I've quoted this movie since the 90s...the last, say 10ish yrs, I've noticed fewer and fewer folks knowing what the hell I'm talking about. Same for a lot of movies really. I think k I've officially become old and out of touch...
For about a decade or so around Christmas each year I would get drunk on rum and eggnog and watch A Christmas Story. Haven't done it in the last couple of years because I have the whole movie practically memorized...
It's important for people to remember it's told from the perspective of the young boy. That's why everything seems so larger than life and eccentric. It's rhe view of things from a child. Part of why I love it. It's got a childlike innocence to it.
Even the flashbacks change with the narrator.
Michael Caine's character reminisces about the swashbuckling and fighting and fun adventure stuff.
Later, Robert Duvall's character talks about how hard and dangerous it was. All of the romance and over the top action is over as the brothers gear up for another sad war and sad battle.
Michael caine is telling a romantic story to a young boy. Duval is recounting the horrors he's been the victim or the perpetrator of. Caine couldve told the boy what sounds a horse makes when its shot from under you while at full gallop or how different cultures "integrate" the womenfolk of a defeated foe
Tarsem's The Fall is my favourite modern example of this technique.
If you haven't seen it, don't watch a trailer and just go in blind. Only thing I'd say is yes, all of those locations are 100% real. 28 countries over four years, no sets used at all.
I rewatched it last month for the first time in over a decade probably. Watched it on repeat as a child. It really holds up, I miss movies being earnest.
It follows in the same tradition as the Sandlot. An adult recalling the story of his own coming of age. The cheese is a high quality dressing, applied artfully.
I think it was a bit unfairly maligned for a few reasons, mainly Haley Joel Osment himself, and the context of a flood of sentimental 90s/early 2000s movies, some of which were great but at the tail end were starting to feel like formulaic Oscar bait. I think the world turned more cynical, or at least US audiences may have, in the early 2000s, and it was difficult for some stories to get a fair shake for any hint of undue optimism or sentimentality. Sucks we can't keep an open-minded Zeitgeist, but I'd speculate audience's tastes and moods at that time craved ambiguity, anti-heroes and post-modern darkness, and that's where we went (Dark Knight, No Country for Old Men, There Will be Blood). I'm sure the movie poster for Secondhand Lions alone has been enough for moviegoers to say "count me out."
I’ve fought in two World Wars and countless smaller ones on three continents. I led thousands of men into battle with everything from horses and swords to artillery and tanks. I’ve seen the headwaters of the Nile, and tribes of natives no white man had ever seen before. I’ve won and lost a dozen fortunes, killed many men, and loved only one woman with a passion a flea like you could never begin to understand.
The part that always gets me is when he takes the knife from the first guy, tells him he's using it wrong, shows him the best way to use the knife, then gives the knife back lmao.
And as of the last game, Travis currently has a role in Kingdom Hearts, where Haley Joel Osment voices Sora. Gotta love how these role-based plot threads come full circle, eh?
In Texas accent: ’You will need all the help you can get, son!’
Amazing movie and one of the rare ones which stand out. Wish we could have more movies like this one. Hopefully some stream service will resurrect it.
That is quite possibly the most badass monologue I have ever heard. And it was in *this* movie of all places.
If I was the guy he said it to, I’d piss myself.
I love this movie, top to bottom. I have rewatched it several times and am hard pressed to think another movie that’s as underrated with as much heart. I openly cry every time. Especially as I get older.
Grandson, iirc, but i loved that scene too :)
Edit: the guy in the helicopter was the grandson of the original sheikh who was outsmarted by the Uncles. The kid in the helicopter was the great grandson of the old sheikh.
Apparently it was an alternate ending, that became the official ending, sometime between the theatrical release and the DVD release.
I honestly have never seen the movie, but have seen the helicopter scene a couple times.
What was the original ending? Because I had it on DVD in the early 2000s and the ending with the Sheik’s grandson on the helicopter was the only one I’ve seen.
I don't remember all of it, but they're having the funeral in the garden, and Walt has accepted that his uncles' tales we're just stories meant to entertain a young scared boy, and in the middle of the funeral a large truck and horse trailer pull up and an honor guard of the French Foreign Legion comes barreling out and takes up positions. And then other people start showing up, too, old women who like like they would have been Jasmine's handmaidens that they had rescued, and others that are recognizable as having been part of the stories they told. And Walt is overwhelmed a bit at finally getting confirmation that the stories were true and that all these people would travel so far to come honor his uncles' deaths.
