Perfect cast and a good story

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I know we always expect the book to be better. But the movie made some changes and additions that were unnecessary. For example, the movie includes a gag scene in which the policeman, played by Harland Williams, for no apparent reason, interrupts Opal and her friends playing baseball. Winn-Dixie attacks the policeman who is unable to get back in his cruiser without having his pants pulled down and his bright red boxers exposed to public view. There is no such scene in the book. It's played for slapstick but isn't in the least funny. Worse than that, however, is that it completely contradicts what we've seen from Winn-Dixie up to that point: a gentle, friendly dog without a trace of viciousness (expect for hunting mice!). Opal's grinning and laughing at the chaos in the grocery story at the beginning is not in the book, and in the movie seems forced and unrealistic. And the manager who is afraid of dogs gives one of the worst acting performances I've seen in the movies in a long, long time. I understand he's a local and has never acted before. Well, it shows.Director Wang seemed to be in a hurry to get through the story as quickly as possible. leaving no time for the character development we find in the book. Otis, miscast as Dave Matthews, doesn't come across as shy and awkward as he needs to be. Instead he merely comes across as rude. We don't get much of a sense of the conflict between Opal and the Dewberry boys so that when the one boy begins making friendly overtures to Opal, it just seems confusing. Much of the behavior of all the characters comes across as unmotivated and superficial, what you might expect from a director who was in too much of a hurry to worry about realistic acting.The movie is fine, I guess, for a five-year-old viewer, but it could have been so much better from a more skilled director.

Based on the best selling children's novel by Kate DiCamillo "Because of Winn-Dixie" is a moving, sickly sweet family movie that children will overall enjoy. Full of beautiful friendships and memorable quotes. All round, a film mostly for children, which made me wish to not like it, but as the end credits rolled, I couldn't help but feel full of joy. A brilliant, touching, story that is slightly held back by over-cheesiness, and the fact that it is clear that when lines of dialogue are given, that the actors are reading from a script instead of actually believing the things they are saying. However, this is only from an adult perspective.Annasophia Robb is impressive as young Opal, Cicely Tyson gives a reasonably convincing performance as Gloria, while Jeff Daniels gives a brilliant emotional performance as her father, the Preacher, but for me, the real star was Winn-Dixie, as it was completely impossible for your heart not to go to that adorable dog.

As far as family values go...this movie missed the boat. Since when do family values include a kid whining and throwing a temper tantrum to get her way, repeatedly? Where do the family values come into play when a kid yells at her father telling him that he is to blame for the mother becoming an alcoholic and leaving...and the father saying 'yes it was all my fault'. And the most shocking detail...why was the only black character in the film the one labeled as 'the crazy witch' - that's FAMILY VALUES for you!!!! The only thing that could have made it worse, was if the girl had her own cell phone. On another note...I'm not nor have I ever been a Dave Matthews fan but his character was the only one I liked in this movie and I thought he did a pretty decent job portraying him.

a very charming movie. set in a little town as if the world is not connected at all to America. the acting is excellent especially from the likes of annasophia robb , cecily tyson and jeff daniels.i thought it would be a really upsetting ending in which the dog runs off and doesn't come back but the sort of film like this that doesn't happen. i know this film is all about the dog but really he's not the character who you focus on its much more on the preacher and insisa opal.the girl seems to keep the world around her going without her life seems to be just sad and quiet.7/10