Secondhand Lions (New Line Platinum Series)

Amazon.com

If you can get past its thick layer of syrup and molasses, Secondhand Lions reveals itself as a thoroughly decent family film that anyone can enjoy. It gets a little sappy sometimes, but there's something to be said for a movie in which Michael Caine and Robert Duvall play eccentric old brothers who take the easy approach to fishing: instead of a peaceful rod and reel, they use 12-gauge shotguns. When 14-year-old Walter (Haley Joel Osment, teetering on puberty) spends an eventful summer with his great-uncles on their vast Texas farmland (he's been dumped there by his delinquent mom, played by Kyra Sedgwick), he soon discovers they've lived lives full of adventure, excitement, passion, and mystery. Either that or they're old-time bank robbers with a long criminal record, and writer-director Tim McCanlies (who invested similar warmth into The Iron Giant) does a nice job of concealing the truth until the very end. Full of enriching lessons and homespun humor, Secondhand Lions has more substance than most family films. If you enjoyed Holes, you'll probably enjoy this movie, too. --Jeff Shannon

Description

This comedic and touching family film follows the adventures of a shy young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who is sent to spend the summer with his eccentric uncles (Michael Caine, Robert Duvall). At first shocked by his uncles' unconventional behavior that includes ordering African lions through the mail, the boy soon becomes enthralled with unraveling the mystery that has followed the uncles for years. Hearing tales of their exotic adventures involving kidnapped princesses, Arabian sheiks and lost treasure, not only brings him closer to his uncles but also teaches him what it means to believe in something... whether it's true or not.

DVD Features:
Additional Scenes
Audio Commentary
DVD ROM Features
Deleted Scenes
Documentaries
Easter Eggs
TV Spot
Theatrical Trailer:30 Minutes of Deleted / Alternate Scenes with Optional Filmmaker Commentary Secondhand Lions: One Screenplay's Wild Ride in Hollywood - (documentary) On The Set with "Secondhand Lions" (documentary) Haley Joel Osment: An Actor Comes of Age - (documentary) Filmmaker Commentary with Director Tim McCanlies Visual Effects Comparisons Theatrical Trailer 7 TV Spots

Customer Reviews:

Excellent & Entertaining.......2007-08-28

Two wealthy, eccentric old timers who hate salesmen inherit a boy who changes their lives! Unique concept. Excellent portrayal. Funny and so different you do not know what to expect!

Secondhand Lions.......2007-08-23

I loved this movie. It is great entertainment. Everyone in the family will enjoy it. A must have in your dvd library.

Secondhand Lions Review.......2007-08-08

This film is great for everyone - young and old. It's funny but has a few sad moments, and some action (without the use of lots of special effects). I laughed (everytime) and cried (at least the first time). It's a wonderful film!

If you liked Phenomenon and The Princess Bride, you'll love Second Hand Lions!.......2007-07-25

My title says it all. I can't say much more than what anyone else said, other than anyone who enjoyed PHENOMENON and THE PRINCESS BRIDE will surely enjoy Second Hand Lions. And of course, Robert Duvall in also in PHENOMENON. You either get it or you don't! If you like these, try POWDER too.

A Rare Jewel.......2007-07-24

I loved this movie when I saw an edited version on TV so I had to buy my own copy. I loaned it to my niece at Christmas for her boys (8 and 10) because so few movies out there are suitable anymore. They loved it and still watch it over and over. I am buying myself a new copy so that I can watch it over and over.

Average customer rating:

Family Adventure (UMD Mini for PSP)
They really lived

Secondhand Lions (UMD Mini For PSP)
Starring: Michael Caine , Nicky Katt , Michael O'Neill , Kyra Sedgwick , and Robert Duvall
Director: Tim McCanlies
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: UMD for PSP

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Accessories:

ASIN: B000B5IOWA
Release Date: 2005-10-04

Description

Customer Reviews:

Family Adventure (UMD Mini for PSP).......2006-09-25

This movie proves that you can have adventure, action and humor with but a PG rating. There are a few places where the images may be a bit disturbing, such as when Garth McCann (Michael Caine) and Hub McCann (Robert Duvall) shoot at salesmen that have arrived at their front step uninvited. They generally miss; as it turns out they are great shots, even with shotguns. Very young family members may find some of the scenes a bit too violent or threatening; children eight and above should find this movie funny and even touching. Adults especially will like the interplay between veteran actors Caine and Duvall and relative newcomer Haley Joel Osment playing their grand-nephew Walter.

Walter ends up with his eccentric and, as it turns out, wealthy, pair of great-uncles when his mother Mae (Kyra Sedgwick) dumps him. She is supposedly on her way to court reporter school but, as Walter soon discovers, the school is another if his mother's frequent lies.

At first Walter's uncles appear bizarre, and a bit scary. However, as the movie progresses it turns out they just want to be left alone and are more normal than they first appear, though they are definitely eccentric. As an example, their favorite method of fishing involves shotguns.