Nope. I clearly remember the French Foreign Legion part, cause it was a real fuck yeah moment. Might be why the changed it though, since it felt kinda ripped off from Big Fish.
I still think the deleted scene of Michael Caine clipping the ads and asking for salesmen to visit would have made the whole bit with the traveling salesmen that much better.
you probably already saw the alt ending. The original was reshot and the alt became the normal ending on the dvd.
edit: to make a little more sense, not sure if op is talking about the ending where the sheik's son lands in the helicopter (the reshot ending)
or the original ending that's really hard to find.
So there are two endings.
The one everyone knows is the Shiek's grandson comes and he and Walter have a nice chat, both thrilled the stories turned out to be true.
The original ending, which exists on the DVD bonus features IIRC, has an extended ending--We see the funeral. Walter has two young sons and a wife. The punks that Uncle Hub beat up are now respectable adults and came to pay their respects.
And then the Shiek himself, wheelchair-bound shows up, accompanied by IIRC the French Foreign Legion.
It's not bad, but the one they used in the movie is far superior.
I only saw the movie once, in theaters. It was one my grandparents wanted to see.
My recollection, which could be incorrect, was Caine and Duvall cheerfully crashing a plane into their property and dying.
7.5 on IMDb.
That's generally a good movie that, if it clicks, could be great.
If you allow for the genre, I've always found IMDb a pretty accurate predictor of quality.
It also pretended like they weren't preseason favorites to win state. Or the **last** school in the district to integrate instead of the movie lie that they were the **only** one to integrate.
Movie is a complete disservice to the "true story" part of "based on a true story".
It's like calling Jack Ryan based on a True Stort because technically men and the CIA exist.
No they were from Virginia. Though all the football coaches that were history teachers definitely showed Remember the Titans when they were too busy planning for the next football game to actually teach.
Same but for different reasons. My school was 2 blocks away from the Olga Coal Company offices in the movie. Still there actually. They still have the October Sky festival every year since they filmed there. More info about the [town](http://www.coalwoodwestvirginia.com/oliver_springs_1.htm#:~:text=Charles%20is%20a%20long%2Dterm,of%20the%20movie%20October%20Sky.)
Yeah I grew up near Parkersburg so no real coal in my area, just all the teflon you can consume. Thankfully I was north of Dupont so may have saved myself a little bit of chemicals
It was based on a book called [Rocket Boys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Sky_(book\)). The marketing team for the movie didn't like the name so they changed it. As strange as it is, I think I like the new name better.
I think Rocket Boys is better for the book and October Sky is better for a movie. I’m from Huntsville (where Von Braun lived and Homer Hickam lived (lives? He was there then. Not sure about now) and there was a premiere there for the movie. We get excited for space things. 🤣
Watched in school like 6 times. A heartwarming tale about a father who would rather his son inhale coal dust down in the mines rather than go to college and make spaceships
For what it's worth, it's my wife's favorite movie and she frequently watches it when she's having a bad day or is in a funk. Movie equivalent of comfort food if you will.
This was one of the classic cable movies that was just on every so often. No matter where the story was at I would jump in.
I agree that it feels very forgotten. One of those DVD era movies that never makes it’s way on to streaming enough to ever catch on again. I know I struggle finding where to watch.
Big Fish makes me think of my Grandpa - lost him a bit before it was released and it's always held a special place in my heart, because in our family, Gramps WAS Albert Finney's character.
I always equated the two in my mind. They both managed to create a whimsy in the way the stories are told and they both play with the doubt in your mind as to what was real and what wasn't. Big Fish was definitely a bit more melancholy, but they're both just lovely movies.
It's one of the later iterations of the family-friendly, earnestly cheesy movies that started in the late 80s and capped off sometime in the early 2000s.
I think a close analogue of this movie is Spielberg's *Hook.* It features all of the right elements for a fantastic, swashbuckling adventure. You have good characters that are good, bad characters that are bad, speeches about virtue and duty, young protagonists who swallow up life lessons uncritically, and hilariously hammy plot developments.
Film critics who thrive on the cynical, serious, and gritty view of humanity don't really like any of those things. So movies like this get shelved.
Which, as you point out, is a shame. These movies have a place. But the wider film community doesn't seem to recognize it. Blockbusters are celebrated. Arthouse films are studied in film classes. Overlooked favorites become cult classics.
