Though the title refers literally to an old, flea-bitten circus lion the duo purchases for their own amusement, it's really a metaphor for the two old men, long past their prime, and their loner nephew, played by Haley Joel Osment. It could also be a metaphor for the actors themselves—Duvall, by now relegated to colorful supporting characters, and Caine, carting out his over-baked American accent yet again. Not to mention Osment, deep in the throes of an awkward phase that, by the looks of it, may last a good 20 years. Osment is cast off at Caine and Duvall's rundown rural farmhouse so his mother, a flighty opportunist also past her prime (though played by Kyra Sedgwick, who never had a prime), can seek her fortune in Vegas. Rumor has it there's a fortune stashed away somewhere on the farm, and Osment is ordered to find it! What he finds instead is lots of good, old-fashioned homespun advice about growin' up, a couple of tame adventures, and the story of how Caine and Duvall fought in several wars, lived, loved and lost. As crusty as the old men are, they come to love Osment as a son, and they all form a dysfunctional but happy family after an uninspiring climax in which the mother's new boyfriend tries to steal the hidden fortune! It all plays like a Hallmark Channel special, with the slight distinction that the acting is pretty strong across the board. Flashbacks to the old men's hijinks look like they were produced in someone's backyard, as opposed to Morocco and Spain, where they supposedly take place. Lions also has an off-key sense of humor that doesn't quite fit its otherwise straightforward style. Like when the boyfriend ends up in a full body cast, it's played for laughs, despite the fact that he's in the cast because he was beating up the kid, and the lion came up and attacked him. And in that same moment, the death of the lion is played equally for comedy and pathos. It just doesn't quite work. Despite all this, I can't really complain about Secondhand Lions. Like its main characters, it may need a little oil in the joints, but it's easy to see the heart of gold under all the flaky rust.
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