Because of Winn-Dixie (PG, 2005)

Opal (Annasophia Robb) and her worried, distracted preacher father (Jeff Daniels) have just moved to tiny Naomi, Florida. At the grocery store, Opal meets a troublemaking stray dog causing chaos, claims him as hers, and names him Winn-Dixie after the store. Her dad and the landlord say "No!" But Winn-Dixie wants to stay with Opal and help her make some new friends. Soon, Opal has a job working the pet store and befriends the town librarian (Eva Marie Saint), a reclusive woman (Cecily Tyson), and some local kids. As Opal becomes more confident, she finds the courage to ask the Preacher about her mother. Because of Winn-Dixie, she has developed the maturity to begin to understand the answers. And because of Winn-Dixie, the small town of Naomi becomes once again a place where people know each other's sorrows and reach out to each other.

While appealing, this story is also heavy-handed and full of clichés, and characters with names like "Sweetie Pie" and "Dunlap Dewberry." Annasophia Robb turns in an uncertain performance as Opal, but strong appearances by top talent in the adult roles and graceful evocation of a gently rural community by director Wayne Wang keep it for the most part more sweet than sugary.

The best moments are not the revelations or the coming-of-age turning points or the dog-causes-trouble slapstick but the small, quiet scenes of people connecting to each other. The film is gently touching when Opal tells the librarian and the recluse that she wants to hear their stories and then listens attentively and when Otis plays his guitar for the animals. Those are the moments that truly convey the magic of Winn-Dixie.

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Director: Wayne Wang
Cast: AnnaSophia Robb, Harland Williams, Jeff Daniels
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 85 minutes
Theatrical release: February 18, 2005
DVD release: August 9, 2005
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: thematic elements and brief mild language.