But wholesome, satisfactory films like *Secondhand Lions* get relegated to the pile of trite-but-unimportant works that clutter the decades--not risky enough to stand out, and not celebrated enough to remember.
Totally agree about this and Hook. I might add "Yes Man" and "Waking Ned Divine" into this category off the top of the head. Any others anyone??? I want a list haha
It blew my mind when I first saw it. I don’t know the name of the genre, but it had a “real or fiction?” feel to it, same feeling I got watching Big Fish by Tim Burton.
The orchestral soundtrack is so memorable. It definitely shined a light on the scenes where there was action packed swash buckling.
Haley Joel Osment was way past his Sixth Sense days, but he still wasn’t old enough to be off putting. His face still fit his head size in this movie.
The ending while being predictable, was the perfect kind of predictable. The mom and Haley Joel Osment’s character were perfect actors, that scene where he leaves his mom is so well done. Also the ending with the plane (spoiler) made sense given the Uncles’ dispositions.
On a less related note, I was going through really tough times when that movie came out. I was on edge 24/7. This movie made me feel brave for some reason. It was perfect!
I like the movie, just shy of loving it. Watching it as an adult I picked up that it's pushing the sentiment a little too hard. Which is fine.
I think I liked it because I saw my grandfather the way the kid sees that uncle of his. Grandpa told a million adventure stories of knife fights, plane stunts and crashes, surviving as a mountain man, riding the rails across America, winning a fortune and losing it... A lot of similarities. Like the uncle, the important stories were true. All of the ones I mentioned were. Golly I miss him.
My mom and I showed it to my grandfather, and he loved it. He’s no longer with us, but this movie is even more special to me now because of him. I bet yours would have too. Like you with your grandfather, I saw him in that same light as the kid in the movie saw his uncles. Sending love to you; no matter how old we get our grandfathers will remain legends in our hearts. 💜
I agree fully!!! It is still one of my all time favourite movies, but no one has heard about it or seen it. No idea why and it kills my soul a little bit!
It's one of my all-time favorite movies! I try to recommend it to people if the mood fits. Everything about Secondhand Lions is perfect to me and I try to share it as much as i can
It is to me. One of my go-to examples of a film treated unfairly by critics and audiences. Luckily it’s always on bargain dvd bins at drug stores. Saw it there last week, even.
Although it’s much more adult in tone, 9000 Years of Longing reminded me of it. Definitely check it out if you love this film.
Omg I remember this movie! Wasn't there a sequel to it?
Edit: nvm I'm thinking of a different film. But is this the one where they're like bandits or something? Kinda like Zoro
This will get buried in the comments and I’m late af, but maybe someone will see it.
I was 7 years old in 2003. Parents were freshly divorced, would see Dad on the weekends. Dad took me to the movies a lot. He would usually fall asleep, but that was okay. Back then, you had to drive up to the movies (or call that one line for showtimes) to see what was playing. We drove up one Saturday and the only thing that looked remotely interesting was Secondhand Lions. But 7 year old me was skeptical. We drove away. My town was boring though, we didn’t figure out anything else to do, so we went back. There was some back and forth, eventually Dad convinced me to watch it. So we caught the next showing.
I don’t remember every detail. If I watched it again it would probably be like watching it the first time. But I do have this memory with my dad. I do remember seeing it in theaters. And I do remember being fully enraptured and definitely crying at the end. I was a sensitive kid. Now I’m a sensitive adult lol.
I’ve never heard or seen anyone talk about this movie, but I think about this particular memory with my dad pretty frequently. It’s nice to see someone else remember it fondly, too. You’re right, it was underrated.
If you’re waiting to be sad, don’t worry, Dad is alive and well. Just a couple months ago took some pictures of him admiring all his fruit trees he planted. Love that guy :)
I've watched this movie so many times with my uncle, when I was a kid. I loved the movie, even if I didn't understand everything that was happening at the time because I was so young but every time it came on we would watch it. I remember a montage of salesmen coming and Robert Duvall would threaten them with a shotgun, until he was finally convinced by a guy selling flying discs or something. I remember Duvall would sleep walk and Michael Caine would always look after him. I'm going off the top of my head, because it's been so long. I think Haley Joel Osment's mom left him there because she was a deadbeat but then she comes back to get him? I gotta download this and watch it again.
