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Finally, I asked McCanlies what he would say to those more conservative parents who would be offended by the film's harsher elements. Frankly, I found the portrayals of the two rough-edged uncles to be refreshingly honest. But surely there will be a few parents who complain about their liberal use of shotguns and rough language.

McCanlies replied, "I just write for me at the end of the day. We did that with Iron Giant … we were a bunch of adults making a kids' movie and we made the movie I wanted to see."

He quickly added, "I'm offended by certain things too. But if you were so completely scared [of offending people] I think you'd have a very bland movie sometimes. I don't think any of it is offensive. There are a lot of guns in this … but that's very Texan. If you drive by the Baptist Church in the area where I live … on Sundays, [you'll see] all of the pickups out there—which is every car in the parking lot—they all have a gun rack. Welcome to Texas!"

My complete review of the film and interviews with Duvall, Caine, and Osment are featured in the new issue of Paste Magazine.

Meanwhile, Christian press reviewers continue applauding the effort. Caroline Mooney (Christian Spotlight) calls Secondhand Lions "a heartwarming but bittersweet movie with superb acting. Prepare yourself for a nostalgic evening, tears of joy, humor and even a few unanswered questions."

And viewers are writing in with their reactions. D. James says, "We loved the movie, but did not like some of the language. Our kids are elementary age."

T. Hollis says, "My family and my sister's family went to this movie together. We universally loved it. We are all Christians, and while the 'believe in something even if it isn't true' philosophy is wrong; the movie still carries a strong family message throughout. There was too much swearing, but don't let this detract from a great movie."

(Beware: Some minor spoilers are contained in the following responses.)

Herb Owen writes, "One thing missed by every critic I've read is what I perceive as the message of the film (as demonstrated by the title): just because you're old and a 'secondhand lion' (as was the case with the uncles and the lions), you may have one last job to do. In the case of the lion, it was saving Walter from his attacker. In the case of the uncles, it was raising Walter to be a man. This, to me, is the obvious message of the film and it certainly 'got through.' I loved it. I'm going back to see it again."

Fans of Robert Duvall's Oscar-winning role in Tender Mercies might find this particular letter interesting. It's from Allan Hubbard of Paris, Texas, who has an interesting connection to the actor:

"I couldn't wait to see Secondhand Lions … got there on opening weekend. The cast was great. The story idea was great. [I had] no problems with the production like continuity or anything like that. But the flow of the script? The actual lines delivered, therefore the writing of the film in general? Deplorable. I simply could not believe with so many other things going for it that the script's details got passed over. I'm really surprised to read the Christian critics are praising the writing.

"I was in a film with Duvall in 1982 … Tender Mercies. I was the little boy, Sonny. Now I'm 31 and still love to watch his very subtle yet amazingly gripping choices. The single most redeeming thing about Secondhand Lions is the speech he gives the punk in the bar about 'fought two world wars, led thousands of men into battle, and loved only one woman with a passion that a flea like you couldn't understand.' Great moment there."

Robert Duvall, Michael Caine, and Haley Joel Osment had religious press critics cheering for Secondhand Lionsa couple of weeks ago. This week, Josh Hurst (The Rebel Base) has a little trouble with it. "The only scene that gives us anything more than empty platitudes and hollow sentimentality is when young Walter confides to one of his uncles that he doesn't know what to believe in. The uncle's reply is horrifying; just believe in something, he advises, regardless of whether or not it's true. It gives us all a nice warm and fuzzy feeling inside, but the day it cures anyone's problems is the day Duvall is crowned Miss America."

Reviewing the DVD release of Secondhand Lions, which he calls a "fantastic family-friendly film," Cliff Vaughn (Ethics Daily) encourages families who missed the film in theatres to catch it as a rental. "Films that defy categorization are often some of the best, and Lions fits this bill. The movie itself is one the family can watch together, and the DVD's special features further enhance its potential for a good addition to the home library. One of the draws of this DVD is the inclusion of the original, scripted ending."

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The Kid Grows Up	Printer view
Haley Joel Osment, who saw dead people in The Sixth Sense, literally grew up on the set of Secondhand Lions.