It's clear that the mother is loose and has had a string of male companions, and we see how this has impacted Walter. I would caution parents about the violence -- one when the mother and her new boyfriend arrive, and her boyfriend chases Walter down, straddles him, and punches him -- which we see at a bit of a distance, which didn't make it any less disturbing. The other scene follows immediately, when Walter's pet lion pounces on the boyfriend and mauls him. The blood and gore takes place just below the screen, but viewers know what's going on.
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Secondhand Lions
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 10; suggested age 10. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Charming family movie for tweens and up.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 10 and Up
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About Secondhand Lions
Parents need to know that this movie has "action violence," but it's cartoon-style and not graphic. There are some tense family issues and sad deaths.
Read our full review by Nell Minow
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about their own best advice for children about growing up and about the importance of having role models. They could also talk about Hub's view that sometimes it is important to believe in things whether they are true or not.
Our Members Say
See all 26 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title on for age 10 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
Disturbing violence
- I rate this title on for age 11 and give itMy concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
A Great Family Movie!
SECONDHAND LIONS is one of my favorite movies for a lot of reasons. It has great acting, a great story, and great messages. And it's devoid of objectionable content. The Caine and Duvall characters say "d**n" and "a*s" a few times, and some scenes can be somewhat intense, but all are without graphic violence. Highly recommended.
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Very Good Movie
The only thing in this movie that is alittle iffy is the violence. A lion attacks a man. (not full showed) Alittle old fashion fist fighting. and Alittle bit of hitting a threatinging and that is about it. This is a good movie though. This movie is also sad.
- I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
Wonderful
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Mesmerizing.
This is one of my most favorite movies of all time. I love how it is magical in many ways. Telling the story of a young boy who, at first apprehensive about staying with his uncles for a time, becomes enraptured with their daring stories of their lives. It shows that one can do anything, and the human need to believe in something. The mother's inability to see beyond her boyfriend's faults and the need to be in a relationship was also an interesting point. This movie should be watched by anyone, especially those who are children at heart.
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
It's a dramatic story.
It has some shooting and some swearing but other wise it's great!
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
AWESOME best movie i think ive seen
I LOVE THIS MOVIE it is awesome and the old guys are SOOOOOO funny:) :) :) :)
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Fine
It is fine for anyone to watch
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
GREAT movie!
This movie has a few places that can be used to enhance the classroom literature. Literature terms it covers...FLASHBACK, FORESHADOWING, SUSPENSE, PLOT Great for a Short Story Unit.
- I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it
this is a awesome movie but has little violence and some gun firing but great movie
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
BEST MOVIE - A Must See !!!
This is best movie to come around in a long, long time. Sure wish Hollywierd would wake up, smell the coffee, and create some more like this one. An endearing tale of life--all the good and bad times--and death. The lessons that could be learned from this film. But, you don't notice it since it's such a moving storyline. Rent it...better yet, buy it. You'll be glad you did!
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Great Movie
When I was browsing on netflix I saw this movie under my recommendations list and took a look at it. After watching the preview I said to myself, "forget it." The preview didn't leave me with an optimistic feeling about Secondhand Lions and I didn't want to bother to try and watch it. It had swearing thrown into sentences that weren't needed and (from the looks of it) didn't seem like it had a very strong thesis. So I went back to browsing and forgot about it for some time. Then, about a month later, I got sick and was real bored. I finished all of the netflix we had and didn't have as much choices of things to do for afew days. So my father went to "Hollywood Video" and rented me 2 movies. One was "Secondhand Lions" I decided that I wouldn't KNOW that it was a movie that wasn't worth watching until I watched it. So I did and I LOVED it! The preview was misleading and I will never base my opinion about a movie on a preview. Yes, it did having swearing where it wasn't needed but the theme was great. Don't be fooled by the preview. This is a WONDERFUL movie for the whole family (if you will put up with afew cuss words here and there.)
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Wonderful movie for everyone!!!!!!
This is truly one of the few good movies out there that combines humor, values, and kindness into one excellent movie. It is perfect for the entire family to see. My family and I loved it!!!!!
- I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
A smart and very cleaver film.
Second Hand Lions is enjoyable and a very fun movie to watch. Every Family should see this movie.
- I rate this title on for age 11 and give it
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
So what was the truth?
This is a guy tale -- a wonderful love story between two elderly uncles with a wild past and eccentric present, and their abandoned, uncertain nephew. The careless, selfish mother is wonderfully portrayed and her sad, self-destructive need for a man is a good "message". This is a great semi-adult movie for tweeners.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 33% | of parents say the sexual behavior isn't age appropriate |
| 33% | of parents say it's too violent |
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