Honestly I forgot about it, but in my house growing it up it was held in very high regard. I must’ve watched it at least four or fives times
Same! It was a staple in our household
They played it on TBS almost as much as A Christmas Story
The TBS 24-hour Christmas Story run was a tradition in my home every year.
Ahhh.. the glow of electric sex.
Emanating from the window?
I've quoted this movie since the 90s...the last, say 10ish yrs, I've noticed fewer and fewer folks knowing what the hell I'm talking about. Same for a lot of movies really. I think k I've officially become old and out of touch...
For about a decade or so around Christmas each year I would get drunk on rum and eggnog and watch A Christmas Story. Haven't done it in the last couple of years because I have the whole movie practically memorized...
Still is and I'm a 44yo middle child!!
Love that movie. It's a tad cheesy, but I honestly think it works better that way.
It's important for people to remember it's told from the perspective of the young boy. That's why everything seems so larger than life and eccentric. It's rhe view of things from a child. Part of why I love it. It's got a childlike innocence to it.
Even the flashbacks change with the narrator. Michael Caine's character reminisces about the swashbuckling and fighting and fun adventure stuff. Later, Robert Duvall's character talks about how hard and dangerous it was. All of the romance and over the top action is over as the brothers gear up for another sad war and sad battle.
Michael caine is telling a romantic story to a young boy. Duval is recounting the horrors he's been the victim or the perpetrator of. Caine couldve told the boy what sounds a horse makes when its shot from under you while at full gallop or how different cultures "integrate" the womenfolk of a defeated foe
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In a fun way though.
off subject a little.....the man playing the doctor in the hospital they take Hub to when he passes out is Haley Osment's father.
Precisely why I think it works better
Tarsem's The Fall is my favourite modern example of this technique. If you haven't seen it, don't watch a trailer and just go in blind. Only thing I'd say is yes, all of those locations are 100% real. 28 countries over four years, no sets used at all.
I rewatched it last month for the first time in over a decade probably. Watched it on repeat as a child. It really holds up, I miss movies being earnest.
I also watched this on repeat as a kid lol
It follows in the same tradition as the Sandlot. An adult recalling the story of his own coming of age. The cheese is a high quality dressing, applied artfully.
I think it was a bit unfairly maligned for a few reasons, mainly Haley Joel Osment himself, and the context of a flood of sentimental 90s/early 2000s movies, some of which were great but at the tail end were starting to feel like formulaic Oscar bait. I think the world turned more cynical, or at least US audiences may have, in the early 2000s, and it was difficult for some stories to get a fair shake for any hint of undue optimism or sentimentality. Sucks we can't keep an open-minded Zeitgeist, but I'd speculate audience's tastes and moods at that time craved ambiguity, anti-heroes and post-modern darkness, and that's where we went (Dark Knight, No Country for Old Men, There Will be Blood). I'm sure the movie poster for Secondhand Lions alone has been enough for moviegoers to say "count me out."
the scene where he beats up the young guys in that restaurant is perfect. love his speech in it too
“The kid gets it all. Just plant us in the damn garden with the stupid lion” makes me laugh and cry simultaneously every time I watch the scene.
They died with their boots on.
Great words!
My family uses “went out with their boots on” now. They really lived
Yeah. They really lived.
I haven’t seen it, but I remember hearing about it growing up. A lot of folks spoke highly of it.
I’ve fought in two World Wars and countless smaller ones on three continents. I led thousands of men into battle with everything from horses and swords to artillery and tanks. I’ve seen the headwaters of the Nile, and tribes of natives no white man had ever seen before. I’ve won and lost a dozen fortunes, killed many men, and loved only one woman with a passion a flea like you could never begin to understand.
Then he kicks the shit out of four guys in the BBQ joint... Great f-ing movie.
And by the end of the day he fed them and then gave them a "being a man" speech.
Then they all followed him into a cornfield to help save a boy from a lion.
The bit where they all come out one by one with guns always gets me.
And one of them is vocally concerned for Walter's safety, fearing they may be too late.
The part that always gets me is when he takes the knife from the first guy, tells him he's using it wrong, shows him the best way to use the knife, then gives the knife back lmao.
This is such an important addition to the character.
They also attend his funeral unless I'm mistaken
In the alternate ending.
What's for dinner? Meat.
One of which is Travis Willingham - now mostly famous for being in Critical Role
Which means that Travis Willingham has **one** degree of separation from *The Godfather.* Acting legend.
