Parents Television Council Reviews

PTC reviews aim to provide you with advance information about an entertainment offering so that you can be the final arbiter of what you and your family see.

Because of Winn-Dixie
By J. Byron Dean

Release Date: Feb. 18, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG - for thematic elements and brief mild language
Starring: Jeff Daniels, Dave Matthews, Eva Marie Saint, Cicely Tyson, Anna Sophia Robb, Nick Price
Genre: Family Drama

Almost all of us have, at one time or another, truly needed a friend. A friend who would listen to our troubles, share in our joys and be there for us no matter what. Friends come in all shapes and sizes but in the case of Opal and her newfound friend...they also come in the form of a ragamuffin stray dog. But as friends go, you probably will never find one truer than Winn-Dixie!

India Opal Buloni (played by AnnaSophia Robb from PTC Seal of Approval winner Samantha: An American Girl Holiday) is a 10-year-old girl that lives with her preacher father (Jeff Daniels) in the small town of Naomi, Florida. Opal is lonely not because she isn't good at making friends, but because her mother left when she was only three and her father has just uprooted them to a new congregation, causing her to leave all of her friends behind.

While the Preacher (as Opal affectionately calls her father) loves his only child, he is consumed with his preaching and the abandonment of his wife. Opal feels he has little time for her, and the only children she has met so far aren't what she's looking for in a friend - or vice versa.

There is Amanda Wilkinson (Courtney Jines), close to her age but who seems angry all of the time. There are the Dewberry brothers (Dunlap and Stevie, played by Nick Price and Luke Benward respectively) who want only to tease and make fun of her; and then there is little Sweetie Pie Thomas (Elle Fanning) who is only five-years-old. It seems that Opal will spend her time in Naomi alone and dwelling on the mother she knows nothing about, but misses just the same.

But, like most good things, a special gift can come without warning and often disguised as something you would never expect. So it was with Opal's discovery of Winn-Dixie.

Sent to the grocery store (a Winn-Dixie market, common in the southeastern US) to pick up a few items, Opal finds herself in the middle of a huge commotion as a stray dog runs amuck through the aisles causing total havoc. When the store's manager threatens to call the pound, little Opal speaks out and claims the dog as hers. With no options, she takes the shaggy mutt (aptly named "Winn-Dixie" since that was the first thing that popped into her head when the manager asked the dog's name) back home to her father and asks if she can keep him.

"You don't need a dog." Her father claims.

"I know I don't. But he sure needs me." Opal replies with pleading eyes.

And here the magic of the "good things" that "come without warning and often disguised as something you would never expect" begins to shine. The two actually do need each other and form such a tight bond that you would think they had been friends from birth.

In Winn-Dixie, Opal finds a confidant and a trusting and loyal friend. Someone who not only listens to her troubles, but in his own way, gives her advice and direction on what to do with her life. Through Winn-Dixie Opal begins to make friends...friends of the human kind.

There is elderly Miss Franny (Eva Marie Saint) who is the lonely librarian with no family or friends left until Opal and Winn-Dixie come into her life. Gloria Dump (Cicely Tyson) is a woman who lives alone in the woods and is thought of as a witch by the town's children...until Opal and Winn-Dixie stumble upon her and find out that she's a kind and caring woman. And there's Ottis (Dave Matthews, of "The Dave Matthews Band") who takes care of "Gertrude's Pet Store". Ottis is a quiet man who loves the animals and plays beautiful music for them but who has a dark past that he's reluctant to talk about.

This group of newfound friends is as unmatched as a basket of mismatched socks! And yet they all fit together like the pieces of a large jigsaw puzzle...each in their own place helping to make up the big picture of friendship.

Each of the main stars felt that doing a film like this one - something that the whole family can watch together - was a wonderful thing to be part of. AnnaSophia Robb, who plays Opal, feels that the film shows us just how special animals can be. We are able to talk to them about anything and share our deepest loves and fears with them without any worries.

Cicely Tyson said, "Once in awhile you will find someone conscious enough to say 'let's do a film like Winn-Dixie'...once in awhile...and we're very fortunate to have them in this business." Ms. Tyson wanted to do this film because the story addresses a vast generation gap. She wanted to show that ill-informed ideas (i.e. the preconceived notions the children had about her character) could be overcome by getting to know the person. And she felt that this film teaches that message wonderfully.

Dave Matthews added, "What I liked about this film is that there's a lot of common ground between very different people. And common ground, for me, is the most important thing...rather than our differences. And that was an essential theme of this film for me. And I think that AnnaSophia's character, Opal, teaches all these people about that common place and it's a beautiful lesson. All these lonely people, in some ways, have all lost their way and she brings them together...and with nothing but love...simple, simple love...and hope. I'm glad this film was made because I think it's a good film for parents and kids to enjoy."

A film that is filled with humor and warmth, Because of Winn-Dixie is a movie that will have you laughing and crying. Loki (a Picardy shepherd from France in his first film) will have you ooing and awing over his adorable antics. Rin Tin-Tin and Lassie he ain't, but lovable and adorable he truly is! Because of Winn-Dixie teaches us not to judge by what is on the outside but to take the time to look inside a person and to express our feelings if we expect others to open up to us. Because of Winn-Dixie shows us that what we all need more than anything is to love others and to be loved.

Because of Winn-Dixie definitely takes First in Show as a perfect movie for the entire family!*

*Small or sensitive children might be upset by the discussion of Opal's mother leaving her and a thunderstorm that has Winn-Dixie very scared.

Because of Winn-Dixie is based on the perennial best seller by Kate Di Camillo.  For more information on "Because of Winn-Dixie," visit their official webpage at:

www.becauseofwinndixiemovie.com

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