Director : Wayne Wang Starring : Annasophia Robb, Jeff Daniels, Eva Marie Saint, Cicely Tyson, Dave Matthews Trailer for Because of Winn-Dixie JustMovieTrailers - Trailer (WMP) (justmovietrailers.com) TON - Interviews, Clips, Trailer (WMP) (theonenetwork.com) More Movie Reviews... Because of Winn-Dixie Movie Stills Click here

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf :

As new residents of a small southern town, Opal (AnnaSophia Robb) and her minister father (Jeff Daniels) are having trouble fitting in with the local folk. Lonely and bored, Opal finds a pal in Winn-Dixie, a dog with a curious smile she finds harassing the local grocery store. Opal and Winn-Dixie set off on adventures around town, meeting and understanding a neighbor at each stop, making her strange surroundings all the more friendlier. more..

Review By Ed Gonzalez :

dapted from a popular children’s book by Kate DiCamillo, Because of Winn-Dixie is a morality tale drained of all blood by director Wayne Wang. In the film, Opal (newcomer AnnaSophia Robb, soon to be seen in Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and her father, Preacher (Jeff Daniels), arrive in the fictional town of Naomi, Florida, where the little girl has a difficult time making friends and continues to cope with the mysterious departure of her mother many years ago. At the local Winn-Dixie she claims ownership of a stray dog that will become the catalyst for the girl’s friendship with a number of eccentric locals: Miss Franny (Eva Marie Saint), a spinster who runs the local library; Gloria (Cicely Tyson), a blind woman and ex-drunk who the local children perceive to be a witch; and Otis (Dave Matthews), an ex-con who tends to his cousin’s pet store. More..

Reviewed by Keith Phipps :

Great children's literature often depends on a delicate balance between whimsy and pathos, qualities that can shine on the page and then get crushed by all but the most superb adaptations. Wayne Wang's Because Of Winn-Dixie, the film version of Kate DiCamillo's Newberry-winning novel, isn't one of those superb adaptations, but it's not one of the crushing ones, either. Set in the small town of Naomi, Florida, it seems at first to consist primarily of Southern quirks on loan from other movies. Poke it, and it might ooze molasses. It also stars newcomer Annasophia Robb—a young performer from the Jake Lloyd school of big-eyed, loud-voiced child acting—as its Pollyanna-meets-Scout-from-To Kill A Mockingbird heroine, and it relies heavily on the antics of Winn-Dixie, a dog that occasionally breaks into a CGI-enhanced smile. more..