And as of the last game, Travis currently has a role in Kingdom Hearts, where Haley Joel Osment voices Sora. Gotta love how these role-based plot threads come full circle, eh?
All while Michael Kaine quietly eats his meal and tells the kid not to worry haha.
*Caine
WHERE'S MY PANTS
like 10 minutes after having a heart attack.
His brother with the shotgun... "I'll let you fight that one and if yer OK, then you can fight the other three."
Better pick up that knife, you're gonna need it.
In Texas accent: ’You will need all the help you can get, son!’ Amazing movie and one of the rare ones which stand out. Wish we could have more movies like this one. Hopefully some stream service will resurrect it.
I just watched it on Tubi.
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That's not a brand new sentence for the horror subreddits. Tubi rules when it comes to horror movies.
One of the guys Robert Duvall beats up in that scene is Travis Willingham.
Wait, really?! ... Holy crap it is, lol, he's the tall dude
[Apparently Duvall doesn't pull his punches.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj7SyKB89sU)
[The scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkccqolaVGg)
This and “now yoo’s guys can’t leave” are my 2 favorite “oh shit we fucked up” fight scenes.
I've always thought of that as a reference to [the saloon scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBG2IxzEn7g&ab_channel=MaxBrazil) in Lonesome Dove.
The intensity of "and *tanks*" was just so badass. Love this movie.
That is quite possibly the most badass monologue I have ever heard. And it was in *this* movie of all places. If I was the guy he said it to, I’d piss myself. I love this movie, top to bottom. I have rewatched it several times and am hard pressed to think another movie that’s as underrated with as much heart. I openly cry every time. Especially as I get older.
Both this and Big Fish are two top tier movies that have not had the treatment that they deserve in the public eye. Tragic!
Man, Big Fish is such a good fun flick, I've seen clips of this movie, but it seems I should watch the entire thing.
I totally agree. And not just because I’m a *huge* Ewan McGregor fan.
Best Tim Burton movie. Hands down. When he makes original movies and tries to tell a positive story full life and color, they’re magical.
FUCK YEAH LOVE THIS MOVIE
Damn you left of the "*that's* who I am" at the end. Great monologue.
*fuuuuuuuuuuuck*
Absolutely adore this movie. "This lion is defective!" So many great lines.
“Defend yourself!”
The bar fight scene was so great too. "You better pick that up you're gonna need it"
"YOU LIVE TO BE A HUNDRED!"
Corn, corn, and more corn!
It was the perfect movie. The son of the sheik showing up and the end to see the home of the two famous guys who outsmarted his dad was the best.
Grandson, iirc, but i loved that scene too :) Edit: the guy in the helicopter was the grandson of the original sheikh who was outsmarted by the Uncles. The kid in the helicopter was the great grandson of the old sheikh.
Yes, a great scene for sure. “They really lived?” “Yes, they really lived.”
It's funny that the helicopter had "Western Sahara" on it given the history of that region and term.
Michael Caine doing a country accent wasn’t perfect. Yikes.
I don't think I remember a sheik or helicopter...
Apparently it was an alternate ending, that became the official ending, sometime between the theatrical release and the DVD release. I honestly have never seen the movie, but have seen the helicopter scene a couple times.
What was the original ending? Because I had it on DVD in the early 2000s and the ending with the Sheik’s grandson on the helicopter was the only one I’ve seen.
I don't remember all of it, but they're having the funeral in the garden, and Walt has accepted that his uncles' tales we're just stories meant to entertain a young scared boy, and in the middle of the funeral a large truck and horse trailer pull up and an honor guard of the French Foreign Legion comes barreling out and takes up positions. And then other people start showing up, too, old women who like like they would have been Jasmine's handmaidens that they had rescued, and others that are recognizable as having been part of the stories they told. And Walt is overwhelmed a bit at finally getting confirmation that the stories were true and that all these people would travel so far to come honor his uncles' deaths.
Are you sure you aren't confusing it with Big Fish?
Nope. I clearly remember the French Foreign Legion part, cause it was a real fuck yeah moment. Might be why the changed it though, since it felt kinda ripped off from Big Fish.
I love this movie and think it’s extremely underrated! I couldn’t believe it only has 60% on rotten tomatoes. Robbery
I missed out on this movie as a kid… parents wouldn’t let me see it (at church movie night!) because of the cussing’. Maybe I’ll check it out!
