Because of Winn-Dixie

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Summary: A Charming Girl and her Amazing Dog
Review: Kate DiCamillo's delightful novel of a young girl and her dog, is now transformed into a movie, but as a passionate reader, I tend to be more biased towards to book, and I found several discrepancies. Such as, a couple of the minor characters in the book are given actual lines in the movie and their personalities are more displayed. For instance, the trailer park owner has a very different disposition than what is attatched to him in the book. Likewise, the policeman in the book is hardly mentioned at, whereas in the movie, he appears several times with an agenda and brings a little comic relief to the story. The other major difference in contrasting the book to the movie is that in the movie the preacher only gives Opal nine descriptions of her mother instead of ten as in the book. This final difference is the most disturbing in that it strays so far from the original storyline. Overall, the movie is enjoyable and a good representation of the book, but it is not without its variances.

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Summary: Accept the Differences
Review: There has always been and will continue to be slight to extreme contradictions between the events and images understood within the mind through reading a book and the observed occurrences displayed in film. When objectively compared, the book Because of Winn-Dixie and its mass media counterpart do possess major differences, especially within the actions of the characters and the happenings of the plot. Beginning with the differences in characters, the adult trailer park manger, a dynamic and somewhat important character in the movie, is barely mentioned in the book. Also, Opal's father, known as the preacher, is also depicted as more distant and cold towards his daughter as she requests things of him in the movie, yet he is seen as slightly more understanding in the actual text. Such interactions between Opal and her father create some observable differences in the way their relationship is portrayed in the plot of both the movie and the book. The movie adds in an extra scene of their reconciliation and honest conversation that never occurs in the book, possibly to evoke a more emotional response in the movie's viewers. Because literature and film attract different viewers, discrepancies are bound to exist and the reader and the viewer must learn to appreciate each medium in its own realm.

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Summary: The Book Contrasted with the Movie
Review: DiCamillo's book is a wonderful tale about a girl and her dog. It is a delightful read for any age, but definitely geared towards the eight to eleven age bracket. The movie of the novel was just released. I definitely recommend that everyone read the book first, it is much better in development and content.
There are several differences between the book and movie. The movie brought in Mr. Alfred as a real character with who at least plays a minor role in the subplots of the movie. In the book, Mr. Alfred is simply mentioned as the owner of the trailer park that Opal and her father live in. The movie also introduces a new character of the town sherrif. His role in the movie seems simply to provide slap-stick comedy for the kids going to see the movie. His role seems contrived and unneeded to the plot, the screenwriter could've forgone his involvement. The character of Otis, played by Dave Matthews, has a considerably different spin than the Otis described in the book. DiCamillo's Otis seems weaker, more sympathetic, an introvert because of shyness. The movie's Otis is darker, angry, a wanderer--unwilling to be a part of society. Though both Otis' receive ultimate redemption when invited and coming to Opal and Gloria's party. He is welcomed and loved just for who he is, and appreciate for his musical ability.
Other differences include the amount of experiences that Opal has in Naomi, although most were probably cut out for the sake of time. Another change in the plot was the dialogue between Opal and her father concerning the ten things she wants to know about her momma. He decides to tell her only nine things in the movie, heightening the tension created by the fact of the tenth fact: her momma drank.
These are just a few of the differences between the book and the movie. This reviewer suggest enjoying both, and trying to see if the movie versions of the characters fit the pictures of them the reader's may have gotten in their mind.

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Summary: The Best Friend Ever Review from Jessica at Cutchogue East
Review: "Because of Winn-Dixie," by Kate DiCamillo, is a heartwarming story about real life, real emotions, and real friends. This heartwarming story iss portrayed in both the movie and in the book, but there were a few differences that added a different flavor to the movie than might have been intended by DiCamillo in the literary form. Mr. Alfred, the trailor park owner was mentioned merely by name in DiCamillo's book, but the movie portayed him as a main character that entered into the magic of that summer in Naomi led by a smiling dog. This brought a new character into the mix, which proved interesting, but could be considered odd since that character was not developed by the author herself. The characterization of the preacher in the movie seems drastically different from the wounded, but tender preacher we experience inside the pages of the book. The preacher is constantly trying to find a home for Winn-Dixie away from him and Opal instead of being taken in by the dog's smile relatively soon after their first introduction. The preacher also does not show up at the beginning of the party at Gloria Dump's, which proves to create more emotional drama between young Opal and her father, but was a detail evidently different from the intention of the book. A third main character difference seems to be in Otis, the pet shop operator. He is played by Dave Mathews, and seems to have a harder attitude--he throws a cuss word out here and there-- than the kind, shy animal-charmer that DiCamillo portrays as Opal's boss. The girl who plays Opal is wonderful, and despite lacking the red hair and freckles, she did a superb job portraying the character. The small-town, summer-day attitude of the south is shown in all of its glory from the church congregation to the sheriff on a power trip. DiCamillo's book is a wonderful story about friendship, but there are a few hollywood quirks thrown into the movie that are unnecessary as Winn-Dixie has enough purposeful quirks of his own.

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Summary: The Movie Is Not Enough
Review: Although the movie is engaging and sweet, reading this book evokes emotions that the movie cannot quite capture. For instance, in the book, Opal's father agrees to keeping the dog relatively quickly, whereas in the movie he takes a long time to warm up to Winn Dixie. This seemingly small difference shows readers of the book that the preacher has a sensitive heart, while the preacher in the movie appears more calloused. Similarly, in the movie, the preacher refuses to tell Opal the tenth thing about her mother, and he forgets about her party. In the book, on the other hand, he tells Opal all ten facts about her mother, and he is one of the first guests to arrive at the party. This makes him appear much more genuine and loving in the book, making the reader feels as though the preacher sincerely desires a close relationship with his daughter but is still experiencing hurt of his own. He appears hardened in the movie, and only after a long walk in the rain looking for Winn Dixie does he finally break down. Finally, the choice of the movie producers to have Winn Dixie come in from the rain provides a dramatic ending, but it does not have the sentimental value of the book, where Winn Dixie is found sneezing and smiling under one of the beds in Gloria Dump's house. Overall, although the movie is fun to watch, it does not provide the same sense of connection with the preacher, or the satisfaction of seeing Winn Dixie choose to stay near Opal during the thunderstorm. The movie is just not enough.