Secondhand Lions

Name: Secondhand Lions
Director: Tim McCanlies
Released: 2003

Tim McCanlies

2003

Synopsis

The comedic adventures of an introverted boy left on the doorstep of a pair of reluctant, eccentric great-uncles, whose exotic remembrances stir the boy's spirit and re-ignite the men's lives.

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Recommendations

75
ReelViews
Has enough charm and whimsy to capture the attention and imagination of children and parents alike, and arguably represents one of the best live-action family films to enter theaters this year.
70
The A.V. Club
Writer-director Tim McCanlies works in broad, kid-friendly strokes, and he's not afraid to lay on the sentiment, but his cast makes sure it's well-earned.
70
The Hollywood Reporter
Awash in nostalgia, "Lions" combines a gentle coming-of-age story with swashbuckling fantasy. While it lacks a necessary tension in its establishing scenes and might be too soft for those who prefer grittier fare.
60
Variety
May score higher with parents than the kids they bring in tow. Writer-director Tim McCanlies' ("Dancer, Texas Pop. 81") feel-good celebration of youth and old age enriching each other is carefully leavened with humor.
58
Entertainment Weekly
With no baseline ''truth'' to be found among the cartoony characters and cheesy twists, the whole production feels like a Texas-size load of secondhand lyin'.
40
Village Voice
The self-consciousness is unintentionally touching, but it wet-blankets the film into a thirdhand lark.
40
New York Magazine (Vulture)
The only saving grace is that Caine and Duvall don’t overdo the southern-coot stuff.
40
L.A. Weekly
Despite the considerable imagination that has gone into realizing period scenes on a modest budget, all the episodes (past and present) feel hurried and clipped, like they've been passed through too many impatient editing-room hands, and the picture never fully absorbs you.

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