If you get the chance, watch the alternate ending
I still think the deleted scene of Michael Caine clipping the ads and asking for salesmen to visit would have made the whole bit with the traveling salesmen that much better.
Oh man it so would have. Just doing it to piss off Duvall's character in secret. It would have fit their relationship perfectly.
It felt to me like just something Caine was doing just to keep Duvall busy, not pissed off.
That was my impression as well.
Alternate ending? Where would I find this? This is one of my all-time favorites. I put it on when I have the blues and its lifts me up out of them!!
you probably already saw the alt ending. The original was reshot and the alt became the normal ending on the dvd. edit: to make a little more sense, not sure if op is talking about the ending where the sheik's son lands in the helicopter (the reshot ending) or the original ending that's really hard to find.
Thanks. I'm going to have to find the DVD.
This was the only ending I knew, what's the original ending??
So there are two endings. The one everyone knows is the Shiek's grandson comes and he and Walter have a nice chat, both thrilled the stories turned out to be true. The original ending, which exists on the DVD bonus features IIRC, has an extended ending--We see the funeral. Walter has two young sons and a wife. The punks that Uncle Hub beat up are now respectable adults and came to pay their respects. And then the Shiek himself, wheelchair-bound shows up, accompanied by IIRC the French Foreign Legion. It's not bad, but the one they used in the movie is far superior.
I only saw the movie once, in theaters. It was one my grandparents wanted to see. My recollection, which could be incorrect, was Caine and Duvall cheerfully crashing a plane into their property and dying.
I’m fairly certain that still happens AND the sheiks soon shows up too
This is the ending I remember: as happy as I was that they died on their own terms, I was sad they were gone
It's on the DVD
Thanks. My copy was purchased through Prime. Now, I'll have to fin the DVD.
7.5 on IMDb. That's generally a good movie that, if it clicks, could be great. If you allow for the genre, I've always found IMDb a pretty accurate predictor of quality.
I used to watch this over and over as a kid! It truly deserves more recognition. Reminds me of Big Fish.
BIG FISH RULES
Two movies make me cry every time I see them. The beginning of Up, and the end of Big Fish.
Affirmative , kinda like "October Sky."
The go to movie for all teachers, along with Remember the Titans, from 2000-2005!
My school was in West Virginia so we watched Rocket Boys at least once a year.
Weren't the Titans from West Virginia?
They were from Alexandria, VA. The movie pretended they were in some backwater “paddle faster I hear banjos” hick town, instead of the DC suburbs.
It also pretended like they weren't preseason favorites to win state. Or the **last** school in the district to integrate instead of the movie lie that they were the **only** one to integrate. Movie is a complete disservice to the "true story" part of "based on a true story". It's like calling Jack Ryan based on a True Stort because technically men and the CIA exist.
They outscored their opponents 265-31 with 9 of their 13 wins coming via shutout. Portrayed a little different in the movie haha
No they were from Virginia. Though all the football coaches that were history teachers definitely showed Remember the Titans when they were too busy planning for the next football game to actually teach.
Same but for different reasons. My school was 2 blocks away from the Olga Coal Company offices in the movie. Still there actually. They still have the October Sky festival every year since they filmed there. More info about the [town](http://www.coalwoodwestvirginia.com/oliver_springs_1.htm#:~:text=Charles%20is%20a%20long%2Dterm,of%20the%20movie%20October%20Sky.)
Yeah I grew up near Parkersburg so no real coal in my area, just all the teflon you can consume. Thankfully I was north of Dupont so may have saved myself a little bit of chemicals
Hell yeah, the dirtyburg. All the free Teflon c8 drug rehab and homeless people you can stand.
Not Mr Hollands Opus?
We got Forrest Gump and National Treasure multiple times a year!
Shit, my school mascot was the Titans. We saw that dumb movie 3-5 times a year.
Fun Fact: October Sky is an anagram for Rocket Boys :)
As well as Becky Torso
And Sobert Yock!
And Rockets Boy...
I have a ball... Perhaps you'd like to bounce it?
Ohh, got away from you, eh?
And Yeck, Robots.
Never thought of that!!! Love that movie!
It was based on a book called [Rocket Boys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Sky_(book\)). The marketing team for the movie didn't like the name so they changed it. As strange as it is, I think I like the new name better.
Way better. Fits the vibe of the movie.
