Stories with adventure and romance have a tendency to draw us in. Growing up, "Second Hand Lions" did this for me. This sweet coming of age tale pulls at your heart strings and really makes you relate to the characters no matter your age. "Secondhand Lions" is a positive movie which incorporates important aspects both about growing up and growing old. It is also a story about finding something to put faith in, whether it is true or not. "If you want to believe something, then BELIEVE in it!” says, Uncle Hub. Our lives are immeasurably enriched by larger-than-life eccentric people who seem to burn more brightly than the rest of us. They stand before us with stories that take us in and spin us around. They amaze us with antics that continually surprise us. When we are in their presence, we feel that anything is possible and that life is an adventure.
If you haven’t seen this movie before it centers on Walter, a quiet and serious boy whose selfish mother drops him off for an unannounced visit with his two great-uncles, Garth and Hub, Walter is instantly disappointed by these two old men’s ram shackled ranch. Before she leaves, she tells Walter to try to find the millions of dollars his uncles are supposed to have hidden away somewhere. The movie is set in the 1960's, and gossip in the Texas community claims Hub’s and Garth’s fortune must have come from bank robberies or money stolen from Al Capone. No one knows for sure, and the two old men refuse to reveal anything.
At first, Walter is in a melancholic mood over being dumped with these two recluses who do not even own a television. But slowly, the boy begins to get caught up in their exuberance. They really are quite colorful characters. One of Hub’s and Garth’s amusements is scaring off traveling salesman who stop by to show off their merchandise. The old men fire gunshots over the heads of the hustlers and watch them flee in terror. Occasionally, Hub and Garth do buy something. Although they have no experience in such matters, they buy a bunch of vegetable seed packets, and Walter helps Garth plant a garden. The old men, who claim to have spent their early years in Africa, also purchase a lion from a circus which they intend to hunt on their land in a pseudo-safari. The animal, however, is hardly fair game. She is old and lazy and mistakes the corn field for the jungle. They give her to Walter, who revels in the chance to take care of her.
Late one night Walter is looking through a trunk in the attic where he sleeps and comes upon the picture of a beautiful woman. The picture feeds his interest in learning more about his uncles' past. Garth responds to his questions with a series of stories about his and Hub’s incredible adventures overseas in faraway places. At the heart of it all is Hub's love for an African Princess, Jasmine, his exploits in the Foreign Legion, and his repeated encounters with an intense sheik. In several touching scenes, Hub shares with Walter his feelings about things worth believing in and what it takes to be an honorable man.
Garth seems to accept his descent into old age, while Hub rages against the changes in his body and the loss of his youthful vigor. As time passes, however, Hub mellows a bit in the face of his physical decline. Both the old men deal with the decline of their youth in different ways. Interestingly, Walter seems to be the cure for both men. At this point in the movie, the boy has bonded with both his uncles.
As they all face new challenges, Walter realizes that he must become the hero of his own life. Uncle Garth's stories bring a sense of adventure and courage which Walter carries with him into adulthood. Garth is Walter’s mentor, and perhaps the reason Walter writes comic strips in his later years. Garth’s stories also allow Walter to dream of a more exciting reality in the midst of his harsh childhood. The stories seemed to provide a way of understanding, what it means to be a hero and what it means to step up to the call of manhood.
The story of Hub and Garth, and their growing affection for Walter is a beautiful tale. Told in a series of brief, narrated flashbacks interspersed throughout the movie, Walter slowly uncovers the truth about his Uncle’s past. And in turn, it gives him something to believe in, and through Walter, his Uncle’s find a way to live life without the adventure of youth.
Walter gives them a reason to keep living while "Secondhand Lions" gives us a new and significantly positive way to look at life. This film will forever be one of my favorites because it shows us that all kinds of people can inspire us to achieve the potential greatness that lies within. One just has to Believe...
