Because of Winn-Dixie |  | Director: Wayne Wang
Actors: AnnaSophia Robb, Jeff Daniels, Eva Marie Saint, Cicely Tyson, Dave Matthews
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
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Rating:  155 reviews
Sales Rank: 4680
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 106 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.7
MPN: D2228971D
UPC: 024543189718
EAN: 0024543189718
ASIN: B0009NZ2KG
Theatrical Release Date: February 18, 2005
Release Date: August 9, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.
Genre: Feature Film Family
Rating: PG
Release Date: 6-FEB-2007
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com
Some people think "family entertainment" is an oxymoron, but even they might enjoy Because of Winn-Dixie. This straightforward story of a girl and her dog is simple without being simplistic, heartfelt without being sappy, and thoughtful without being ponderous. Opal (Annasophia Robb, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, who manages the near-impossible feat of being cute without being cutesy) can't make any friends in the small town of Naomi until she hooks up with a dog that's running loose in a supermarket. She spontaneously names him after the store and soon the dog is leading her into unexpected places--a pet store, where she meets an awkward musician (Dave Matthews); a library, where she meets a librarian with as many stories as books (Eva Marie Saint); and into a house shrouded with underbrush, where she meets a blind old woman who sees with her heart (Cicely Tyson). This could have been sentimental glop, but director Wayne Wang (Smoke, The Joy Luck Club) and a restrained script draw honest emotions from the actors and an eerie beauty from the Florida landscape; this one of the few family movies that captures the childhood sense that everyday life can be mystical. Also starring Jeff Daniels (The Purple Rose of Cairo, Something Wild) as Opal's minister father. --Bret Fetzer
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 155
 A "Kid's" Movie that respects your intelligence May 10, 2005
Jane Lane's Twin (Hollywood)
61 out of 63 found this review helpful
I was annoyed to find that 2/3 of the reviewers (or at least one) who gave this movie one star haven't even seen it; they judged it purely on the ads they saw and automatically assumed that the book was much better. I loved the book dearly, and I actually read it when I was already 14!! I was so tired of all these stories about boys and their dogs, and how a boy needs a dog to have a good childhood; this was different, because I could associate with Opal so much better!
Sure, there are a few minor differences--Opal is a blonde not a red-head, and that dog is anything but ugly. Big deal. It's not as traumatic a change as having Harry Potter be a blonde and have no scar. People made too much an issue out of that, and also complained that AnnaSophia Robb could not act. This I must disagree with. That kid drew every emotion out of me that a filmmaker would want. She almost made me cry (on five occasions), and not just any kid actor can make tear up. She is a good actress in her own right, and I'm glad she'll be in a few other films this year.
The rest of the cast was great as well, even Dave Matthews. I loved seeing Eva Marie Saint in her role (it's been a while for her to be on the big screen!) In fact the only annoying thing in this movie was the cop, thrown in for a few very cheap, very annoying laughs (like the wedgie joke). But he's only in two scenes, thankfully, though the movie would be a lot better on the whole without him.
Overall, this is one of those movies you MUST see before you judge it. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a cynic! "Because of Winn-Dixie" combines a sweet story with good acting, directing, effects, and all that jazz. It can be very entertaining for the entire family, teenagers included (if they'd give it a chance!). Really, you're missing out if you decide to pass over this one.
 Not too sweet; real sad; occasionally funny March 7, 2005
David E. Miller (Las Vegas, USA)
62 out of 65 found this review helpful
I'm a 51-year-old guy, and I took my best friends' little 9-year-old girl to see this film (recommended by my own mother!). Previously, we'd seen "Lemony Snickets: A Series of Unfortunate Events," which I enjoyed immensely. Normally, we go see computer animated films. "Robots" is next!