Walter soon discovers there is much more to his uncles than first appears. Uncle Garth tells Walter their story throughout the first portion of the movie in a series of flashbacks. We discover that Garth and Hub have been in multiple wars, principally in Africa as members of the French Foreign Legion. Or have they? The stories all seem nearly cartoonish and larger-than-life. Given Walter's history with his mother's lies, Walter and we have a hard time believing which of the multiple stories about his uncles is true. Another part of the storyline is the source of his uncle's wealth and where that wealth is kept. All these issues are resolved to the audience's satisfaction by the end of the movie.

At first a viewer might be put off by the nearly fairy tale fashion in which the story is told. Consider that Walter becomes a cartoonist as an adult, and the story is essentially a flashback for Walter. Our memories as children are often biased, with the rough edges smoothed and events that did not fit completely eliminated. Thus some of the scenes of the uncle's adventures are more like a B-movie than modern cinema, but Walter was a boy in 1960s Texas, with memories to match. The images of the movie fit Walter's viewpoint.

The stars of this movie are Caine and Duvall. Osment gets very little chance to do real acting until near the end of the movie. Most of the rest of the movie Osment is in awe of his adventuresome uncles and his acting is kept principally to facial expressions. Caine and Duvall, on the other hand, act as they appear, curmudgeonly and eccentric. Yet, they are honorable and ethical in their own strange way.

I recommend this movie as a family movie. No blood, minimal violence, with few special effects, yet enough humor to keep all but the most jaded movie viewer smiling.

They really lived.......2005-09-13

Walter (Haley Joe Osment) an introverted kid gets to stay with his two eccentric great-uncles, Garth (Michael Caine) and Hub (Robert Duvall.) While there He is told of their robust adventures and how they came to be there and rich. However everyone else tells a different story. He comes to understand them and some of life through several events. One of those events is befriending an over the hill lion which just may represent a couple of uncles.

It is not so much the bonding formula of the story as the way the tail of exotic places and heroic acts is intertwined with everyday life. I think of stories my own parents and grand parent told of such things as encounters with Poncho Via in Mexico where they sold him horses and were invited to leave.

It is not so much the stories as the goodness of man that was being portrayed, moving back and forth in time, with a few adjustments to history, made you feel that they were your great-uncles who could believe such tales. And yet...

If you find that this movie moved you then it is time to try two others that are similar. "Dust" (2001) with Joseph Fiennes and David Wenham. "Little Buddha" (1993) with Keanu Reeves.

Average customer rating:

They really lived

Secondhand Lions (Mini DVD)
Starring: Michael Caine , Nicky Katt , Michael O'Neill , Kyra Sedgwick , and Robert Duvall
Director: Tim McCanlies
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009298WU
Release Date: 2005-04-26

Customer Reviews:

They really lived.......2005-05-23

Average customer rating:

Secondhand Lions / The Goonies
Starring: Eric Balfour , Michael Caine , Robert Duvall , Kevin Haberer , and Christian Kane
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Kids & Family | Genres | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0007VY4GS
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Amazon.com

You may be surprised to discover that the director of the Lethal Weapon movies and scary horror flick The Omen, Richard Donner, also produced and directed this classic children's adventure (which, by the way, was written by Donner's screen-wizard friend Steven Spielberg). Then again you may not. The Goonies, like Donner's other movies, is the same story of good versus evil. It has its share of bad guys (the Fratelli brothers and their villainous mother), reluctant-hero good guys (the Walsh bothers and their gang of friends), and lots of corny one-liners. Like in an old-fashioned Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew plot, the Goonies need to solve a problem: a corrupt corporate developer has bought out their neighborhood and plans to flatten all their homes. Luckily, the beloved gang stumbles on a treasure map. In the hopes of finding the treasure to buy back their houses, the Goonies embark on their quest through underground passages, aboard pirate ships, and behind waterfalls. This swashbuckling and rollicking ride was also a great breeding ground for a couple of child actors who went on to enjoy numerous successes in adulthood: Sean Astin (Rudy, Encino Man) and Martha Plimpton (Pecker, 200 Cigarettes). --Samantha Allen Storey

Average customer rating:
Charlie Rose with Sofia Coppola; Michael Caine, Haley Joel Osment & Robert Duvall (September 18, 2003)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000HBL2HM
Release Date: 2006-08-15

Description

First, director Sofia Coppola speaks about her film, Lost in Translation, which stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. The film documents an unlikely relationship between a young girl and an older man who find themselves displaced by a stay in Tokyo. Also, actors Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, and Haley Joel Osment discuss their performances in the new film, Secondhand Lions.

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Secondhand Lions/I Am Sam
Starring: Warner 2pak
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007514O4
Release Date: 2005-01-18

Average customer rating:

They really lived

Secondhand Lions [Region 2]
Starring: Michael Caine , Robert Duvall , Haley Joel Osment , Kyra Sedgwick , and Nicky Katt
Director: Tim McCanlies
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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Secondhand Lions (New Line Platinum Series)

ASIN: B000189KMA

Customer Reviews:

They really lived.......2006-08-15

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