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Because of Winn-Dixie (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:115
Fresh:62
Rotten:53
Average Rating:5.8/10
Consensus: An old-fashioned, if bland, adaptation of Kate DiCamillo's novel.
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Genre: Childrens
Synopsis: Based on the perennial best seller, BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE tells the story of a lonely young girl who adopts an orphaned dog she names Winn-Dixie (for the supermarket where she found him). The bond... Based on the perennial best seller, BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE tells the story of a lonely young girl who adopts an orphaned dog she names Winn-Dixie (for the supermarket where she found him). The bond between the girl and her special companion brings together the people in a small Florida town and heals her own troubled relationship with her father. Twentieth Century Fox and Walden Media present BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE a Wayne Wang Film adapted from the popular and much-honored novel of the same name by Kate DiCamillo. Among the book’s awards is the coveted Newbery Honor. Wang directs from a screenplay by Joan Singleton. The Producers are Trevor Albert and Joan Singleton, and the Executive Producer is Ralph Singleton. The village of Napoleonville, Louisiana stands in for the story’s fictional Naomi, Florida. Sleepy Naomi is a place where people have forgotten how to share their sadness and their joy. But Opal and Winn-Dixie might have something to say about that. Jeff Daniels, Cicely Tyson, Dave Matthews and Eva Marie Saint star as the somewhat eccentric adults who benefit from Opal and Winn-Dixie’s bumpy summer of discovery. Newcomer AnnaSophia Robb won the role of Opal following an intensive talent hunt. "Opal and Winn-Dixie have something in common," says AnnaSophia. "She doesn’t have a mother and he doesn’t have a home. They both want somebody to love and somebody to love them. And, as a team, they begin to realize that other people just might want the same things." Winn-Dixie guides Opal into places where magic dozes under a coat of dusty disappointment and awakens the people hiding there. Things begin to change day by day under the summer sun – in a funky pet store, a musty library, a drab mobile home, a ramshackle house and a convenience store-turned temple of worship. --© 20th Century Fox [More]
Starring: Jeff Daniels, AnnaSophia Robb, Dave Matthews, Cicely Tyson
Starring: Jeff Daniels, AnnaSophia Robb, Dave Matthews, Cicely Tyson, Eva Marie Saint, Elle Fanning, Courtney Jines
Director: Wayne Wang
Director: Wayne Wang
Screenwriter: John Singleton
Producer: Trevor Albert, Joan Singleton
Composer: Rachel Portman
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for Because of Winn-Dixie
Relentlessly cute and adorable, it at least has a slight sour edge that gives us above-8s something to cling to. Briefly.
Because of Winn-Dixie's heart-tugging sadness makes its joy even sweeter.
Most of the time, you can't go wrong with kids and dogs. Then there's Because of Winn-Dixie.
It's refreshingly free of the overadrenalized overkill and/or saccharine manipulations of so many kid movies.
Because of Winn-Dixie should provide a pleasant family outing free of any cinematic mange.
In pace, sensibility, and big, beating heart, this is a child's first indie film, and it's the better for it.
Starting with the dog, Wang's warm-and-fuzzy story could have used some careful trimming.
[The script] can never decide whether this is supposed to be an over-the-top comedy or a deeply moving drama -- and doesn't do that well at either.
It's so much more honest than the average Hollywood blather that I think you'll end up in my camp.
Because of Winn-Dixie doesn't have a mean bone in its body, but it's dead in the water.
Wayne Wang's Because of Winn-Dixie tries hard to be sweet but plays like Pollyanna with fleas.
A sweet film, laced with magic realism, and it tackles some rather dark themes in a way that is perfectly appropriate for young children.
Some older viewers might be confused that director Wayne Wang offers no entry point for grownups. This is a kid’s view of the world, free of irony and in-jokes.
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