Release Date: February 18, 2005
Starring: AnnaSophia Robb, Jeff Daniels, Cicely Tyson, Eva Marie Saint, Dave Matthews, Harland Williams
Directed by: Wayne Wang
Written by: Joan Singleton
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox Films
MPAA Rating: PG (thematic elements, brief mild language)
When director Wayne Wang was asked why he would go from directing grown up films like Smoke and The Center of the World to a movie like Because of Winn-Dixie, he joked, “Because everybody says don’t work with kids and dogs.” Surely Wang thought he could add something new to this kid-friendly formula, and he more or less does so, giving more screen time to the human elements of the story, rather than exploiting the antics of the titular dog and filling the scenes with childish humor. He doesn’t fully avoid the kids-only scheme, though, unfortunately lending the film more of a storybook quality rather than a real-life one.
Ten-year-old actress AnnaSophia Robb makes her debut here playing Opal, the daughter of a emotionally reserved preacher (Jeff Daniels) and a mother who left the two when Opal was three. Opal and her dad have just moved to Naomi, Florida, and she finds her new life to be very lonely. Luckily for her, her prayers for new friends are answered when she meets a happy-go-lucky dog out of nowhere -- or at a Winn-Dixie grocery store, to be more precise. She names it after the store where she finds him, and soon the loveable animal leads her to meet a host of new and friendly acquaintances.
One of those acquaintances is a suspicious pet store worker named Otis, who is played by the singer Dave Matthews, also in his first film role. The strange thing is, he’s not the real owner of the store, and we have no idea where that person is. And for some reason this pet store doesn’t sell your usual pets (cats, dogs, gerbils, etc.); instead, it has ducks, pigs, and goats. Of course, they’re all perfectly tame, too, and even trained to cause havoc when needed (like in one of the film’s less mature moments, when a pesky police officer, played by the comedian Harland Williams, needs a good reason to leave the store). On the plus side, Otis is played well by Matthews, and not surprisingly, he can carry a tune.
Opal also meets a shut-in librarian named Miss Franny (Eva Marie Saint), who tells Opal a story of a bear coming into her library and stealing the book “War and Peace.” She also shares a strange candy called Luttmuss Lozenges, which somehow make people taste sad emotions and open up about them. The fanciful aspects of Miss Franny are what make her enjoyable, and it also helps when she does her part to guide the movie’s sentimental side along.
The same goes for Cicley Tyson’s blind hermit, Gloria. She has a lot of wisdom to impart on young Opal, and is perhaps the most influential of the girl’s new friends. The catch is, director Wang and writer Joan Singleton tread a bit too carefully with this character, potentially teaching the movie’s young target audience that even adults with major problems (which Gloria has) are harmless and always waiting with arms open. Gloria is well played and enjoyable to watch, yet she is one of a dozen examples that reveal the movie is slightly out of touch with reality.
It’s the storybook depiction of things that holds Because of Winn-Dixie back. The movie has a lot to say about life, family, and friendship, and some of it with a good deal of weight. (Case in point: In one scene Opal yells at her father for always being a “turtle” -- keeping his head in his shell, so to speak, and not being brave enough to face life.) Yet we’re still treated to elements of immaturity, like a smiling dog (Winn-Dixie does so with the aid of computer animation), a pet store with perfectly trained farm animals, a woman who peddles “sadness candy,” and a cop who gets caught with his pants down (literally).
But for these elements, the film could have played to a wider audience. It will entertain the young ones who love animal gimmicks and other such fantasies, but it will lose that group’s attention when the movie gets serious. Only those around the main character’s age of 10 will likely fully appreciate the film’s tenuous balance of drama and silliness.
It must be said, however, that Because of Winn-Dixie is entirely well-meaning. There isn't a single frame with a sour intention, and parents should be able to appreciate that, if for no other reason than that they don’t have to worry about inappropriate content or themes when taking their kids to see it. But you need more than that, though, for the adults themselves to enjoy it, and this film ultimately doesn’t have quite enough to reach that point.
-- Andy Zientek (zfilm@earthlink.net)