Secondhand Lions

Camp meets cliché and cockamamie quirks in writer/director Tim McCanlies’ comedy of Oscar caliber. A pre-pubescent boy (Haley Joel Osment) is coaxed by his mom (Kyra Sedgewick) to spend the summer with his rich uncles (Michael Caine and Robert Duvall) on their Texas ranch. At first, this is easier said than done. The off-putting oddities of the old ogres quickly shift without warning from one adventure to the next. The plot is filled with surprises; the flashbacks are seamless; and the performances are impeccable. Secondhand Lions is of firsthand quality.