Secondhand Lions (2003)
Usually, in this formula of coming-of-age films, it’s a troubled young girl who gets sent to her grandmother’s house, ultimately learns the errors of her ways, and becomes a better person. In Secondhand Lions, Haley Joel Osment gets sent to his great-uncles’ farm. This type of squeaky-clean, goody-goody story is usually watched by women, which is why they usually star women. The added testosterone of three men in the lead roles made the film feel a little strange. Tim McCanlies’s script tried to add a masculine plot line about finding a hidden stash of gold, but it was a storyline that didn’t really appeal to women. All in all, the film doesn’t really work.
Michael Caine and Robert Duvall play Haley’s great-uncles, and the real problem with the film is spoken by the latter’s character. He says, in teaching a life lesson to his nephew, that he believes all people are genuinely good. The reason this line of dialogue doesn’t resonate is the same reason the rest of the film doesn’t work: it’s not speaking to the right audience. If a grandmother character said that line to her granddaughter, the women in the audience would feel warm and fuzzy inside and the movie would have been a hit. Women, especially in this genre of films, have a special close-knit circle of “girl power” that would make that line believable. Men face disappointments as soon as they are old enough to chase after their dreams; they live through daily struggles, internal frustrations, and never-ending regrets. I can’t imagine a man of Robert Duvall’s age truly believing that all people are good.
More Michael Caine movies here!
Michael Caine and Robert Duvall play Haley’s great-uncles, and the real problem with the film is spoken by the latter’s character. He says, in teaching a life lesson to his nephew, that he believes all people are genuinely good. The reason this line of dialogue doesn’t resonate is the same reason the rest of the film doesn’t work: it’s not speaking to the right audience. If a grandmother character said that line to her granddaughter, the women in the audience would feel warm and fuzzy inside and the movie would have been a hit. Women, especially in this genre of films, have a special close-knit circle of “girl power” that would make that line believable. Men face disappointments as soon as they are old enough to chase after their dreams; they live through daily struggles, internal frustrations, and never-ending regrets. I can’t imagine a man of Robert Duvall’s age truly believing that all people are good.
More Michael Caine movies here!