Because of Winn-Dixie is a 2005 American comedy-drama film based on Kate DiCamillo's 2000 novel of the same name, with the screenplay written by Joan Singleton, produced by Trevor Albert and directed by Wayne Wang. It was produced by Walden Media and released by 20th Century Fox. It stars Jeff Daniels, Cicely Tyson, Dave Matthews in his film debut, Eva Marie Saint, and AnnaSophia Robb in her feature film debut. It premiered at the USA Film Festival on January 26, 2005 and was theatrically released on February 18, 2005. It received mixed reviews from critics and earned $33.5 million against a production budget of $14 million. It was released on DVD and VHS on August 9, 2005, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Plot[]
Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni has just moved to the fictional small town of Naomi, Florida with her father who is a preacher.
While at Winn-Dixie, Opal encounters a scruffy Berger Picard that is a wreaking havoc. She (not wanting the manager to send him to the pound) claims that he is her dog and names him "Winn-Dixie". He becomes friends with everyone he encounters, and so Opal makes new friends in the process. She also rekindles her relationship with her father and learns ten things about her mother, Benjean-Megan, who abandoned them when she was three. She describes the preacher as a turtle, always tricking his head into his shell, and never wanting to come out into the real world. This is most likely because of how sad he is about her mother, whom he is still in love with.
One of the people Opal meets is Miss Franny Block, a kind and somewhat eccentric elder librarian, who tells her many great stories, including one involving a bear who invaded the library. She also meets Gloria Dump, a blind African-American recovering alcoholic with a "mistake tree" with beer bottles hanging from it in her backyard. She tells Opal that the bottles, including alcohol bottles, represent the ghosts of all the things she has done wrong.
One day, fed up with Winn-Dixie, the landlord of the Bulbonis' trailer park, Mr. Alfred, demands they get rid of him. The preacher calls the pound, but Opal begs to keep him. Unable to see her upset, he asks the pound to return Winn-Dixie, claiming he is not the same dog he called about. The preacher is able to convince Mr. Alfred to allow them three months' time to find Winn-Dixie a new home. However, it is later revealed that, like a lot of the characters, Mr. Alfred is dealing with difficult feelings which impact how he interacts 2itb the Bulbonis and Winn-Dixie.
Opal gets a job at Gertrude's Pets and befriends the manager Otis, a shy ex-convict with a passion for music. She also meets a young girl named Sweetie Pie Thomas, who is eager to get a dog like Winn-Dixie. With enough new friends, Opal and Gloria decide to host a party. Opal also takes a risk by inviting Mr. Alfred to the party as well, which he, after hesitating, begrudgingly accepts. Opal also becomes a friend to her former enemies, the brothers Stevie and Dunlap Dewberry, and to her sour-faced neighbor, Amanda Wilkinson, who lost her younger brother Carson when he drowned in the town lake the previous summer, which inspires Opal's compassion.
During the party, a severe thunderstorm strikes, and Winn-Dixie, being pathologically afraid of them, runs away. While Opal looks for him, her father wants to give up and she blames him for the loss of her mother and Winn-Dixie running away. He explains that he tried very hard to look for her mother. He then admits that it was his fault that she left him, and believes that she is never coming back. However, he is grateful that she left Opal with him. Later they go back to the party and Otis starts to play a song on his guitar. Winn-Dixie is heard outside howling along to it. Everyone, while singing, lets him in and welcomes him back.
Cast[]
- AnnaSophia Robb as India Opal Buloni
- Jeff Daniels as Mr. Buloni "The Preacher"
- Cicely Tyson as Gloria Dump
- Dave Matthews as Otis
- Eva Marie Saint as Ms. Franny Block
- Ellie Fanning as Sweetie Pie Thomas
- Courtney Jines as Amanda Wilkinson
- Luke Benward as Steven "Stevie" Dewberry
- Nick Price as Dunlap Dewberry
- B.J. Hopper as Mr. Alfred
- Harland Williams as the Policeman
- Becca Lish as Gertude
- Lyco and Scott as Winn-Dixie