Secondhand Lions is the new Tim McCanlies motion picture to be released by New Line Cinema. It stars Haley Joel Osment as a 12 year old boy who, in 1960, is dropped off at his Uncles’ Texas farm house for the summer, while his irresponsible and luckless mom seeks a better life.
Sniffing After a Fortune
The Uncles, Garth and Hub McCann (Michael Caine and Robert Duvall) are rumored to have millions stashed away. But no one is quite sure if it is true, or where it came from. Were they mob hit men, bank robbers, or con artists from the French Foreign Legion? Who knows the truth? It seems all manner of folks, including a family of “relatives” the uncles can't recall, want a share in the hidden treasure. Walter's summer job, his mother tells him, is to find the money.
But the Uncles aren't so easily snookered. For one thing, money and power aren't that important to them. Instead, they sit on the porch of their dilapidated 18th century Victorian-styled house and find entertainment by scaring away sniveling door-to-door salesmen as they drive up, one-by-one, in their 1950ish fin-draped automobiles. Imagine Chuck Barris and his older brother sitting on a porch, but instead of a mallet and a gong, they brandish shotguns and a case of shells. Add five stray dogs, a pig that thinks it owns the farm, an old lion, and you get the picture.
Walter isn't sure about all of this, just as the uncles aren't sure his mother, Mae (Kyra Sedgwick) is related to them. Garth is content, thank-you-very-much, with getting his brother Hub to wade around in the pond out back with their shotguns hunting rock bass for dinner. But Hub is missing something, he longs to be useful again and not just sit around waiting for death. Discovering the truth about the past of these two old gents is half the fun of Secondhand Lions. The other half is…well, trying to figure out what the movie is really all about.
A Message Not to Be Missed
After watching a preview the night before, I joined 11 other religious writers to interview filmmaker, Tim McCanlies, and then Osment, Duvall, and Caine. I had been expecting a more dramatic arc to the characters, and had been put off by my 3 a.m. “analysis” of the film's moral ambiguity. Perhaps it was jet lag, but a message was there, a good one. I'll let the men of the film tell you about it.
McCanlies: This is a story about two brothers who have had a pretty exciting life and now have moved to their childhood home in Texas to die. But when Walter shows up they're far from dead and are looking for something to do. This movie is really about what men teach boys. It's about how if you live in an amoral world, and all sorts of people around you succeed because of cutting corners and cheating on their income taxes and screwing over their neighbors, you shouldn't. It's about how money and power don't mean anything but honor and courage do.
Osment: Walter learns that even when the world around you is not principled you have to get past [the thirst for] power and personal prowess. Although Walter's uncles had a lot of money, they didn't put their faith in that money. After they got used to Walter being around, it was far more important for them to be parents. The movie is also about people who have been cast off and yet find their place. Walter, the men, the old lion are all lost, but they do have and discover a purpose in life.
Question: So, what did Haley Joel, the actor, learn from his stage uncles, Duvall and Caine?
Osment: Their professionalism. They showed me how to act with respect to everyone else on the set. They are generous too. The gave a lot of their energy to the other actors in helping a scene to go well. Even if they weren't on camera for a scene, they'd be there just off camera to help. They're very warm and very caring and treated everyone as an equal. So, that made a big impression on me.
Question: How is Walter different from Haley Joel?
Osment: Walter didn't have a dad growing up, or a family. But I've grown up with a solid role model. To prepare for this role I imaged being without any of that. My parents keep me grounded and make sure I take part in normal things as well, instead of being consumed by filmmaking. The things that I really concentrate on are the important things — a normal life. I run cross country six days a week which is a big commitment for me, I play the guitar, I enjoy just hanging out with my friends, and reading a lot. I just finished the Abraham Lincoln biography and I've been reading Stephen Ambrose [biographer of Lewis and Clark and Thomas Jefferson].
When Haley Joel (age 15) left the room, and before Michael Caine came in for his interview, the 12 of us were in awe of Haley's poise, humility, insight and intelligence that surpasses most mature adults. The role model that Haley Joel is for teens and the differences between Walter and Haley Joel didn't get past Michael Caine.
The Responsibility of a Man
Caine: This is a very positive film. We read in the paper about families falling apart, a massive amount, both in this country and mine [Britain]. Families where the father is not present, and the problems that has caused with the children. You can see Haley and his performance is a supreme example. His performance is that of a little boy who never had a father and he finds him [Duvall as Hub]. And Haley, who is such a wonderful actor because he has an incredible family. His parents are wonderful. His father [actor Eugene Osment] is there for him, all day long, everyday. And that's what you get. You get this rounded great kid with a talent, as opposed to the character he plays who is really lost and sad.
The movie is about how, as a man, you have to take responsibility for your actions. And your child is your action. I think it is terribly important because we're breeding nations of sociopaths. We really are. Some very dangerous people come out of those situations. But Haley is different because of his father. One day I was standing near Haley drinking coffee or soda and they called us on set. I gave my coffee to my assistant and said, “Get rid of that for me will you?” And Haley gave his to his dad and said, “Get rid of that for me.” And his dad said, “You get rid of it. The garbage can is over there.” He gave me a funny look. He knew. And that's why Haley is going to be alright. He will grow up and be a fine adult actor. Actually, in many ways he's an adult now.
Secondhand Lions (PG), a movie about the importance of fatherhood and boyhood, opens September 19th.
© Copyright 2003 Stan Williams
Dr. Stan Williams is Executive Producer and Managing Director for SWC Films, an independent feature film development company seeking investment partners. His website is www.StanWilliams.com.
