I remember being taken aback by Iron Giant, an animated feature from a few years back. With it's shades of E.T., I was surprisingly moved by this feature length cartoon.

Upon hearing film maker Tim McCanlies was making a live action family picture called Secondhand Lions, I became instantly intrigued. Further piquing my curiosity, was the casting of Michael Caine, Robert Duvall and Haley Joel Osment. This is the A-List we're talking about.

Secondhand Lions takes place during what looks to be the 50's and features Osment as the child of a flaky mom (Kyra Sedgwick), who decides to drop her confused, but loving son off at a huge Texas ranch run by two elderly uncles whom Osment has never had the pleasure of knowing. The two old codgers may or may not be wealthy, but ultimately, this is the story of a boy who learns life lessons on his way to becoming a man, and the tale is told in a very earnest fashion.

Robert Duvall (fresh off his terrific work in Open Range) is great fun as a tough as nails ex-military man, an old timer fed up with the world around him. Michael Caine is more subdued but equally effective as Duvall's
brother. Together, the two pass time shooting their rifles at traveling salesmen who are insistent upon trespassing. Osment has the chore of making that leap from child star to young adult star, and while he does a good job here, he never completely finds his rhythm. He doesn't quite pull off the quiet moments in the picture but handles the dramatic stuff like a true veteran.

Secondhand Lions does have a small touch of whimsy, and elements of it reminded me of The Princess Bride, as Caine spends much of the movie telling stories to Osment that involve Duvall's adventurous past as a soldier in the French Foreign Legion. These flashback sequences are lively and colorful and feature themes of honor and love. Whether these stories are true or not doesn't interest the film makers. What really matters is the heart of the stories and this is something that Osment's character gradually begins to understand. Secondhand Lions also reminded me of Richard Donner's little seen Radio Flyer, especially in the final act of the picture.

I enjoyed Secondhand Lions to a certain extent. This movie is very well intentioned and it's meant as family fare. Still, there are moments of
manipulation in this picture that feel forced, something that Whale Rider was able to avoid magnificently.

With it's picture perfect leads and light touch, I was able to forgive this picture for it's shortcomings. I don't think Secondhand Lions is as effective as Iron Giant in it's depiction of a young boy finding a friend in the most unlikely of places. It's nevertheless a worthy effort and film maker McCanlies does have a keen remembrance of what it's like to be young,
For Osment does go through things that many of us can identify with. I look forward to seeing what this film maker does next.