You would never know this was directed by an important director, Wayne Wang. The comedy scenes were embarrassing to watch. I know the budget was low but that's no excuse for this amateurish work. Jeff Daniels used to be a big star--now this. He was so terrific in Dumb and Dumber, and 101 Dalmatians. Maybe he can redeem himself with The Whale and the Squid. Laura Linney is in that film and she rarely appears in anything that's not first rate. Why didn't they give the lead girl some acting lessons before they plopped her in front of the camera? Wang did her no favors with this film. Dave Matthews, in only his second feature role, was one of the few shining stars in this movie. Poor Harland Williams' career must really be in the toilet.
Review of Because of Winn-Dixie
