Too-cute movie about dog lacks bite
To briefly borrow some of its corn-pone vernacular, “Because of Winn-Dixie” collects old cliches the way flypaper picks up bluebottles.
There’s the mean old landlord, who isn’t partial to children or dogs. There’s the never-seen hermit lady, who is said to be some kind of witch. There’s the lonely little girl who prays cute – “It’s me, God” – and the scruffy stray mutt who brings them all together.
Sweet as molasses and about half as speedy, “Because of Winn-Dixie” is based on an award-winning children’s book. It’s one of those movies that tries hard to be irresistible. You can catch it trying, though. And after the sixth or seventh try (there’s also an old maid librarian, a comical Deputy Fife cop and a mysterious Man with a Secret), resistance gets easy.
It’s got a cute dog, though, a scruffy chowhound named after the supermarket he’s found in. And it has a few veterans among its supporting cast, including Eva Marie Saint as the book lady and Cicely Tyson as the recluse.
Jeff Daniels lends a hand, too, as the lonely heroine’s distracted dad. Though he rarely has been used well by the movies – and still has some apologizing to do for “Dumb or Dumber” – Daniels often has radiated a common, low-key kind of decency. That quality is crucial to a picture like this, and he helps hold it together.
Unfortunately, little Annasophia Robb, who plays our heroine, isn’t a particularly compelling actress, a flaw director Wayne Wang tries to cover up with funny flashbacks and camera tricks. When in doubt, he cuts away to Winn-Dixie for a cute-critter reaction – never a good sign. (The fact that the dog seems to have had a computer- generated smile added is even worse.)
“Because of Winn-Dixie” does have some good points. It would be hard to find a more family- friendly movie (there’s not even a hint of sex or violence). It’s also a pleasant surprise to see a film that suggests not everybody who lives in a trailer is trash, not every Baptist minister is a humorless prig, and not every small Southern town is crammed with Klansmen and corruption.
The downside is that, with everything scrubbed so squeaky clean, there’s no conflict here. Just as real mutts have fleas, real movies have something at stake. “Winn-Dixie” has everything but the drama, and while that doesn’t make it a dog, it never raises it above the status of stuffed toy.
