Because Of Winn Dixie Review
by Harvey S. Karten (harveycritic AT cs DOT com)February 16th, 2005
BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE
Reviewed by Harvey S. Karten
20th Century Fox/Walden Media
Grade: B-
Directed by: Wayne Wang
Written by: Joan Singleton, novel by Kate DiCamillo
Cast: Annasophia Robb, Jeff Daniels, Cicely Tyson
Screened at: AMC, NYC, 2/13/05
If you took part in the massive, super-crowded parade celebrating Chinese New Year around Mott Street in New York, you might think: too bad people in small towns don't get to see and do what we can do in big cities. Why would people want to live in an area with a population in the low thousands rather than in the several millions? While much can be said for urban living, there is one quality small towns supposedly have: the people know and look out for one another. The shops are friendlier, the pace is slower. Surprisingly, according to Kate DiCamillo whose Newbery prize-winning novel "Because of Winn-Dixie" is adapted for the big screen by Joan Singleton, there's at least one American town that unfortunately explodes this stereotype. In the fictional enclave of Naomi, Florida, with a population under 3,000, the only people who seem to know each other are those who live under the same roof. Though everyone shops in the same stores–particularly in the Wal-Mart size Winn-Dixie supermarket--the townspeople might just as soon be next-door neighbors in a big-city apartment house. That's how little social commerce they have.
This is all about to change because of Winn-Dixie–not the supermarket but the large Picardy sheepdog that bears its name courtesy of the ten-year-old girl who, save for her age, could be the Maytag repair-person (the loneliest person in town). When little Opal (AnnaSophia Robb in her debut film performance) adopts the sheepdog (erroneously called a shepherd in the production notes, which do not even credit her performance), you can bet that this alienated township will wind up acting toward each other as though it were Christmas all-year-‘round.
"Because of Winn-Dixie" is no "Lassie Come Home." Though the sheepdog does become lost at one point (surprise!), the search and her ultimate return lack the poignance of Fred M. Wilcox's stunning 1943 movie in which Elizabeth Taylor looks about to cry every day that her beloved collie is missing.
The tale revolves around the relationship of Opal (AnnaSophia Robb) and a homeless dog, Winn-Dixie, who before adoption was running rampant through a supermarket, and Opal, who has no pals because her dad Preacher (Jeff Daniels) is frequently on the move because of Baptist church assignments. In this dysfunctional town of Naomi, no one knows anyone outside the family circle and some are downright persnickety. Neighbor Mr. Alfred who lives a few meters away in a trailer park hates dogs and wants to call the pound. Tweeny Amanda (Courtney Jines) has the long face of an unhappy prune. Otis (Dave Mathews) is an ex-con who manages a pet store. Miss Franny (Eva Marie Saint) is a librarian who sleeps on the job, which is fine considering that Opal is her first customer. The crew-cut bearing Dewberry brothers Dunlop (Nick Price) and Stevie (Luke Benward) regularly pick on Opal (an obvious cover up for their affection). Legally blind Gloria (Cicely Tyson), whom the lads consider to be a witch, has not had a visitor in years. Guess who brings everyone together?
The picture represents quite a change for Wayne Wang, the Hong-Kong born director who was named for John Wayne, and whose 1995 film "Smoke" is an off-beat tapestry of lives that intertwine around a Brooklyn smoke shop. On the whole "Winn- Dixie" is a pleasant enough way to spend the better part of two hours with your little ones, though there's nothing in the story that could appeal particularly to anyone over the age of twelve.
Rated PG. 106 minutes. © 2005 by Harvey Karten
harveycritic@cs.com
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