Secondhand Lions
Review by Clint Morris
 The
first thing you become aware of about Secondhand Lions
is the faintly older looking Haley Joel Osment – the
young tyke who saw dead people in The Sixth Sense –
front row centre.
Not only is he a smidgen taller, but his voice is right smack
bang in the middle of breaking. There’s now this slightly
loud monotone crawling out of his food-chomper, with every
now and then a bit of a shrill following it up.
Thankfully – because it’s rather amusing, and no
doubt embarrassing for Osment – the filmmakers have Osment
say the film’s first line and let us get to use the new-improved,
suddenly-grown up child actor before introducing anyone else.
Osment plays Walter, a timid 14-year old boy who is left
to stay with his two off the wall uncles [Robert Duvall and
Michael Caine] in the hope that he will discover where his
relatives' rumoured riches lie.
Of course, that’s Walter’s mother’s idea and
not his – and by the end of his trip, Walter gives more
of a hoot about his loveable old uncles than any such treasure.
Osment’s been pretty quiet the last few years. Roles
have obviously been a bit high and dry, especially now that
he’s no longer 9 years old. And whilst Secondhand
Lions might be a starring gig for the actor, it’s
far from the two or three knockout movies he did earlier in
his career.
In many ways, the film on hand part-resembles an afternoon
special or quality Wonderful World of Disney telemovie than
a major motion picture.
There’s a nice story at play. All the values are ones
that parents would feel quite happy about their children being
privy to, but it’s shoved down your throat so vehemently,
that it’s largely ineffective.
Granted, Secondhand Lions is entertaining enough and
does have a few nice moments but proceedings here are more
‘all over the place’ than in sync. The production
values – especially the flashback fantasy sequences –
are rather cheapo looking, the script rather preachy but futile,
and though he’s good, Osment isn’t the best choice
for the role of a youngster whose eyes are opened to the world
around him for the first time.
An unknown might have been a better choice in such a case
– though of course, writer Tim McCanlies would’ve
found his movie a harder sell without a name attached now
wouldn’t he?
Secondhand Lions is a good time-passer, but nothing
more than that.
2.5 out of 5
Secondhand Lions
Australian release: Thursday February 26th
Cast: Haley Joel Osment, Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Kyra
Sedgwick, Nicky Katt.
Director: Tim McCanlies.
Website: Click
here.
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