Midweek Movies

Usually we save the indulgences for the weekends. We stay up late on Friday or Saturday nights, we eat junky stuff and swear we'll get back in the gym on Monday. We do all the things we don't make time for during the week. I think we should start indulging on Wednesdays, to get us over the hump and motivate us for the rest of the week. Tonight, I left the dishes in the sink and the laundry in the dryer, put on my favorite bumming around outfit, popped some corn, and settled into my favorite spot on the couch to watch....

Secondhand Lions, released in 2003, stars Haley Joel Osment as Walter, an introverted 13-year old boy whose mom (played by Kyra Sedgwick) drops him off with his great uncles Hub (Robert Duvall) and Garth (Michael Kaine) for the summer while she pursues "court reporter school" which is apparently the new code word for "a glitzy, glamorous life in Vegas without a kid to slow me down". As the grouchy and eccentric uncles warm up to Walter and Walter learns that sometimes adults can be trusted, they, and a used lion, form a familyship which is a happy little hybrid of family and friendship.

To explain strong, silent Hub to Walter, Garth regales him with stories of adventure that will remind you somewhat of The Princess Bride- there's sword fighting and swashbuckling (oh, and a tiny bit of romance thrown in for good measure but no 6-fingered man on a quest to find a killer.) There's treasure and a bad guy and seamlessly, the lessons of how to be a good man are weaved in.

If you haven't seen it, or it's been a while, I won't spoil the ending for you, but the best line is "They really lived. They went out with their boots on." And that is what I wish for you today- to really live- to have a life that includes a giraffe, a lion on the loose, a hidden stash of rainy day money, a great tale of adventure, and an even better tale of love.... or something like that.