teaser)
Fans of last year's indie horror hit "Saw" will want to head on over to the sequel's official site and check out the brief but tantalizing look at "Saw 2."... More...

September 19, 2002: "Had I not known that The Iron Giant and New Line's forthcoming Secondhand Lions shared the same screenwriter in Tim McCanlies, I most likely would have written off Lions as the work of a first-timer still in the process of honing his craft..." Opens in new window
More...

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