“Secondhand Lions” stars Haley Joel Osment as Walter, a timid boy who moves in with his eccentric uncles, Garth and Hub (Michael Caine and Robert Duvall).

The brothers have returned to rural Texas after being overseas for 40 years, and are rumored to be rich. When Walter’s mom skips to Las Vegas, she leaves Walter with Garth and Hub, in hopes that he will find their treasure.

Walter learns about his uncles as Garth tells him stories about their adventures in Africa. Slowly, the trio grows on one another. They don’t have television, or a phone, but they do have a lot of dogs, a pig and numerous quirks.

The film’s focus on the eccentric uncles makes it both funny and touching, but a little overdone. The anything-but-ordinary brothers add to the humor of the film, but often don’t seem believable when they have knife fights with teenagers, or keep a pet lion in a miniature cornfield.

Duvall does a great job as the sterner and less kid-knowledgeable uncle, and, although Caine doesn’t quite mesh with his brother, he does a good job.

From the beginning it is obvious “Secondhand Lions” will end with the trio forming a mismatched family. The idea of two men learning how to be human again from a boy is still a good message that appeals to a wide audience. The film isn’t spectacular, but its unusual ending and other peculiarities make it different from other similarly written movies.