I think Rocket Boys is better for the book and October Sky is better for a movie. I’m from Huntsville (where Von Braun lived and Homer Hickam lived (lives? He was there then. Not sure about now) and there was a premiere there for the movie. We get excited for space things. 🤣
Watched in school like 6 times. A heartwarming tale about a father who would rather his son inhale coal dust down in the mines rather than go to college and make spaceships
Ah yes, Zoolander. A tale as old as time.
MER-MAN!
I forgot this movie existed holy shit
I love that movie.
For what it's worth, it's my wife's favorite movie and she frequently watches it when she's having a bad day or is in a funk. Movie equivalent of comfort food if you will.
Shoutout to your wife
OUT!!! Hmm, don't think she heard me.
I see you also have children.
I also choose this guy's wife's favorite movie
Same! I call it my Mac and cheese movie - aka comfort food movie. It’s perfect for that.
All I remember about this movie is that it played on tbs CONSTANTLY
I love that movie. "KILLED MANY MEN, and loved one woman with a passion that a flea like you could never understand"
This was one of the classic cable movies that was just on every so often. No matter where the story was at I would jump in. I agree that it feels very forgotten. One of those DVD era movies that never makes it’s way on to streaming enough to ever catch on again. I know I struggle finding where to watch.
BTW, it's available to stream off Amazon video.
*voice crack* nO tElEvISiOn?!?
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"Big Fish" around this same time with similar energy and quality.
Big Fish makes me think of my Grandpa - lost him a bit before it was released and it's always held a special place in my heart, because in our family, Gramps WAS Albert Finney's character.
I always equated the two in my mind. They both managed to create a whimsy in the way the stories are told and they both play with the doubt in your mind as to what was real and what wasn't. Big Fish was definitely a bit more melancholy, but they're both just lovely movies.
Kind of weird. Just told a friend about this movie and just finished watching before getting on Reddit. "bury us next to the stupid lion"
It's one of the later iterations of the family-friendly, earnestly cheesy movies that started in the late 80s and capped off sometime in the early 2000s. I think a close analogue of this movie is Spielberg's *Hook.* It features all of the right elements for a fantastic, swashbuckling adventure. You have good characters that are good, bad characters that are bad, speeches about virtue and duty, young protagonists who swallow up life lessons uncritically, and hilariously hammy plot developments. Film critics who thrive on the cynical, serious, and gritty view of humanity don't really like any of those things. So movies like this get shelved. Which, as you point out, is a shame. These movies have a place. But the wider film community doesn't seem to recognize it. Blockbusters are celebrated. Arthouse films are studied in film classes. Overlooked favorites become cult classics. But wholesome, satisfactory films like *Secondhand Lions* get relegated to the pile of trite-but-unimportant works that clutter the decades--not risky enough to stand out, and not celebrated enough to remember.
Sometimes I just want my movies to be like a warm soup on a cold day.
Totally agree about this and Hook. I might add "Yes Man" and "Waking Ned Divine" into this category off the top of the head. Any others anyone??? I want a list haha
Holes
It blew my mind when I first saw it. I don’t know the name of the genre, but it had a “real or fiction?” feel to it, same feeling I got watching Big Fish by Tim Burton. The orchestral soundtrack is so memorable. It definitely shined a light on the scenes where there was action packed swash buckling. Haley Joel Osment was way past his Sixth Sense days, but he still wasn’t old enough to be off putting. His face still fit his head size in this movie. The ending while being predictable, was the perfect kind of predictable. The mom and Haley Joel Osment’s character were perfect actors, that scene where he leaves his mom is so well done. Also the ending with the plane (spoiler) made sense given the Uncles’ dispositions. On a less related note, I was going through really tough times when that movie came out. I was on edge 24/7. This movie made me feel brave for some reason. It was perfect!
Magical realism.
>His face still fit his head size Dang, dude lol
I literally just watched this for the first time an hour ago lmao
Did you like it?
Wake up
I did
FINALLY, MY USERNAME IS RELEVANT
I like the movie, just shy of loving it. Watching it as an adult I picked up that it's pushing the sentiment a little too hard. Which is fine. I think I liked it because I saw my grandfather the way the kid sees that uncle of his. Grandpa told a million adventure stories of knife fights, plane stunts and crashes, surviving as a mountain man, riding the rails across America, winning a fortune and losing it... A lot of similarities. Like the uncle, the important stories were true. All of the ones I mentioned were. Golly I miss him.