"Because of Winn-Dixie" is a true family film, and that is a genre I usually avoid like the plague. Maybe this film hit me at a time when my heartstrings were ripe for plucking, I don't know. But I began shedding tears almost immediately after it began, and those tears kept pumping, even though I laughed here and there. I might add that my "niece" did not cry, but she liked the film a lot. (She's never owned a dog, but this movie isn't really about the dog, anyway.) I don't know how this film would strike me on a second viewing. It has some obvious flaws, but it's a wonderful film in so many ways that I have to give it 4 stars based on this one viewing. With respect to the young star, AnnaSophia Robb, I found her very adorable (but not cutesy), and, with all due respect to some other negative opinions expressed here, a wonderfully convincing actress. There are a lot of bad child actors out there (the all-time worst had to be the kid who played Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace). But AnnaSophia is NOT one of them. I would recommend this film to any adult who has a big heart, and who hasn't already been jaded by routine family fare.
The very best movie for families!! July 31, 2005
Carolyn Rampone (Plantation, FL USA)
20 out of 20 found this review helpful
The movie "Because of Winn Dixie" has been kept true to the book. I found it to be as charming, heartwarming and even a bit better in some instances in comparison to the printed version. I think it's mainly Cicely Tyson's 'Gloria Dump' that takes it up a notch. She was a perfect choice to play the blind women who teaches India Opal what it means to truly 'see.' I pictured Gloria very differently and was pleasantly surprised by the uncharacteristically scruffy Tyson. Jeff Daniels and Dave Matthews are men who have been hurt but still manage to take the risks needed to keep love flowing to them and from them. "Winn Dixie" is set in an old, rural town in Florida which made me yearn for a simpler time when it was safe for children to ride their bikes around town, explore, and just be kids. In that way, "Because of Winn Dixie" reminds me a lot of "Sandlot."
This movie is all about heart and it is a perfect family movie, for boys and girls, young and old alike and should be on everyone's pre-order list. I really can't recommend it any higher and I feel it's a must have for everyone, even families without kids. It is THAT good.
Pollyanna w/o The Ick February 20, 2005
Samanda b Jeude (Canton, GA USA)
21 out of 22 found this review helpful
One expects a movie pushed so hard as a 'kid's movie' to be pretty dreadful ... lots of sprinkles, treacle & gooey-goodness.
Thank the gods, this *isn't* 1 of them. The adult stars - Jeff Daniels, Eva Marie Saint, Cicely Tyson & [surprise!] Dave Matthews - are great, but the true sparkle is Anna Sophia Robb as the lonely daughter of an abandoned preacher in a tiny town w/the church in a convenience store. Enter Win-Dixie, a horse of a mutt [actually a purebred, but he *looks* quite mutty] shines as he helps the child tear down the fences beween people. Every time you expect the film to go into "aww!' fulness, it swerves into a more considered and - dare i say it? - more adult look at the distance people put between each other ... & how to shorten it into nothingnesss.
Good in a wholesome - but *never* icky-poo sweet - way, it shows the delight 1 can find in a squalid trailer park, a convenience store-turned-Baptist chapel, & a dusty, small town in the middle of Nowhere FL [actually, LA]. Recommended.
The Marketing Department Screwed Up! August 10, 2005
Graboidz (Westminster, Maryland)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
When I saw the ads for this movie, I was hoping I would be able to avoid having to take my kids to see it. The studio marketed this film like it was another "Beethoven" film with the dog doing all kinds of wacky stuff that only the 10 and under crowd would enjoy, "Racing Stripes" anyone?? So when I got home last night and my wife had rented the dvd of "Winn Dixie" I was less than thrilled. We popped it in, and within 10 minutes I knew this was not a standard kiddie flick. Sure it's kid friendly, and the 10 and younger crowd will love the dog, and goofy deputy, but there is so much more to this film. To be honest the movie really isn't about the dog, it's more of a coming of age tale of the young girl. The characters all come to life and aren't just there for window dressing or to do reaction shots for the dog. The acting is great, the story is wonderful (don't be surprised to find yourself with a lump in your throat on a couple occasions). There is more "To Kill a Mockingbird" to "Winn Dixie" than there is "Beethoven". A really wonderful film.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 155
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