Winn-Dixie mon meilleur ami

Opal (AnnaSophia Robb), is a 10-year-old girl who has just moved to a small town in Florida with her preacher father (Jeff Daniels). The move has caused Opal to lose all her friends, and now she must start all over again. Life has been a little tough for Opal, since her mother abandoned them when she was three. Opal's father asks her to pick up a few items for dinner at the Winn-Dixie supermarket. While in the store, a big dog is running loose in the store with clerks chasing after him. The store manager wants to call the dog pound, but Opal says that the dog is hers, and his name is Winn-Dixie. Opal take the dog home, and must convince her father to keep the dog. He agrees to keep the dog temporarily, until a new owner can be found. They go around town putting up posters of the dog, and later in the day Opal goes around and takes the posters down, because she secretly wants to keep the dog. Opal discovers that Winn-Dixie is able to make friends with everyone he meets, and now Opal has some new friends, because of Winn-Dixie. This is a good heartfelt story of the bond between a little girl and her dog. The story shows that a dog can bring happiness to a lonely girl and open up hearts of the people in town. I don't know how they did it, but the dog can actually smile. You can take your children to see this touching story. (20th Century Fox, Run time 1:46, Rated PG) (7/10)

This movie was wonderful. The movie is about a young girl who finds a dog when she visits Winn Dixie to do grocery shopping for her father, who is the pastor in the small town in which she lives. This movie deals with love, forgiveness, and the importance of friendship. Together, Opal and Winn Dixie befriend many lonely residents of the small Florida town, and find that their lives are enriched, in addition to improving the lives of the lonely people in this town. This movie involves examples of forgiveness, and concern for others. This movie kind of reminds me of the movie My Dog Skip, starring Frankie Muniz. This is because both movies involve an animal helping a child become friends with many people in a small town.

First, I want to dispel any rumors about this being a "sappy" movie. This movie is an adaptation of a well-known children's book, and should be judged as such. For those of us that want more from our entertainment than shoveling base garbage, it provides a nice change. This movie is in the same type of movie as an "Anne of Green Gables" or other juvenile movie. It has no nudity, profanity, nor did we see anybody sleeping with anybody. A nice change.

What a wonderful movie. The story is very similar to Pollyanna (at least in the girls ability to involve herself in the community). It has a very positive message, and there is not one thing that I would feel bad taking any of my children to see. As a matter of fact, they will all see it by the week's end. I haven't read the book, but my 13 year-old daughter has and told me how good it is. I will have to read it now. It was an engaging tale, and technically was very well done. The acting was good (some very talented actors were involved) and there was some very good film work. The moving clouds with the scene changes were a nice touch and the music was very appropriate. I know there has been a lot of talk in the media about Dave Matthews in this film, and he was a nice addition. His acting was OK, but his music was definitely a welcome addition. His guitar playing in various spots was warm and fit like your favorite chair.

There were a number of good messages throughout the movie. Some were very overt (the discussion between Gloria and Opal about judging someone on an event without knowing the whole story), and some were a little more below the surface (time moving on, bringing new challenges, and keep living). In case you don't get them, they usually give you a clue in the dialogue somewhere. It sure gave me lots of topics I could use to teach with my children. The most important theme is the primary theme for the movie. The truly important thing in life is the relationships we have with others. Opal demonstrated by becoming part of the lives of those Winn Dixie led her to.

This is one movie that will go on my video shelf (when it's not in the DVD player).

With it's G rating, I figured this for mostly upbeat and easy for youngsters such as my 3rd grade daughter. However, the movie is much deeper than that, and while it has many feel good moments, it is more about tough times and imperfect lives than anything, but shines wonderfully.

My 3rd grade daughter loved it, but my 7th grade daughter, who we thought might be too old for it, loved it even more!

I would definitely recommend "Because of Winn-Dixie" to families looking for a movie to watch together and who want thought provoking questions for their children to ponder and ask about. Well done, not too sappy, plenty of realism to go along with the fantasy.

The dog wasn't cartoony at all, the smile was understated and natural. This movie is more about relationships and hope despite tough times than anything else.

Opal, the daughter of a preacher, is a girl with a mind of her own. When she meets Winn-Dixie, she has found a pal. Her father is a man that is in pain. He is trying to reconcile himself to his present circumstances. Arriving at the small southern town, he must do good work in order to attract a faithful congregation. He doesn't have much to fear, just leave it Opal to get everyone together in a place where people have grown apart.

The great book by Kate DiCamillo, is an excellent book for young adults. Joan Singleton adapted it for the screen and Wayne Wang directed a nice cast that produced a movie that, while some would think it's too sugary for their taste, it captured perfectly the essence of a small southern town.

The sweet AnnaSophia Robb plays the leading role. This young actress is a natural, or so it seems. Jeff Daniels, one of our best actors is seen as the preacher who can't forget his wife and who has to come to terms with himself. Cicely Tyson and Eva Maria Saint are perfect as two of the town's oldest citizens that are won over by Opal's goodness. Elle Fanning is seen as Sweetie Pie, a lovely girl. B. J. Hopper and Dave Mathews also contributed to the film.

This film was clearly targeted for young audiences. It has the right ingredients that prove to be a magical combination for family movies, a girl and a cute dog, a sure formula for appealing to audiences. Wayne Wang, an unlikely choice for director, brings all these elements together for a film that will not disappoint.