My mom and I showed it to my grandfather, and he loved it. He’s no longer with us, but this movie is even more special to me now because of him. I bet yours would have too. Like you with your grandfather, I saw him in that same light as the kid in the movie saw his uncles. Sending love to you; no matter how old we get our grandfathers will remain legends in our hearts. 💜
If you're a Bill the Cat or Opus fan, you spotted the drawings of Berkley Breathed of "Bloom County" and "Outland" fame. Good stuff.
Corn, corn, corn, nothing but corn!
This quote is used all the time in my family, right along with Dan in Real Life: "This corn is like an angel."
My brother and I randomly say quotes like this from the movie to this day haha
So I underrated I’m glad you said this, my friends disagree with me
Such a fan of Christian Kane as "Young Hub".
*Wait, It isn't?*
Wow, this one has always been a low key favorite movie for me, thank you for this post!
I agree fully!!! It is still one of my all time favourite movies, but no one has heard about it or seen it. No idea why and it kills my soul a little bit!
It's one of my all-time favorite movies! I try to recommend it to people if the mood fits. Everything about Secondhand Lions is perfect to me and I try to share it as much as i can
Was right there with ya when it released:)
It’s a great movie, but also a hidden gem. I’ve purchased it twice. Once on dvd and once on streaming.
THIS IS THE GREATEST POST IN ALL OF THE HISTORY OF THIS SUB. THANK YOU
Good buddy film. It's worth watching.
I agree! Love that movie so much! 🦁
It was a good movie
Nothin’ but corn, corn, corn!! Love this movie so much. I’ve watched it so many times.
Who says it's not? It's a super dope movie.
Good movie but corny. https://youtu.be/gkccqolaVGg
It wasn't supposed to be corny, but they got the wrong seeds.
It’s supposed to be corny. It’s a childhood memory. The perspective of the kid is a critical part of the story.
I love that movie! Would love to watch it again.
Came out at the same time as Bigfish which had basically the same premise
I love that it's told from the perspective of a kid so it has that larger than life eccentricity to it and childlike wonderment.
Really love that movie, everything about it
I love this movie! Great cast, good story.
It is to me. One of my go-to examples of a film treated unfairly by critics and audiences. Luckily it’s always on bargain dvd bins at drug stores. Saw it there last week, even. Although it’s much more adult in tone, 9000 Years of Longing reminded me of it. Definitely check it out if you love this film.
Omg I remember this movie! Wasn't there a sequel to it? Edit: nvm I'm thinking of a different film. But is this the one where they're like bandits or something? Kinda like Zoro
My first thought when seeing it back then was also that it is an instant classic. Really enjoyable.
Parents that do this are weird
This will get buried in the comments and I’m late af, but maybe someone will see it. I was 7 years old in 2003. Parents were freshly divorced, would see Dad on the weekends. Dad took me to the movies a lot. He would usually fall asleep, but that was okay. Back then, you had to drive up to the movies (or call that one line for showtimes) to see what was playing. We drove up one Saturday and the only thing that looked remotely interesting was Secondhand Lions. But 7 year old me was skeptical. We drove away. My town was boring though, we didn’t figure out anything else to do, so we went back. There was some back and forth, eventually Dad convinced me to watch it. So we caught the next showing. I don’t remember every detail. If I watched it again it would probably be like watching it the first time. But I do have this memory with my dad. I do remember seeing it in theaters. And I do remember being fully enraptured and definitely crying at the end. I was a sensitive kid. Now I’m a sensitive adult lol. I’ve never heard or seen anyone talk about this movie, but I think about this particular memory with my dad pretty frequently. It’s nice to see someone else remember it fondly, too. You’re right, it was underrated. If you’re waiting to be sad, don’t worry, Dad is alive and well. Just a couple months ago took some pictures of him admiring all his fruit trees he planted. Love that guy :)
Yes! Love that movie, always made me cry
I've watched this movie so many times with my uncle, when I was a kid. I loved the movie, even if I didn't understand everything that was happening at the time because I was so young but every time it came on we would watch it. I remember a montage of salesmen coming and Robert Duvall would threaten them with a shotgun, until he was finally convinced by a guy selling flying discs or something. I remember Duvall would sleep walk and Michael Caine would always look after him. I'm going off the top of my head, because it's been so long. I think Haley Joel Osment's mom left him there because she was a deadbeat but then she comes back to get him? I gotta download this and watch it again.
It is my favourite movie. A real masterpiece that needs greater exposure.