Because of Winn-Dixie never quite figures out what it wants to be, and the result is a more serious than expected, not quite a kid flick, morally uplifting failure. The story of a child, transplanted by her wandering and emotionally wounded minister father, who aches for friendship and finds it from one of the strangest looking dogs I've ever seen, is sweet and gentle and painful. There are solid performances by AnnaSophia Robb (a beautiful child who knows the difference between acting and whining), Jeff Daniels (who seems to be bordering on stolidity, not solidity as he gets older), Cicely Tyson, and Eva Marie Saint (two women who have aged better than mere mortals could ever expect). Also, the movie is shot in a Deep South community that is so pretty, this native Washingtonian would like to travel to Dixie.
There's real emotional and moral depth to this movie, but the movie makers apparently didn't have enough faith in the material because they jazz it up--and lose the focus of the film--with some very forced slapstick and an idiotic appearance by Harland Williams, a thoroughly annoying and repulsive non-actor, as a sheriff's deputy who has nothing to do in the film but harass children and guitar players and generally misuse the taxpayers' money.
Because of Winn-Dixie fails from its lack of faith in the strength of its story. If it were some silly, slapstick kiddie flick, it would have worked (and I would have tried to avoid it like the plague) and if it had been any more psychologically satisfactory and satisfying, well, you might have seen it as a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, not a mainstream theatrical presentation.
It's worth the rental price only if you want to watch a decent story, while accepting the fact that the kiddies might check out (which would be unfortunate because most folks wouldn't rent Because of Winn-Dixie for themselves, but for family consumption).
There's real emotional and moral depth to this movie, but the movie makers apparently didn't have enough faith in the material because they jazz it up--and lose the focus of the film--with some very forced slapstick and an idiotic appearance by Harland Williams, a thoroughly annoying and repulsive non-actor, as a sheriff's deputy who has nothing to do in the film but harass children and guitar players and generally misuse the taxpayers' money.
Because of Winn-Dixie fails from its lack of faith in the strength of its story. If it were some silly, slapstick kiddie flick, it would have worked (and I would have tried to avoid it like the plague) and if it had been any more psychologically satisfactory and satisfying, well, you might have seen it as a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, not a mainstream theatrical presentation.
It's worth the rental price only if you want to watch a decent story, while accepting the fact that the kiddies might check out (which would be unfortunate because most folks wouldn't rent Because of Winn-Dixie for themselves, but for family consumption).